NCCC News : SIX OF THE BEST: THE SIDES IN THE RUNNING FOR ONE DAY CUP GLORY

Then there were six.

The Metro Bank One Day Cup is nearing the business end, with Leicestershire and Middlesex booking their places in the semi-finals – and with Notts, Yorkshire, Durham and Lancashire vying to join them via a play-off.

For all six sides, the incentive of a Trent Bridge final – and sought-after silverware – awaits.

Ahead of Friday’s quarter-finals, we take a look at the half-dozen sides still in the running to be crowned Metro Bank One Day Cup winners.

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Notts Outlaws

Striding out in a cup final on home soil: it’s the stuff of sporting dreams.

And the dream is very much alive for Notts, led by club legend and One Day Cup Head Coach Paul Franks.

The Outlaws were indebted to George Munsey in their crucial win over Surrey at the Kia Oval, with the Scotland star striking 138 in a must-win clash against the Three Feathers.

Theirs has been a campaign built on batting brilliance – with Haseeb Hameed and Kyle Verreynne scoring consistently, and Ben Martindale striking his first senior century.

James Hayes, meanwhile, has stepped up with the ball – with the likes of Olly Stone, Dillon Pennington and Liam Patterson-White providing useful support around their commitments in The Hundred.

Yorkshire

The Outlaws will face the White Rose county at York CC on Friday 14 August, after Dom Bess led his side to a comfortable win over Essex.

Ben Cliff’s consistent wicket-taking exploits helped Yorkshire to second place in Group B, and this has been a campaign in which Will Luxton’s star has burned brightly.

Although his group-stage concluded with four single-figure scores, back-to-back centuries against Worcestershire and Sussex in the middle of the campaign catapulted the Tykes into contention – part of a run of six wins in seven.

Durham

Durham’s One Day Cup campaign has benefited from a sprinkling of Ben Stokes stardust.

After the former England captain retired from international cricket, he took his belligerence and brutality to the likes of Derby, Gosforth and Darlington – making headlines aplenty along the way.

A century at Derbyshire was followed by 73 against Sussex, with the all-rounder contributing 271 runs and five wickets so far.

But in the all-rounder stakes, he’s being outshone by Will Rhodes – Durham’s leading wicket-taker with 12, and top run-scorer with 310.

Lancashire

From a star of England's most recent past, to a name to watch for the future.

Rocky Flintoff's confidence, bravado and ball-striking recall that of his famous father Freddie, and all were in evidence as he hit his first List A century to take Lancashire to a mammorth 443/6 against Somerset.

That was enough to set up a 174-run victory, which propelled the Red Rose county into second place in the table.

While he took the plaudits, Flintoff's run-scoring was outdone by captain Keaton Jennings, who struck 156 at the top of the order.

And Jennings' run-scoring has been impressive throughout the group stage, with his 560 runs coming at an average of 70.00 and incuding two centuries.

Middlesex

Middlesex have been the form team during the Metro Bank One Day Cup group stages, losing just once in eight games to consolidate top spot in Group B.

The London-based side’s performances have belied their recent record in one-day cricket – indeed, this season will see them compete in a List A semi-final for the first time since 1990.

Noah Cornwell and Naavya Sharma have led the way with the ball (15 wickets apiece), while only a four-wicket win for Worcestershire has blotted the side’s copybook in the group stages.

Leicestershire Foxes

Champions at Trent Bridge in 2023, Leicestershire Foxes have topped Group A as they seek a second white-ball trophy in four years.

Defeated by two of their potential knockout stage opponents in Notts and Lancashire, the Foxes were near-perfect across the rest of the group stages, with even a final-day defeat to Kent failing to knock them off top spot.

Hamza Shaikh’s 405 runs and Alex Green’s 14 wickets have been crucial in keeping Leicestershire in contention for glory, with New Zealand international Nick Kelly also making key contributions.