v Worcestershire Rapids NWT20 Blast at Trent Bridge

K-C stars in the sunshine (and cloud) as Outlaws hit another crab in the Rapids

Notts went down to a comfortable 20 run defeat against visiting Worcester in front of a crowd 10,123. With four more games remaining and six defeats already on the board, they have to realistically win all four to stand a chance of qualifying.

With the arrival on Peter Moores they appeared to be almost as many red track-suited personnel than players during the pre-game warm up. It really is Uncle Tom Cobley and all at Trent Bridge these days.....

Two changes were made following the victory over Northants last Saturday. In came Read for his first appearance in the baseball this season and Sam Wood and out went Hilfenhaus and the injured James Taylor. Captain Riki Wessels lost the toss on a sunny evening.

Worcester decided to bat and lost captain Mitchell to the fifth ball of the innings as Samit Patel had him leg before for 4. Left hand/right hand combination Oliver and Kohler-Cadmore added 86 in nine overs as Notts bowling did not reach the expected standards. There were boundaries galore as Worcester sped to 60 in the batting power play. Former Malverian Kohler-Cadmore raced to 50 off just 26 balls. With the score on 90 Mullaney trimmed Oliver’s off bail as he departed for 31 off 24 balls. Kohler-Cadmore continued to treat the bowling with disdain. It came as a shock when Christian, a big disappointment so far, picked up a wicket when Patel took a well judged catch at deep wicket as Kohler-Cadmore left with 75 to his name with seven fours and five sixes; a great innings off 39 balls which won him the Player of the Match award. Worcestershire 117 for three off 12.3 overs. Notts fought back well from this point as Worcester were restricted to just a further 56 runs. D’Oliveira The Third was brilliantly caught by Greg Smith off Patel for nine as Patel finished with 4-0-30-1. Given the earlier carnage it was a bit of a surprise that Sam Wood was not given a go.

Big hitting Kiwi Colin Munro (16) was run out in a mix up with Whiteley after Hales who initially misfielded the ball threw in an accurate throw from the deep. Whiteley got 14 off eight balls before being caught at deep mid wicket off Gurney. Ball then bowled Leach and Barnard with successive balls. Gurney then bowled the last over from the Radcliffe Road as Cox holed out for 11 and then two balls later Shantry fell the same way as Hales took the catches on the deep mid wicket ropes. Worcester 173 all out with three balls unused. Gurney had figures of 3.3-0-25-3. Ball and Christian were both expensive each going for 42 runs off their allocation. Mullaney had an analysis of 4-0-32-2.

It looked like a par score and Notts got off to a good start hitting 25 off the first three overs. Lumb was then bowled by Barnard for eight. Hales and Wessels were batting well as they put on 53 in six overs. Hales hit three leg side sixes along with five fours but on 47 found Kohler-Cadmore at long off, Mitchell the bowler. Next over Wessels was bowled by d’Oliveira for 24, 81 for three.

Mitchell bowling four consecutive overs of dibbly dobblers from the Radcliffe Road End was hit for one two and sixteen singles off his 24 balls, as he bowled a frugal 4-0-18-1. Patel and Christian could not produce any fireworks except for one full toss by d’Oliveira which Christian deposited in the Fox Road. Ajmal who bowled his three overs for 18 picked up Patel to a catch at deep mid-wicket, Samit had taken 13 balls to score nine. Next ball Christian was bowled through the gate for 26 off 20 balls. Notts now needed a distant 59 off 4.2 overs with only five wickets standing. They had been strangled as Worcester had taken the pace off the ball.

The crowd then started to leave in their droves as Mullaney (6) played on in bizarre fashion to Leach, 124 for six with just 19 balls left. Wood (9) lacking big hitting ability hit a ball from Leach to mid off. Read departed to a catch at third man first ball and then Greg Smith departed to catch a deep cover for 20. Notts closed on 153 for nine with Leach taking three for 27.

Another disappointing performance but Notts had the won the much more important game the day before showing magnificent spirit. Notts hopes of the reaching the quarters seem remote. They are lacking bowlers who can be relied on to restrict run scoring and a big mistake has been made not signing a proper overseas batsman preferring instead the signing of a bits and pieces Twenty/20 journeyman. Hopefully the 50 over campaign will see much better performances where the likes of Brendan Taylor and Ben Hilfenhaus can offer much more.MAG

Expert analysis, so called, put this defeat down to Worcester having "pace-off" bowlers, able to exploit the nature of the used, worn wicket. 

Similar happened last year in this competition against same opposition! Not matter the number of red shirts hanging around Trent Bridge now, no one had learned that lesson! DDG
Congratulations to Connor Marshall who scored 206 for Notts Boards u17 against Lincolnshire Board u17 in the Dave Todd Trophy at Collingham.