Sol Budinger’s career-best 89 was in vain as Gloucestershire and centurion James Bracey leveraged favourable batting conditions to chase 294 in the Royal London Cup and end Notts Outlaws’ unbeaten start to the campaign.

The opener’s high-octane, 56-ball innings gave his side the perfect start and, despite stuttering in the middle overs, during which Lyndon James was called upon to provide a gutsy 47, late cameos from the lower order gave the visitors a sizeable first innings total. 

It was made to look all the more daunting for the visitors at 115/4, but a brutal fifth wicket stand worth 179 between the unbeaten Bracey (104*) and captain Jack Taylor (95) handed the hosts victory with 10.2 overs to spare. 

Having won the toss, Budinger and Ben Slater brought up their fifty partnership in the ninth over having pierced the fielding ring intermittently in the opening stages, but it was the former who burst into life with the introduction of Paul van Meekeren. 

The left hander hit the Dutchman’s first over - the 10th of the game - for 17, and pulled the first ball of Zafar Gohar’s next set for six, before his opening partner top edged a slog sweep to Chris Dent at midwicket for a 36-ball 34.

Captain Hameed followed back to the pavilion seven balls later, uppercutting van Meekeren straight to Tom Smith at third, the first of two occasions in which Notts lost a pair of wickets in consecutive overs. 

Budinger continued unfettered, however, picking boundaries off each of the next four overs before van Meekeren was whipped from the attack having conceded 37 from 24 balls.

The change brought success as Matt Montgomery, who hit three fours in his 19 deliveries, top edged the leg spin of captain Jack Taylor skyward and was caught by James Bracey. 

And the loss of Budinger - who faced 33 deliveries for his half-century, and hit seven fours and five sixes in his overall vigil - served to slow the Outlaws rate further. 

From 139/3 after 20 overs, Notts added 41 for the loss of three wickets in the next 10, with Ben Martindale caught and bowled by Taylor for one on debut, and Singh (12) chipping van Meekeren to mid-off. 

Lyndon James - who, prior to this fixture, averaged a touch under 50 in First Class and 37 in List A cricket in 2022 - proved stubborn though and mounted a platform from which to excel in the final blows. 

Notts were 216/8 when he was bowled by Jared Warner for a 64-ball 47 in the 40th over, before cameos from Brett Hutton (28), whose late order hitting contrasted his stoic rearguard with James,  Zak Chappell (32), and Dane Paterson (21*) gave the Outlaws a healthy total. 

The hosts lost two wickets inside the opening 11 overs as Hutton and Paterson claimed the scalps of Dent and Ben Wells, but Marcus Harris and Bracey rebuilt commendably, bringing up Gloucestershire’s 100 and their fifty partnership in the 17th over.

The drinks break did for the former who was beaten by the off spin of Montgomery, bowled for 48, and Ollie Price departed soon after, caught at midwicket to give the former South Africa U19 captain his second wicket.

However, the ensuing 23 overs proved match-winning for the hosts as Taylor pummelled a pair of boundaries from his first two deliveries, an approach which stood to exemplify the way he would go on to play throughout his swashbuckling innings. 

Few Outlaws bowlers were spared his and Bracey’s wrath as the latter flayed nine fours and two sixes in a 93-ball innings that saw his side over the line, with their free-flowing partnership ultimately coming off 118 balls.

Taylor, for his worth, was similarly aggressive in striking ten fours and five maximums before falling to a Martindale catch off Fateh Singh with the scores level.

Thus, it fell to overseas player Zafar Gohar to hit his second ball for four and confirm the end of the Outlaws’ unbeaten start to the Royal London Cup.

*******

The Royal London Cup Final

The timeless pomp, ceremony and tradition of county cricket's historic 50-over final. 18 First-Class counties go head-to-head in this prestigious competition, aiming to emerge with the spoils at our historic venue. Secure your seats here...