Fast bowler Rob Lord says he would have struggled to comprehend the possibility of playing List A cricket at Trent Bridge only a few months ago, having joined Nottinghamshire earlier this summer.

Lord took two wickets at Sunday’s Family Fun Day fixture against Essex, a week after bagging his maiden List A five-fer against Surrey, and features in Notts Outlaws’ final Group B match squad against Warwickshire.

The Outlaws travel to Rugby School on Wednesday 14 August (11am start), hoping to end their 50-over campaign on a high with qualification to the knockout stages now beyond mathematical possibility.

Without a county less than six months ago - originally coming through the Lancashire system - Lord made his Trent Bridge debut on a back-to-back weekender of One Day Cup action, and has not taken the experience for granted.

“It was a special moment. It was a bit surreal having put in a lot of hard work over the last few months,” Lord said, “The games themselves were tough and we were disappointed about the results, but it was a great experience for me.

“If you told me at the start of the season that I’d be playing at Trent Bridge in front of a 7,000-strong crowd, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’ve had quite a tricky patch over the last couple of years with injuries and things not going the way I intended them to at Lancs.

“I put in a lot of hard work, playing lots of club cricket and National Counties cricket, being persistent with my goals. It’s been quite a surprise how quickly this has all happened, but I’m taking it in my stride and enjoying every moment.”

Though the youngster has shown determination and patience in abundance to return to a county setup, times of uncertainty can come with plenty of hardship.

With the reality of the professional game being so notoriously cut-throat in nature, it can be difficult for any aspiring professional not to reflect on unsuccessful times with self doubt.

“The world of professional sport is so brutal,"said Lord.

"In that period when I was in and out of setups or without one at all, when you’ve had your mind set on making it in professional sport, it was tough.

"You can start to question whether you are going to make it. But once you get the opportunity, you grab it with both hands and don’t let it go.”

Though his first taste of playing on the hallowed turf at Trent Bridge went without the results to accompany it, Lord reflected fondly of his experience performing in front of a Nottinghamshire crowd.

“Having so many people in on Family Fun Day was great,” he said, “you could see so many young girls and boys coming in and wanting to watch Notts play. I remember as a youngster you just want to get as close to the players as possible.

“The crowd were brilliant, you could tell that whenever someone did well - like Monty getting his 50 or when we got a wicket - they were really behind us.”

Being little known to members and supporters alike before signing a contract until the season’s end in mid-July, Lord has very quickly captured the imagination of those who have observed his bowling first-hand, recording a maiden five-fer against giants Surrey in Guildford.

Removing batters of international calibre, including Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes, was a moment to savour.

“When we rocked up to Guildford, I was excited because it was an opportunity to bowl at these players who you’ve grown up watching play Test cricket on TV," he said.

"Getting the opportunity to play against people like that and picking up the wickets that I did, especially when I’ve been so new to the professional game, was massive for me.

“Knowing that you’ve got it in yourself to bowl quite quick and have an element that a lot of others don’t have, you know you have a unique way of affecting the game.”

Having been amongst the Outlaws camp for the first time, Lord has been impressed with the strength of unity within the group, despite results seeing the side fall short of knockout-stage qualification.

“We’re quite a young side, but there’s a really strong bond in the group," he said.

"We know what needs to improve as well as what everyone brings to the table. We’ll take the positives from this campaign, and we’ll take the disappointment as motivation to continue improving going forward.

“Having played a lot of both red-ball and white-ball cricket at club level and National Counties level, I like to believe that I’ve got really strong elements in both. I think I’ve always seen myself as someone who can play in all three formats. The aim moving forward is to be involved in as many red and white-ball games as I can.”