Outlaws make it high five
Source -
sportinglife.com
Nottinghamshire are almost certain of claiming a place in the Twenty20 Cup quarter-finals after a seven-wicket victory in the floodlit match against local rivals Derbyshire.
The Outlaws' fifth victory keeps them top of the North division and ends the Phantoms' slender hopes of qualifying for the last eight.
Derbyshire had been going well after winning the toss but they collapsed from 41 without loss to 128 all out with the Notts spinners doing the damage.
Graeme Swann and Samit Patel took six wickets and conceded only 27 runs from their combined eight overs but Notts also struggled against the spinners and only got home with four balls to spare.
The Phantoms looked likely to set a more demanding target after Michael Di Venuto and skipper Graeme Welch took 20 from the fourth over from former Derbyshire paceman Andrew Harris.
But the innings crumbled against Swann, who took three for five in 10 balls as the home side lost six wickets for 25 runs in six overs.
Chris Taylor and Marcus North were both bowled as Swann found some turn and Patel then struck a decisive blow when he bowled Di Venuto, who top-scored with 41 from 37 balls.
Jamie Pipe pulled Mark Ealham for a four and a six from consecutive balls as he and Ant Botha added 37 for the eighth wicket but Patel removed them both in the 19th over.
Derbyshire scored only 30 runs from their last six overs and needed early wickets to put the Outlaws under pressure but Swann and Stephen Fleming shared an opening stand of 74.
Swann completed an excellent all-round performance by scoring 40 from 29 balls including seven fours before he was lbw playing across the line at Botha in the 10th over.
The scoring rate dipped as the slower bowlers proved difficult to get away with Botha and North's eight overs costing only 32.
Fleming holed out to midwicket for 40 from 48 balls and Patel drove Hassan Adnan to long off with victory in sight but David Hussey cut the second ball of the final over from Kevin Dean to the ropes to condemn Derbyshire to their fourth successive defeat.
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