Durham v Notts Outlaws, Vitality Blast
Durham 181-3, Notts 185-4 (Clarke 100*)
Notts Outlaws won by six wickets.
12 degrees, overcast skies, high winds; not your average Bank Holiday Weekend weather.
As cricket broke out at Emirates Riverside, beanies and gloves were the order of the day.
The Outlaws would have been forgiven for getting a sense of déjà vu as they entered Durham’s manor early on Saturday.
With covers firmly on under gloomy skies, there were echoes of the scenes that greeted the Outlaws 48 hours earlier at Emerald Headingley.
However, with fine rain still in the air and the wind blowing strong, the covers were unexpectedly removed, a toss hastily arranged for 1:55pm and a start time of 2:15pm announced.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the rain didn’t trouble the game after the decision was made.
Notts were led to the field by returning captain Dan Christian, and it was another man on his comeback who gave the Outlaws the perfect start.
Luke Fletcher, absent in the Bob Willis Trophy to date owing to an injury picked up during pre-season, struck with his fourth ball.
As is the way in T20 cricket, bowlers were rotated at breakneck speed by Christian, but none could prise out Alex Lees or Graham Clark.
The pair shared in a record second wicket stand for the hosts against the Outlaws, both passing fifty with an mix of savvy running and huge hits into the empty stands.
Their partnership was broken by the Outlaws’ go-to man in the middle overs, Steven Mullaney.
In many ways, the wicket should have probably gone down as Chris Nash’s, given his acrobatics in the field at short third man.
The 37-year-old threw himself at full stretch to a ball, which looked destined for the boundary, and plucked it out of the air to dismiss Lees, much to the delight of his Notts teammates.
Jake Ball then emphatically removed Clark shortly after, just one stump left standing by the Welbeck Wizard.
As the innings ebbed back towards the Outlaws, former Notts man Paul Coughlin and Brydon Carse shared an unbeaten 53-run stand to see the hosts post 181-3 from their 20 overs.
A fast start was imperative for the Outlaws and Nash, not content with his spectacular hand in the field earlier in the day, duly obliged.
The Notts opener chopped Liam Trevaskis’ first delivery through the off-side for four, setting the tone for the powerplay to come.
The Outlaws lost Alex Hales for 11 but that didn’t halt the momentum, Nash and Joe Clarke each taking a liking to the Durham attack.
By the time they had finished with the mandatory six-over powerplay, the scoreboard read 75-1. The Outlaws were well on their way.
With the fielding restrictions relaxed and the boundary fielders positioned, Nash and Clarke then seemed happy to hit the gaps and rotate the strike.
However, if the opportunity presented itself to find the boundary, neither player shied away.
Clarke in particular seemed to be finding the boundary with relative ease, one straight maximum crashing into the concrete of the on-site car park.
Both men made fifties, Clarke one ball quicker than his teammate off just 26 balls, as the pair enjoyed a 103-run second-wicket stand.
The 24-year-old’s momentum couldn’t even be halted by the losses of Nash and Ben Duckett, as he took his fifth, sixth, and seventh maximums off Matthew Potts.
By now, the prospect of a three-figure score, something the right-hander had reached only once before in T20s, was moving into view.
Clarke was twelve away from a hundred. Eleven were needed to win. If he was to do it, it would need to be a Roy-of-the-Rovers finale, the kind that rarely materialises in reality.
But this was a Joe Clarke in the mood to upset the odds.
After trading singles with captain Dan Christian, a four through cow corner took him to 94.
Then came the moment. A defiant carve over cover which was six as soon as it left the blade.
Clarke raised both arms in triumph. Christian led the applause from the non-striker's end.
A performance for the ages. A first win of the 2020 Vitality Blast for Notts.
Glinting in Outlaws gold, beaming from ear to ear, Joe Clarke's performance had lit up a dreary Durham afternoon - and, indeed, sent a shockwave through the entire competition.
*******
When it comes to sharing the action from Trent Bridge this summer, our multi-camera live stream has got you covered. Watch live...