Thanks to an innings of 78 from Greg Smith and a disciplined performance from the bowling attack, Notts Outlaws advanced to their fourth consecutive Barbados T20 Cup Final on Sunday.
They defeated Hampshire by the narrow margin of nine runs to earn them a chance of retaining their prize, with a final against Northants Steelbacks scheduled for later in the evening.
Put in to bat, the Outlaws reached 150-4, with Steven Mullaney’s 39 being the chief supporting knock alongside Smith, who was captaining Notts for the first time.
Hampshire lost their way midway through their chase when Mullaney and Matthew Carter bowled eight testing overs between them, picking up four wickets in the process.
The south coast side, who have had the better of Notts in two recent domestic T20 quarter finals, continued to lose wickets as the chase became more frenetic and they could only reach 141-8.
Beneath a beating sun, with around forty or fifty spectators in from the start, Smith and fellow-opener Michael Lumb made their way out onto the parched Kensington turf.
Hampshire began with the spin of Brad Taylor and Smith gleefully pulled a short ball away for the first boundary of the tour. His partner wasn’t so lucky at the start of the next over, with Lumb edging Chris Wood to slip for just a single.
On a sluggish wicket, run-scoring wasn’t easy but Smith and Sam Wood ticked things over in reaching 28 for one by the end of the powerplay. Wood then perished to the spin of Mason Crane; picking out Ervine at short extra for a tumbling, three-attempt catch.
Riki Wessels made 10 before being bowled by Tom Alsop but a battling fourth wicket stand of 71 turned the innings around.
Mullaney hit a huge six onto the roof of the Greenidge and Haynes Stand, whilst Smith batted majestically through to the end.
His fifty came from 47 balls, with four fours and a six and he found further support from Anuj Dal who played a couple of delightful boundaries to take the total up to 150.
Michael Carberry and Tom Alsop rattled off 34 runs in the first four overs of Hampshire’s reply but a pearl of a delivery from Harry Gurney kissed the outside edge of Michael Carberry’s bat and Riki Wessels did the rest.
Under a hot sun, the wicket was getting drier and flatter and the dismissal of Carberry visibly lifted the Outlaws, who then had the better of things once the powerplay restrictions were lifted.
Jimmy Adams tried to reverse sweep Carter and was brilliantly caught by a diving Gurney before Mullaney picked up the wickets of Alsop and Wheater in quick succession.
With the run rate increasing Notts turned to Sam Wood and he joined the list of wicket-takers with just his second ball, getting Ervine and followed it up by removing Gareth Berg.
The final over began with 24 needed and the task wasn’t made any easier when Chris Wood helped a leg side delivery into the hands of ‘keeper Wessels.
There was a genuine feeling of a job well done as the Outlaws players and coaches congratulated each other at the end, with the incentive of retaining the Barbados T20 Cup a step closer.
The 2015 season saw dramatic last-gasp four day victories, thrilling limited-overs contests and an historic Investec Ashes Test, all in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.
Next season, we’d wager, will be no less enthralling and frankly we’d hate for you to miss out.