Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Trent Bridge NWT20 Blast

OUTLAWS NOTCH-UP A DLS WIN

Notts triumphed once again today winning by 12 runs via the DLS method when continuous rain brought a halt to proceedings 31 balls into the Notts reply. Northants had been indebted to a fine 88 from man of the match Richard Levi, but following his dismissal they lost their way somewhat reaching 195 when they looked likely to score a further 20 runs. The game was played on the same wicket as yesterday and with the tiny boundaries once again in place a run fest was guaranteed. Notts got off to a confident start and looked well placed for victory when the rains came, although with 144 still required at 10 an over the outcome was far from certain.

An unchanged Notts won the toss and elected to bowl, the ridiculously short boundaries remained. Patel opened up from the Radcliffe Road and conceded five. Luke Wood then conceded six in the second over. Jake Ball like the night before was bowling too short and Levi tucked up with two sixes and a boundary, 18 coming off the over. Gurney then went for 10 including six over extra cover. Sodhi went for 10 but removed Rossington with his last ball via a leg before decision; the former Middlesex man had scored 17 off 14 balls, 47 for one. Gurney then leaked 16 runs as Northants stood at 63 for one at the end of the power play. Patel then went for 13 as Duckett and Levi were making hay. Ball then came on but the runs continued to flow, 87 for one off eight overs. Levi got to his 50 off 26 balls with successive sixes off the hapless Sodhi who conceded 25 in his first two overs. Mullaney was next on the merry go round and conceded three singles, 107 for one at half way house. Luke Wood then bowled Ben Duckett via an inside edge, the left hander had made 28 in 16 balls, 107 for two. Danger man Kleinveldt was removed first ball caught at point by Patel. Wakely saw off the hat trick ball. Wood has bowled a great over conceding two singles. Mullaney second over went for 10 as Levi hit successive fours. Levi hit Luke Wood for two leg side sixes but then Levi was then caught at long on off a no ball. Wood conceded 21 off the over. Levi hit Sodhi for six over mid wicket, but departed next ball to catch at mid wicket by Hales. Levi 88 off 43 balls (7 x 4; 8 x 6), 146 for four in the 14th over; the innings though went downhill from this point. Patel conceded five singles in over fifteen. Keogh and Wakely were stuck in the mud somewhat as Keogh was caught behind by Moores off Sodhi for eight, 159 for five. Sodhi three for 39 off his allocation. Wakely was dropped on 18 a difficult caught and bowled chance to Patel. Samit had bowled well conceding 34 runs off his four. Gurney bowled a slow bouncer to Wakely (19) whose hooked him straight to Wood at square leg, 170 for six. Crook hooked Gurney for six as Northants were 180 for six with two overs remaining, Ball conceded five singles off the next over as it started to rain. Rob Newton skied Gurney to Moores to depart for eight, 185 for seven. Crook (13) departed to catch at short third man by Patel as Harry Gurney picked up his third wicket. Sanderson hit the last ball of the innings for six as Northants closed on 195 for eight having scored 55 off the last seven overs. Gurney three for 46.

Sanderson conceded a single and a leg bye off the first over from the Radcliffe Road End. Gleeson bowled the second over as Notts stood on 18 for 0. Hales drove Kleinveldt for a straight six the over costing 13. Gleeson conceded 10 as Notts stood at 41 for 0 after four overs. Hales was dropped on 21 in the covers by Newton off Kleinveldt. The rain started falling heavily as Notts stood at 52 for 0 at 5.1 overs and the players came off at 1622, they never returned. Under the rules of the competition Notts had to have faced at least five overs to get a result, lady luck had favoured Green and Gold. Hales was on 30 not out and Wessels on 14 not out. Notts though had looked favourites pulling the game round in the final third of the Northants innings. Next up Durham at the Riverside on Tuesday. A much lower scoring game will be expected, the wicket will be slower and the boundaries much longer. MAG

22nd July

With the Nottinghamshire cricket drought broken on Friday night, Outlaws will be looking for revenge for last year's semi final defeat to the over-achievers Northamptonshire Steelbacks.

Outlaws generally don't lose to the Steelbacks so hopefully can complete back to back wins after the Derbyshire win*.

Northants in their ranks have a Marmite player in Ben Duckett, a kind of Paul Johnson perhaps, but one Notts will be formulating a plan to limit the scoring of. Hopefully Outlaws have been using the extra-ordinary lay-off mid-season to reevaluate where we are and where we go from here, with the now limited resources in the bowling department and have honed their skills.

Come 2020 with the new City Franchise T20 up and running and Trent Bridge being out of bounds to Nottinghamshire for 4 weeks, the last three weeks will seem like the good old days. 

In the defence of the fools in charge of the game, there will be Nottinghamshire one day cup games during the enforced lay off, but with the star players absent, at a venue somewhere perhaps near the county's borders, not only devaluing the Blast competition in 2020 but also the One day Cup in 2020.