Notts Outlaws' South African star, Dane Paterson, believes the side are on a high with bat, with ball and in the field ahead of their trip to Bristol, following victories in each of their opening two fixtures.

A year and half into his association with the club, after his 2020 plans were ruined due to Covid, Paterson’s time with the Green and Golds continues to go from strength to strength.

With over 100 wickets to his name in Nottinghamshire colours, the paceman is one of the most experienced players on show in the Royal London Cup.

Academy all-rounder Ben Martindale replaces England Lions bound Liam Patterson-White in an otherwise unchanged squad of 14 for Peter Moores' men

Lining up alongside the likes of first year professional Fateh Singh, Paterson has been impressed by what he has seen from his youthful teammates. 

“We know the quality these lads have got,” said Paterson.

“Fateh, whilst he didn’t bowl at Somerset, took an important catch and has a lot of potential.

“Even the guys that haven’t quite got into the starting XI yet are raising the standards around the group generally.

“We may have lost a few players, but we still need to maintain the intensity we have as a group to remain at our best.”

That intensity was certainly on show in the side’s last outing, a ten-wicket trouncing of a more experienced Somerset side featuring the likes of Australian overseas players Matt Renshaw & Peter Siddle and the vastly experienced James Hildreth.

Paterson describes the victory, set up by the bowlers and completed in style by the opening duo of Ben Slater and Sol Budinger, as a rare feat in a cricketer’s career.

“You don’t come across games like that too often,” said Paterson. “I think there were 38 overs left in the game.

“Credit has to go to the bowling group. I thought Chappy (Zak Chappell) and Ledge (Brett Hutton) started off well and we just kept applying pressure.

“With the ball, we felt like were always in the game, always in with a chance of striking. We had a bit of confidence coming into the match and with the wicket in the first over, and then three in six balls, we got off to the perfect start.

“Slats (Ben Slater) and Sol then made it look fair easier out there than it actually was.

“You saw from the way we bowled, there was a bit in the pitch and Peter Siddle was actually landing it in a good area and causing a few issues.

“But they picked the right ball to go after and batted positively.

“That’s the way we want to play our cricket. We know we want to be aggressive and those two showed that.”

The Taunton triumph leaves the Outlaws sitting pretty at the top of the table after two games, with a strong net run rate having chased Somerset’s total down inside 12 overs.

In an eight-game group stage, Paterson believes a fast start is crucial to building confidence and keeping the nerves at bay.

“You need to start well to give yourself confidence so you’re not under too much pressure later on,” he said.

“Across both games, we’ve executed the skills we needed to and the Somerset game was probably a complete performance.

“It is good to get one of those under the belt early in the tournament. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come."

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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...