v Leicestershire Foxes NWT20 Blast at Trent Bridge

OUTLAWS OUT-FOX FOXES IN A LOW SCORER

Notts triumphed by 31 runs over Leicestershire in a low-scoring affair on a used pitch at sunny TB.

James Taylor won the toss and batted in front of a Sunday crowd of 10147. Notts brought in Michael Lumb for Sam Wood from the team that secured victory in Birmingham 12 days previously.

Notts got off to a good start Lumb and Hales adding 28 in three overs. Lumb (12) who hit two fours in the Tinman’s opening over fell to the Nottingham born former Derby paceman Atif Sheikh losing his off stump. Next over Wessels was leg before to Shreck for a single. Notts were losing their momentum and Hales (18) clearly frustrated was bowled by Sheikh who was bowling a very economical spell from the Pavilion End. Notts reached the end of the power play at a shaky 37 for three. Patel and Taylor made slow progress as they added 28 runs in seven overs. Sheikh bowling his four over spell went for just 11 runs with two wickets.

Taylor was leg before reverse sweeping to the chunky Styris for a 22-ball 12, once again there were far too many dot balls. Franklin (9) hung around for 13 balls before holing out to long off; Cobb the bowler, 88 for five off 16 overs. Read was next to go leg before to Naik for 6, 101 for 6 with 17 balls left. Patel hit one six over Naik’s head but was run out going for an impossible single but his 44 which came off 36 balls was by 24 runs the highest score of the match. Patel was named man of the match. Notts lost wickets of Shahzad and Fletcher to the last two balls of the innings and closed on 121 for nine, a score that looked about 20 under par. Styris went just 13 runs in his four overs. Former Notts man Shreck proved expensive his four overs going for 36. One over from Raine went for 14.

Notts needed a good start and after seven came off Gurney’s opening over. Fletcher took two wickets in his opening over which was a Twenty/20 rarity a maiden. Cobb (5) and Smith (0) edging his first and sixth deliveries to Read. Niall O’Brien was then next to fall as he held on the run by Franklin off Gurney, 11 for three. Eckersley then threw it away going for a single as hit the ball straight to Mullaney at mid off, a direct hit saw him well short, 17 for four. Leicester was virtually down and out when in the sixth over Styris was leg before to Shahzad for three, 24 for five. Boyce and Raine added 21 in five overs as the run rate continued to climb. Wells bogged down was caught at deep mid-wicket off Patel (4-0-18-1). Two balls later a schoolboy error saw Boyce running half the length of the pitch going for a second whilst Raine stood his ground, Boyce out for 20. The Foxes not very good on the trot. It got even worse when Naik was caught and bowled for a duck by Mullaney, 47 for eight in the 12^th. Shreck hit Gurney for a six over deep mid wicket but also became another run out victim as Raine once again stood his ground, Shreck gone for a 13-ball 10, 63 for nine. The last pair added 27 runs as Sheikh hit Mullaney for two sixes to slightly ruin his figures, Mullaney finishing with 4-0-22-1. It was left to Fletch to get the tenth wicket bowling Sheikh for 14. Raine ending 20 not out. Leicestershire 90 all out with nine balls unused. Fletcher a Twenty/20 revelation in recent matches had figures of 3.3-1-11-3.  Notts now second in the Northern Group with two games at Northampton and Leeds this week, very much likely to qualify. However they should be aiming for a money spinning home quarter final. MAG