Nottinghamshire’s slim hopes of qualification from the Group Stage of the Vitality Blast were all but ended with a 30-run defeat to Durham at Seat Unique Riverside. 

Despite career-best T20 figures for Lyndon James (3-31) and Liam Patterson-White (2-9), a fruitful end to the hosts’ innings saw them finish on 160, before a restrictive bowling display earned the North East outfit victory.

Callum Parkinson and Nathan Sowter finished with combined figures of 5-30 from eight overs, while Matthew Montgomery top scored for the Outlaws with 30. 

Having won the toss and elected to bowl, an economical powerplay from Notts saw Durham muster 45 with just three boundaries, while Fazalhaq Farooqi brought the Outlaws their sole joy as Graham Clark chopped on in the second over. 

James’ first over, worth 15, could have kickstarted the hosts’ innings, but his second did for both Ollie Robinson (21 from 22) and Alex Lees (29 from 25) - the seamer using canny variations to have the former caught at mid-off and bowl the former England opener. 

Those scalps restricted the hosts to 70 at the halfway stage with Colin Ackermann and Ashton Turner tasked with rebuilding. 

After Calvin Harrison concluded a four over spell worth 20, Patterson-White returned to produce Notts’ second double wicket over in the 15th as Ackermann slog swept to deep mid-wicket for a run-a-ball 20 and Micheal Jones thick edged to point for one. 

Bas de Leede then pulled James to square leg first ball to give the seamer his third, with Durham reduced to 106/6. 

Turner, who finished unbeaten on 44, and Raine combined, though, to give Durham impetus heading into the break, with 21 off the penultimate over swinging the momentum. 

That carried over into the second innings as the Outlaws added only six in two overs before Ben Martindale top edged de Leede’s full toss to Robinson behind the stumps. 

Their start worsened before the halfway stage despite consecutive sixes for Ben Slater off de Leede, as Clarke skied Raine to Lees for 23, Slater himself was adjudged lbw off Callum Parkinson for 20, with Moores edging to Robinson two balls later.

Haynes then popped the former Leicestershire man to Lees at cover to give him his third to reduce Notts to 60/5. 

After James was undone by Nathan Sowter’s googly, Montgomery countered to good avail, slapping Raine for four fours in the 13th over before he fell too, pulling Sowter to deep mid-wicket with Notts on 94. 

Only two more had been added when Harrison and Patterson-White departed, leaving Farooqi and Stone to add 34 for the final wicket.