v Warwickshire Bears ODC at Trent Bridge

OUTLAWS WIN IN SEE-SAW BEAR FIGHT

In a truly epic game involving 608 runs and 16 wickets, Notts triumphed by a single wicket off the very last ball to win Group B of the Pelican Cup. A home tie now awaits against either Derby, Leicester or Northants which is extremely likely to be played next Tuesday due to the upcoming Limited Overs International at Trent Bridge.

With showers forecast although never really appearing it was a surprise that Warwick elected to bat on a wicket on the Fox Road side of the square. Notts made early incisions in The Bears Line up as Chopra (7) edged Gurney (bowling from the Radcliffe Road End) into Read’s gloves. Twelve runs later, fellow opener Will Porterfield chipped The Metronome to Patel at short mid-wicket, 32 for two.

Trott and Ambrose added a mammoth 176 for the third wicket in 30 overs to put Warwick in a strong position. Trott looked in fine form throughout although was given a helping hand early doors as Gurney gave him easy pickings down legside. Tiny Tim appeared somewhat fortunate to survive a catch behind of Shahzad when on 12, the Postman though failed to raise his finger. Trott was then dropped by Patel at short mid-wicket off James Franklin who bowled five overs for 23.

The Metronome reappeared for the power play and was the one shining beacon in a sea of mediocrity as far as Notts bowling was concerned. A trademark Yorker hit the base of Ambrose’s stumps when he was two short of his ton. His 98 came off 93 balls with 12 fours, 208 for three. Laurie Evans unsettled and expected to leave The Bears put bat to ball with great effect and raced to 32 in 21 balls, before falling to Shahzad who picked a solitary wicket with his 10 overs costing 74 runs, he was though going to contribute later with the bat.

Trott’s marathon innings was finally ended by a catch by Wessels at deep mid-wicket off that man Fletcher. Trott gone for a 121-ball 108 with 11 fours. Rikki Clarke (14) fell to cricketing rarity stumped Read bowled Fletcher. Javid hit a full toss from Gurney as Wessels took a good catch at mid wicket. The Bears closed on 302 for seven, a massive score but given the short boundary and how well the pitch was playing far from an impossible target. Fletcher’s figures were 10-1-44-4 as he out bowled everybody else on the day. Gurney looking anything but an England bowler with figures of 9-0-72-2. Mullaney kept his head above water with 9-0-46-0. Patel’s recent poor form with the ball meant he only bowled seven overs for 38.

Notts needed a good start and got one as Lumb blasted 36 in 21 balls with eight fours. He was then bowled playing on off a fine ball from Clarke, 46 for one. Mullaney came in at three but edged Clarke into Ambrose’s gloves for seven, 56 for two.

The 13^th over from ex Pear Richard Jones cost 16 including a dreadful beamer to Hales. Gordon was hit for the first six of the night hit by Titch into the Fox Road stand. Hales as has been for a weeks now was in quite magnificent form and nobody could really bowl to him. Hales hit three sixes in all with the last one a massive effort off Javid which sailed into the middle tier of the Radcliffe Road stand bringing up third ton of the competition, following superb efforts in Horsham and at Lord’s. The game though turned once more as Hales was bowled off his legs from a ball from Recordo Gordon. Hales out for 104 off 90 balls with 12 fours and three sixes. The third wicket with captain Taylor had added 138 in 23 overs; Notts needed 109 off 20 overs.

The batting power play proved an unmitigated disaster as Notts lost three wickets for 21 runs. Patel gormlessly played his namesake (10) straight to short mid-wicket. Wessels (2) then drove Hannon-Dalby straight to mid off. Anchorman Taylor was then caught behind off Richard Jones. His 62 off 88 balls was a typical scampering effort with one six and one four. Notts now 235 for six, needing 68 off 63 balls. It could have got worse as Read was dropped first ball by Jones in his follow through As he failed to get hold of the ball in his midriff. Read just could not force the pace against the spinners and with Franklin happy to score in singles, the required run rate was going up exponentially. The seventh wicket added 27 in six overs, as Read (15) after hitting Jeetan Patel for a four down fine legthen fell to catch at mid off next ball.  Shahzad got going straight away but Franklin could still not realty accelerate. Thirty were required off the last three. Franklin finally went “over the top” but hit a ball from OHD to long off to depart for a 31-ball 23. Twenty-two required off last the two. The game though changed in a Flash as Gordon thought he bowled Shahzad with a superb yorker on middle stump. The umpire’s went upstairs as potential no ball was suspected, PC Garrett examined the evidence and an over step was confirmed, Shahzad survived two runs on to the total. A couple of balls later Gordon bowled an illegal no-balled beamer, over waist height, that Shahzad hit for six, eight to Notts total and the over had gone for 18. Shahzad had batted so well but then was needlessly run out by Jones for 27 off just 16 balls. Notts now needed three off four balls, Fletcher got a single, then Liverpool hero Harry Gurney survived his first ball and then edged a single. The 4,000 plus crowd were on the edge of their seats with a single required off the last ball delivered by Oliver Hannon-Dalby; the Bulwell Bomber calmly drove it for four amongst great excitement. With the White Horse falling at last hurdle against Middlesex, Notts had won the group. As it turned out with Somerset losing unexpectedly at The Oval, Notts would have qualified anyway but the win secured the home tie. Fletcher must have pushed Hales close but the latter gained the man of the match from Murdoch TV.  Both teams had gone from the sublime to the ridiculous on more than one occasion in a quite brilliant match. MAG

Last gasp four from Fletcher grabs Notts win