Thunder, Lightning, Outlaws and Durham.

Just two were the team names on show at the Seat Unique Riverside. The others? The weather that welcomed the Green and Golds after a lengthy trip up the A1.

As the rain finally abated and after a false start at 7:45pm, Dan Christian’s men found themselves in early trouble in the now 11-over contest, with Alex Hales, Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett back in the shed inside three overs.

Tom Moores flew out of the blocks, exclusively dealing in boundaries, before being caught by a diving long-off for a 11-ball 25.

A game of cat and mouse ensued in the ninth over between Paul Coughlin and Sol Budinger, the left-handed Outlaw determined to target the shorter side of the Durham ground.

Ultimately, after three consecutive wides, the hosts’ all-rounder won the battle, the Notts dasher caught by the diving Liam Trevaskis at long-off.

Steven Mullaney was unperturbed, adding a brisk 34 not out to his 20-ball 45-run efforts from yesterday evening, the Outlaws finishing on 98-9.

The miserly off-spin of Matt Carter derailed Durham’s early efforts in pursuit of 99, Graham Clark and Ashton Turner falling in a spell of 2-13 in his allotted brace of overs.

His partner in crime in recent summers and a name that needs no introduction, Samit Patel, quickly joined the party in his opening salvo, Tresvaskis losing his leg stump to a fired in yorker.

Four dots, two maximums, a diving stop on the boundary, short format cricket at its finest, as both sides battled for momentum as the halfway stage of the Durham innings came and went.

With softer ground, courtesy of the earlier rain, stumps seemed to be flying out of their holes with ease, Dan Christian the latest to disturb the timber of Ben Raine.

Christian turned assistant to a second wicket for Patel (3-16), Brydon Carse, on his return from international duty, unable to lift the ball over the Australian at cover.

The final over would fall to the skipper as he showed all his experience to close out a pulsating encounter, the Outlaws taking a two-run victory in the North East.

*******

Be More Outlaw: The 2022 Vitality Blast at Trent Bridge

Pin your green and gold colours to the mast by securing your seats for Notts Outlaws' final home game in the Vitality Blast group stage.

Friday 1 July, Notts Outlaws vs Durham: Secure your seats…