HIGHEST EVER 40-OVER TOTAL SEALS OUTLAWS VICTORY

Notts Outlaws posted their highest-ever total in 40-over cricket to defeat Durham Dynamos in their CB40 clash at Trent Bridge.

With Michael Lumb making a rapid 84 at the top of the order and Chris Read finishing the innings in style, with an unbeaten 71, the home side reached 294-8, after being put in.

Replying, Mark Stoneman scored a century for the Dynamos but they were dismissed for 251 with nine balls of their innings unbowled, to lose the match by 43 runs. Andy Carter took 4-45 from 6.3 overs, his best List-A figures.

The first over of the match produced 8 runs but could have cost Alex Hales his wicket, as Gareth Breese failed to hang on to a sharp chance in the gully off Chris Rushworth.

Lumb got off to a flyer – six boundaries in his first 30 runs, as Notts ended the 4^th over on 35-0, with four of them coming from the bowling of Ben Stokes.

Fifty came up with the final delivery of the sixth over and then Lumb pulled Rushworth over the legside ropes for the first of the eight maximums hit during the Outlaws innings.

Mitchell Claydon replaced Stokes and Lumb wasted no time in slapping him into the Fox Road Stand for another six en-route to a rapid 50 (31 balls 8x4 2x6).

Claydon broke the stand by bowling Hales (22) but the new man, Riki Wessels, was quickly into his stride by heaving Breese into the L & V Stand to bring the 100 up.

The 14^th over cost Durham 19 runs but ended with the important wicket of Lumb (84). After hitting Claydon for four consecutive boundaries, he was bowled from the final delivery, to leave the Outlaws on 128-2.

Wessels kept up the tempo, clubbing two more maximums off Borthwick, before holing out to Myburgh at long on, off Breese.

Scott Elstone (14) advanced into double figures with a fine reverse sweep off Breese but then tickled one from Stokes to be taken down the legside by Mustard.

Samit Patel, back from England Lions duty, pulled Borthwick to Stoneman and Stokes had Steven Mullaney (19) out leg before for his second wicket.

At the start of the 33^rd over Notts took the batting power-play and Chris Read began to cut loose, as he and Graeme White (7) added 33 for the seventh wicket before the latter became the third batsman to have his stumps toppled over by Claydon.

Read went from 42 to 48 with another hefty swipe that scattered the patrons in the L & V and brought up his half century with a single from his 35^th delivery (4x4 2x6).

Jake Ball made only one before being bowled by Johann Myburgh, the sixth bowler employed by the Dynamos.

The penultimate over went for sixteen runs, with Read smiting his third rope-clearer. Another ten from the last saw the innings close on 294-8, beating the 292-2 posted against Sussex in 1996 – the previous county best in a 40-over match.

In just the third over of Durham’s innings, Phil Mustard (3), on the back of consecutive centuries in his previous two CB40 outings, chipped Andy Carter to Wessels at short extra.

Darren Pattinson, who finished undefeated on 7 in the Outlaws innings, should have picked up an early wicket on his return to the side but Hales twice put down Stokes at first slip.

Stokes accepted his good fortune with relish and lifted the same bowler high into the Fox Road Stand as he and fellow left-hander, Mark Stoneman, took the total up to 64-1 at the end of 8 overs.

The introduction of spin brought an abrupt end to a promising partnership. Stokes (34) immediately decided to go after his Lions team-mate of the past week, Samit Patel, and holed out to Mullaney at long on.

Stoneman, a centurion in the recently concluded championship match, drove Pattinson for two boundaries to move into the forties as the Dynamos reached 78-2 after ten overs.

Graeme White’s spell began indifferently. His initial delivery cleared slipped out and became a head-high full toss, which Stoneman helped on its way to the boundary, adding to the two for the no-ball. The over cost fifteen runs in all, putting the Dynamos ahead of the D/L par score for the first time.

White is a canny bowler though and changed his fortunes instantly by having Gordon Muchall (24) caught in the deep by Mullaney.

The catcher (Mullaney) then came on to bowl and enticed Collingwood (8) to find Wessels at midwicket as the Dynamos began to lose their way.

Stoneman kept the board ticking over and was joined by Dale Benkenstein, the visiting captain, who began aggressively – hitting White for the tenth six of the day.

Jake Ball’s first four-over spell cost 18 but when he returned from the Pavilion End Benkenstein freed his arms to good effect and walloped another one into the seats.

Still needing 100 from 68 deliveries, the two Durham batsmen brought up their fifty stand with Stoneman moving into the nineties. A further Benkenstein boundary brought the 200 up, with the first murmurs of anxiety beginning to start amongst the large, predominantly home-supporting, crowd.

Those murmurs were soon quelled as both batsmen departed in quick succession to Steven Mullaney .Benkenstein (37) presented Wessels with his third catch and then Stoneman (102) hit to Lumb in the deep, straight after reaching his second CB40 ton in a row (85 balls 13x4 1x6), after scoring 112 not out versus the Welsh Dragons last Sunday.

The double-breakthrough left the lower order with lots to do but Johann Myburgh added his name to the list of six-hitters as Mullaney’s spell ended with figures of 3-44.

Carter’s return saw off Myburgh (15) and Breese (10), both clean-bowled – and Scott Borthwick (6) hit Pattinson straight to Tom Rowe, on as a sub fielder.

Last man Chris Rushworth (2) was also bowled by Carter, leaving Notts comfortable winners but unable to qualify for the semi finals of the competition.