Notts Outlaws outclassed Durham in their final Vitality Blast group stage fixture, recording a 78-run victory to consolidate their position as the North Group’s leading side.
Ben Duckett crafted a typically creative 74, with belligerent support from Steven Mullaney (43), to take the Outlaws to their third-highest T20 total.
Durham never threatened to overhaul the target in sweltering conditions, with the hosts hunting as a pack to dismiss them for 143 with four overs to spare.
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The demolition came on a day when Nottinghamshire remembered the ultimate chronicler of its past, and honoured a star of the present and future.
Warm, respectful applause greeted the club’s tributes to historian Peter Wynne-Thomas, whose passing was announced last week; a hearty reception, meanwhile, greeted the awarding of Joe Clarke with his County Cap.
And Clarke was a man emboldened as he plundered 27 runs from his first 18 deliveries.
A flick through midwicket off the first delivery of the contest set the tone for a fruitful Outlaws Powerplay, Clarke and Alex Hales finding the boundary no fewer than 14 times.
The thoughts of all in attendance, however, were with Brydon Carse, struck on the side of the head by an Alex Hales drive as he stumbled in his follow-through.
Carse was soon on his feet and led from the field to a sympathetic ovation, Ben Raine completing the over.
And while Notts continued to find the fence once the action resumed, Durham began to make much-needed inroads, Clarke and Hales both miscuing Paul van Meekeren before Tom Moores was lbw to Scott Borthwick.
But the sight of Samit Patel striding to the crease at number five alone has the potential to deflate a side, and the in-form batsman’s purple patch was showing no sign of abating.
While Ben Duckett, doyen of the dab and reverse-sweep, merrily made hay in his trademark way, Patel punched and drove his way into the thirties.
The pair brought up a 50 partnership off 34 balls, before the diving Matt Potts dived forward to dismiss the Outlaws all-rounder.
Patel out, Mullaney in – and the visitors may soon have been regretting their moment of dynamism in the field.
Six, six, one, four, six went the skipper’s first five balls – the latter maximum almost endangering the Yorkshire puddings of the patrons in the Larwood and Voce.
Duckett was not to be denied his moment in the sun, manipulating the field with aplomb as he reached his third half-century of the Vitality Blast campaign.
Mullaney, meanwhile, was marmalising all comers, scoring at a scarcely believable strike rate that nudged 300 as he moved into the forties.
The captain finished unbeaten on 43, Duckett on 74 as excellence with the bat and carelessness in the field saw Notts make 221/4.
And from the moment Graham Clark holed out from the fifth ball of the chase, the result never appeared in doubt.
1 for 1 became 3 for 2, Lees in a different parish as a Matthew Carter delivery clattered the off-stump.
David Bedingham, late of Plumtree in the Notts Premier League, did mount something of a fightback. But after back-to-back boundaries from Dane Paterson’s first two balls, an errant swing of the bat saw him depart, pouched by Carter on 23.
And the sight of Cameron Bancroft inadvertently rearranging his own furniture summed up the visitors’ misfortune, chopping on and falling for 13.
Whether they needed it or not, Notts were receiving a little help in dismissing their opponents, Borthwick too chopping on shortly after Raine was removed at the hands of Harrison.
Durham did at least prolong the entertainment, cameos from Liam Trevaskis (20) and Matthew Potts ensuring this would not be an all-time record margin of defeat, but this was still very much an innings in its death throes.
Potts and Sean Dickson compiled the highest partnership of the run chase, but their stand of 35 was ended as Potts clipped Paterson into the hands of Mullaney.
Dickson and concussion-sub, Luke Doneathy, were each comprehensively bamboozled by Harrison to secure the 23-year old’s second four wicket haul of the competition.
At the beginning of June, Harrison couldn’t even lay claim to being a professional cricketer. Now, he’s a middle overs specialist, a leg-spinner of repute and – most importantly – a Vitality Blast quarter finalist.
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A dominant group stage campaign secured Notts Outlaws a home quarter final for the tenth time in 12 seasons.
Details of the fixture will be announced in due course. Register your interest in tickets here…