v Leicestershire Foxes NWT20 Blast at Trent Bridge

Despite frequent rain showers the last zonal game at Trent Bridge provided rich entertainment as an incredible 316 runs were scored in 28.3 overs.

It was a case of “Granville fetch your cloth”, as a rain stoppage 15 overs into the Leicestershire soaked the outfield and bowlers from both teams had difficult griping the wet ball. Notts being propelled to victory in the damp and slippery conditions by amazing pyrotechnics from Lumb and Man of the Match Dan Christian. Notts topped the Northern Group by four points and now face a home quarter final against Essex on Monday Week.

Dan Christian won yet another toss as Notts rested Harry Gurney. Despite the game being a dead rubber fixture Notts resisted the temptation of blooding youngsters Sam Wood and Luke Wood and stayed with the old guard. A huge crowd of 12,810 turned up on a rotten night of dull, dank and wet weather. 

Samit Patel opened up from the Radcliffe Road End and conceded three runs off his first over, play getting under way 15 minutes later than scheduled. Ball and Fletcher struggled to make a breakthrough as Cosgrove and Pettini hit 45 off the power play overs. Patel returned for the seventh over and had Foxes captain Mark Pettini well caught at extra cover by Dan Christian for 15. Christian having bowled well up in Scarborough served up his normal short form fare and got slammed for 27 in two overs. Leicester were 85 for one at the halfway stage. 

 Tahir bowling his first over had Cosgrove stumped by Chris Read as the rotund Aussie missed a googly to leave with a 34 ball 53 (6 x 4; 1 x 6), 90 for two in the eleventh over. Three balls later South African Cameron Delport (19) skied a ball from Mullaney as Read ran for the catch and caught it at point. Patel finished his stint with 4-0-22-1 and then rain stopped play at 1940 with Leicester 115 for three after 15 overs.

After a 40 minute stoppage play resumed with the match now an 18 over affair. Conditions were now difficult for the fielding teams and bowling with a wet ball and with a pitch well suited for slogging, an amazing 201 runs were scored off the remaining 13,3 overs bowled in the match, a rate of 14.9 runs per over.

First up, Notts leaked a colossal 55 runs in the last three overs as Tahir conceded 16, Fletcher 14 and Ball a massive 25 runs in the final over as he finished with 4-0-50-0. Leicester 170 for four off 18 overs. Behardien the former Notts trialist and South African Limited overs international hit five fours in the last over, not helped by Ball bowling a no ball for an above waist high ball to Kevin O'Brien. The one wicket to fall in the three overs of carnage was Lewis Hill who was caught in front of the Fridge at deep mid wicket by Ball off Fletcher for a 16 ball 30. Ball having dropped him the previous ball in a similar position slipping over whilst trying to keep hold of the ball. Behardien 48 not out off 26 balls, an innings which seemed pedestrian to what would come next. 

Notts needed 175 in 18 overs as Vera Duckworth came into play. Off spinner Rob Sayer went for seven in the first over but then the waters broke.... Former Pear Rob Jones bowling from the Pavilion End went for 14 in over two as Lumb and Wessels got their eyes in and it got worse in his next over as Lumb hit him for 26 (66.644). The experienced Clint McKay was more difficult fare only going for 15 in two overs, bowling Wessels for a 13 ball 19; Notts after a reduced power play of five overs were 62 for one. Dexter who once took five wickets against Notts with his dibbly dobblers in his Middlesex days went for 16 in his first over as Lumb got to his 50 in just seventeen balls. Sayer returned and new batsman Smith could not get him away after three dot balls played on the off, Sayer switched his field and Smith (4) fell for the trap leg before playing the sweep, 80 for two. Christian came in for the next ball of the over and hit Sayers over his head for a massive straight six, it was very much a shot showing intent. Delport then was hit for successive fours by the captain as the rain returned at 2119 with Notts well ahead of the D/L par score on 95 for two off 7.4 overs. Play resumed 14 minutes later with a lot of the crowd now departed, Notts needed a further 46 off the 38 balls, the match now a 14 over affair. Christian started off with a four and a single as Delport’s sole over went for 14. Sayer returned and was in no mood for dancing as Christian clouted him for four successive sixes as Colin appeared to be foaming on his mic; Sayer’s three overs had gone for 39. Dexter then went for 12 and then McKay returned for the eleventh over, Christian hit him for four followed by a dot ball and then Christian won the game in the grand manner with a six over long on, his sixth of the innings getting to his 50 in 16 balls to equal the Notts record held by Hales. Lumb 69 not out off 26 balls with nine fours and four sixes and Christian 54 not out off 16 balls with four fours and six maximums. Notts 146 for two off 10.3 overs a run rate of 13.9 RPO. Notts now head for a crucial 50 over game against the same opponents at Grace Road tomorrow. MAG