The Bears, who had thrashed Durham in their first game the night before, elected to bat first but were dismissed for 149 in 19.3 overs. Rob Yates made a magnificent 68 off 48 balls, but no one else could score more than 16, with Olly Stone taking 3 for 30 and Luke Fletcher bagging an outstanding 4-0-20-2.
Dan Mousley, Hasan Ali, Danny Briggs, and Jake Lintott led the Bears’ highly skilled attack, which limited the Outlaws to 127 all out after they surged to 54 without loss in 35 balls.
The Outlaws had additional cuts to tend to before their home game against the Worcestershire Rapids on Thursday. In their first game, the Northants Steelbacks soundly defeated the Outlaws.
Yates was the one who made the game-winning throw. He lost partners frequently, yet he batted with abandon and hoisted his first ball for six.
Tom Moores and Calvin Harrison made several excellent catches as Alex Davies and Chris Benjamin thrashed around for a short while, each clearing the ropes with one hit and then finding a fielder with another. With a Blast average of 97.28 going into the Outlaws game, Sam Hain was only able to muster 16 runs before chipping a return catch to Matt Montgomery. Lyndon James was driven down to cover by Mousley.
Jake Bethell skied Stone to the mid-off. George Garton scored a reverse-lapped six to start his Bears career, but he only added another single before hitting a big drive past Stone.
Yates stood out among all the crazy bits and pieces with a controlled 37-ball fifty that reached 68 before a diving Jack Haynes skillfully caught him off Fletcher at a fine leg. The final three wickets, which included an unsuccessful reverse-sweep for a leg before wicket, summed up a shaky batting effort.
Joe Clarke and Alex Hales capitalised on the powerplay by adding 50 runs in the first five overs, thanks to the Outlaws bowlers who had earned the privilege of allowing their batsmen to go through it without taking any risks. Although Notts had complete control, the match’s momentum was turned around when Clarke left for 28 off 18, lifting Mousley to extra cover. After Haynes hit a return catch to Briggs, Will Young was bowled for missing a cut at the spinner, and Hales lifted Lintott to long off, four wickets fell in 21 deliveries.
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Then came a moment of pure fielding genius when Bethell removed Moores with an amazing diving catch at the extra cover boundary. Outlaws were 95 for 5 and under severe strain, much to the glee of the man in the crowd wearing a carrot costume, after leading 54 without loss and comfortably.
With 33 off 31, Montgomery put up some resistance, but the collapse turned terminal when he edged a reverse sweep at Hasan Ali. In the final two overs, the Outlaws tail was required to find 26 and they failed to do so. Yates had the final say, unsurprisingly, as he made a wonderful catch at extra cover to raise the fans, including the man wearing a carrot, to their feet.
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