v Leicestershire Foxes NWT20 Blast at Grace Road

Outlaws run away winners in Slog-athon

A mammoth slogathon at a deserted Grace Road saw Notts triumph by 24 runs to make it three wins out of six in the Twenty/20 this season.

 

With England playing Uruguay a small crowd was always expected but on a dry evening only about 1,000 souls made it through the gates. Despite being a Notts member, the powers that be decided that Notts members could not sit in designated members area, the result banks of empty green and yellow seats in the members stand. A public relations disaster.

 

With Lumb lame for a month, Phil Jaques came into the line up. The Bulwell Bomber replaced the Lincolnshire Poacher who was injured in the warm up.

 

Leicestershire were without their overseas starts, Sarwan and Styris the later having gone back to New Zealand due to a family bereavement. Josh Cobb won the toss and inserted Notts on a peach of a wicket located on the Meet side of the square.

 

Hales and Jaques added 33 in 22 balls before Hales played on to former Durham and Northumberland seamer Ben Raine bowling from the Pavilion End. Hales had hit an enormous straight six off Jigar Naik who bowled the first over of the match. Wessels in such fine in recent weeks replaced captain Titch at number 3 and his promotion up the order played huge dividends as he blasted 66 off 31 balls with seven fours and four sixes, peppering the mid-wicket area in particular. One six sailed over the Meet and into the players net area outside the ground. Jaques (22) after hitting a reverse sweep four fell leg before to Naik, Notts 75 for two after 39 balls of the innings.

 

The slogging continued Wessels hit Rob Taylor into the Cricketers and then was badly dropped as Ben failed to Raine it in at deep mid-wicket; Cobb being the unlucky bowler.

 

Paul Nixon kept up the constant prattle on the mic as he tried to gee up his beleagued county but the carnage continued as Wessels and Patel added 74 in eight overs. Finally Wessels departed as Naik picked up second wicket as Wessels held out as this time Raine took the catch in the deep, 149 for three. Naik’s figures were hugely respectable (4-0-26-2) given the friendliness of the pitch and the short boundary on the one side.

 

Nathan Buck was hit for a straight six by Patel as his four overs cost 60 runs. Eventually Patel was caught at mid wicket off the Leicestershire skipper his 63 came off 37 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Taylor and Read added a further 34 off the last 19 balls of the innings. The previous highest baseball score of 215 for 6 off the Tykes at Trent Bridge in 2011 was eclipsed as Notts closed on 220 for four.

 

Leicestershire got off to a rapid start but in last ball of the third over, Gurney bowled O’Brien for 9, 28 for one. Greg Smith a centurion for Durham University up at the Riverside Ground against Notts in 2010 took a liking to short Meet side boundary as with Cobb 74 runs were added in 7.4 overs until Number One had Cobb caught by Wessels at long off for 40.

 

Tom Wells lasted seven balls until being stumped off Sam Wood bowling from the Bennett End. Rob Taylor was then caught by Mull as Wood picked his second wicket. Greg Smith kept teeing off and achieved something that no Notts player had ever achieved a baseball ton. He was amazingly the third Fox to reach this milestone following Jim Allenby and Brad Hodge all three tons being at Grace Road. Smith eventually holed out off Gurney for 102 off 54 balls with 13 fours and four sixes and was named man of the match. Thirty six runs were required off the final two overs but Leicester had run out of steam and closed on 196 for five. Gurney was the most economical bowler with 4-0-30-2. The match aggregate of 416 runs was one short of the Notts Twenty/20 record; the 417 made on a very windy night against Yorkshire at TB 10 years ago where Mark Ealham was the Notts hero. The Leicester “crowd” had seen fourteen sixes and 43 fours and two lost balls in a night of non-stop slogging.MAG

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The D of C has made two pronouncements on the eve of the game at Grace Road:

• He will review the need for an overseas player for the competition after the week's 2 games. That will be after 7 games of the 14 match series. Has the horse bolted? One asks!
• Phil Jaques, the expensive luxury of an unnecessary replacement for Alex Hales, is set to make a Blast debut to replace an injured Michael Lumb

Murmurings around Trent Bridge have wondered why an expensive white elephant hasn't been used at to its fullest potential .................. but watching the man, in the latter years of his long career, and his agility in the field isn't always that sprite. He has shown great ability at times with certain aspects of his fielding but his chasing of the ball, or diving for the ball is only rivalled by Gurney and Fletcher for its appearance of the use of a slow motion camera. Position with care, is my best advice and never have Jaques, Gurney and Fletcher in the field together (you won't be able to hide all 3).


Reports on Thursday suggest Outlaws will sign an overseas player next week for the T20. Keeping his cards close to his chest, Mick Newell let it slip that the player concerned comes from the southern hemisphere - cheers!