Background
Notts Outlaws face Kent Spitfires at Canterbury on Monday (1.45pm start) in the final round of matches in the group stage of the Yorkshire Bank 40 competition.
The Outlaws currently head Group A, with 16 points from eight matches and a win over the home side will guarantee a home semi final.
Kent can no longer make progress, having won 6 and lost 5 of their eleven fixtures and lie third in the table.
Qualification – The Scenario
Nottinghamshire go into the final round of YB40 matches well-placed to secure a place in the semi finals of the competition.
With a couple of matches being played on Saturday as well, the permutations for deciding who will be the four semi finalists is still far from clear. Safe to say, though, a Notts win will guarantee a home semi final, to be played on either Saturday 7 September or Monday 9 September.
Notts Outlaws top Group A on 16 points, ahead of Northants (15 points). No other side can qualify from this group.
Group B is led by Hampshire (16 points from 11 matches), ahead of Lancashire (15 from 11) and Essex (12 from 10).
In Group C Sunday sees a shoot-out at the top of the table with Gloucestershire hosting Somerset. Both counties have 15 points from 11 matches. Glamorgan have 13 from 10. Notts will qualify for the last four if:
1.They defeat Kent
2.They either tie with Kent or the match finishes in a No Result and Northants fail to defeat Warwickshire.
3.They could still qualify if they fail to beat Kent, despite a Northants win, but would rely on results from Groups B and C going in their favour. They would not then secure a home semi final either.
Head to Head
In domestic one-day competition Notts have met Kent on 47 occasions, winning 20 times but losing 21 of the other matches. Five contests have been washed out and in 1969 the two counties produced a tie.
22 of the fixtures have been hosted by Kent, with five different venues being used. Folkestone and Tunbridge Wells have each staged a couple of matches, with one games being played at both Dover and Maidstone also.
The remaining 16 contests have all taken place at Canterbury, with Kent having won 10 matches, Notts four and two were abandoned without the toss being made.
Notts four wins came in 1979, 1981, 1994 and 1998 with only the last two victories having come in 40 over matches.
Last Meeting
The last time that Notts and Kent were paired together in the same one-day qualifying group was in 2010 when rain ruined both matches.
At Trent Bridge the conditions had already restricted the contest to just 10 overs each. Kent had a score of 78-2 on the board after just 6.1 overs when the wet weather returned and wiped out the rest of the match.
The return at Canterbury was limited to just 16 overs per side, with Kent emphatically coming out on top by 42 runs. Darren Stevens scored an unbeaten 49 as his side made 135 for three.
Nottinghamshire’s reply failed to gather any momentum and they closed on 93 for nine, with Alex Hales top-scoring on 21.
Played For Both
Current Notts favourite Ben Phillips began his career with Kent, making 27 first class and 26 one-day appearances for them between 1996-1998.
Others to have represented both counties have been Dave Halfyard, Greg Blewett, Paul Strang, Rob Ferley, Mark Ealham, Mark Davies and Charlie Shreck.
Jimmy Adams is the current Head Coach of Kent. The former West Indian Test star played for Nottinghamshire during the 1994 season.
History
Nottinghamshire’s highest 40-over score at Canterbury is the 221 for nine they posted in 1983. Clive Rice made 97, the highest individual score by a Notts batsman on the ground in one-day cricket.
Despite that total, the visitors sustained a hefty defeat as Kent had already scored 270 for four, their top mark against Notts at home.
A number of Notts bowlers have taken four wickets in the series of meetings, with Kevin Evans’ 4 for 26 being the best in 40-over contests, with Kevin Cooper, 4 for 23 and Barry Stead, 4 for 24, each having impressed in 55-overs per side Benson and Hedges ties.
Alan Igglesden, with 4 for 24, in 1990 has the best home bowling figures, with 85 from Mike Denness in 1970 being the top Kent individual score.
Stats
Michael Klinger of Gloucestershire has taken 10 outfield catches in the competition this season, with Nottinghamshire’s Steven Mullaney and Samit Patel next best, on 9, alongside Rory Hamilton-Brown of Sussex.
Did You Know?
In 1995 Nottinghamshire secured some one-day silverware at the expense of Kent. The two counties met in the final of the Tetley Bitter Festival Trophy at Scarborough. Skippered by Paul Johnson, Notts made 197 with Chris Cairns hitting a lusty 62 not out. The reply soon ran into difficulties and only lasted 33.2 of the scheduled 40 overs with Notts securing the trophy by a 60-run margin.
Milestones
Ajmal Shahzad has taken 95 one-day wickets and David Hussey has claimed 48.
Tickets
Nottinghamshire supporters wishing to attend this fixture are advised to check the official Kent website: Advance E-Tickets for this game are available via the site from £15.00 for adults and £5.00 for juniors.
Coverage
BBC Radio Nottingham will be providing exclusive ball-by-ball on-line commentary of this fixture. Access the link via the BBC Sport webpage. Additionally, you can hear the match on your Smartphone, via the Tune-In app on Live Event 3. The game is also being broadcast live on Sky Sports Ashes HD.