A brutal assault with the bat by Riki Wessels powered Notts Outlaws to an important victory in their Vitality Blast meeting against Worcestershire Rapids at Blackfinch New Road.

The opener made 55 and - astonishingly – his innings contained one early single and then nine sixes. His half century came from only 17 balls.

Set to score 192, the Outlaws sped to victory by five wickets and reached their total with 11 balls to spare.

Wessels apart, there were also useful contributions from Jake Libby, Tom Moores, Dan Christian and Steven Mullaney. Pat Brown picked up three of the Outlaws wickets to fall.

Earlier Worcestershire, put into bat by Christian, made 191 for six in gloomy, overcast conditions. Brett D’Oliveira top-scored for the hosts, making 64 from only 36 balls.

Mullaney, two for 34, and Luke Fletcher, with two for 35, returned the stand-out bowling figures for the visitors.

Play didn’t get underway until 3.40pm after earlier rain but umpires Ian Gould and Ben Debenham still allowed for a full 20-overs per side contest to be started.

Fletcher’s opening two deliveries both found the outside edge and ran away for boundaries but could have produced wickets.

The bowler’s luck changed at the end of the opening powerplay when he took two wickets in quick succession.

Having added 29 out of an opening stand of 54, Joe Clarke mis-hit to mid off and the safe hands of Alex Hales. Two balls later the dangerous Callum Ferguson, who scored a century at Trent Bridge last week, slashed the same bowler into the hands of Samit Patel at point.

Moeen Ali, either side of a brief interruption for a short shower, twice launched Christian over the ropes for sixes but he fell on 25, hoisting Mullaney out to Libby at deep cover.

Patel took a second catch when Ben Cox pulled Mullaney out to the boundary on the Cathedral side of the ground.

From 114 for four, with more than six overs to go, the Rapids began their acceleration with the dangerous Ross Whiteley at the crease.

D’Oliveira brought up his 50 from 32 balls, with four fours and two sixes.

Thirty runs had been added in threatening fashion for the fifth wicket but then Christian blasted one through Whiteley’s defences to bowl the left-hander for 16.

D’Oliveira looked to finish the innings strongly but was completely out-foxed and bowled by Gurney.

Wayne Parnell and Ed Barnard muscled 47 from the final 15 balls, including huge sixes from each of the last two.

Wessels and former Outlaws’ team-mate Andy Carter exchanged early blows, with the opener launching he big fast bowler for four sixes inside the first three overs.

Carter responded with a sharp delivery that struck Wessels, high on his body, then he also bagged the wicket of Hales for nine.

Two more sixes, his fifth and sixth, both off Parnell, took Wessels to 37 not out by the end of the fourth over.

He then laid into Brown, clubbing three more in succession – to take him past his quickfire 50 – before holing out.

Jake Libby and Steven Mullaney added 49 for the third wicket to take the score to 120 for two at the halfway stage.

Mullaney then departed to Brown for 20 and the Outlaws’ early advantage was being pegged back for the first time.

Libby played nicely again in the shortened format, making 37 from 25 balls, before being run out. He had barely reached the dug out before he was being called back to act as a runner for Tom Moores.

Brown’s third wicket was that of the Notts’ wicketkeeper, who spooned up to cover for 30, shortly after taking 21 from the 15th over.

Christian hit Carter for three sixes in his unbeaten 28 and the contest was decided when Brown bowled a wide and then sent down four leg-byes to seal the two points.

The victory has strengthened Notts Outlaws position in the group and they head to Headingley next Friday, to face Yorkshire Vikings, knowing that a win will see them through to the quarter-finals.

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