Notts complete derby double to trim high-fliers

England fast bowler Jake Ball showed his international class as the Nottinghamshire Outlaws boosted their NatWest Blast T20 hopes by sending North Group leaders Derbyshire Falcons to their first home defeat.

Ball took 3 for 33 from his four overs, including the big wicket of Wayne Madsen to give the Outlaws an eight run victory which completed the double over their East Midlands rivals.

Tom Moores top scored for the visitors with 57 from 34 balls before skipper Dan Christian with an unbeaten 30 and 29 not out from Samit Patel lifted the Outlaws to 189 for 4.

Luis Reece marked his 27th birthday with 53 from 32 balls but Ball and Harry Gurney bowled superbly in the closing overs to close the game out and take the Outlaws to within a point of the Falcons.

The Falcons had earlier shown why they have emerged as the surprise package in the competition by removing the destructive Alex Hales and Rikki Wessels in the first seven overs.

Madsen's off-spin has been a potent weapon and he struck in his second over when Hales drilled a head high catch to cover before Alex Hughes cleaned up Wessels.

The Falcons had dropped Wessels on 16 when Matt Henry pushed a pull off Imran Tahir over the ropes for six so there was a sense of relief when Hughes shattered his stumps with the first ball of the seventh over.

But Moores and Brendan Taylor responded by taking 17 from Hughes's second over and Madsen's figures were bruised when Moores drove and pulled him for two sixes in his final over.

Moores completed an impressive 50 by flicking Hardus Viljoen to fine leg for his fifth four but when he tried to take on Tahir, he only skied a catch to extra cover which ended a stand of 72 in seven overs.

Taylor had struggled to impose himself and went in the next over when he looped a catch to deep cover but Christian and Patel plundered 33 from the last two overs.

Patel straight drove Ben Cotton into the crowd at the City End and Christian signed off by dispatching the final two balls from Henry for six to set a demanding target on a slow pitch.

The Falcons chase started badly when Billy Godleman edged a cut at Patel's second ball but Tom Wood and Reece lifted the home supporters by taking 17 from Ish Sodhi's first over.

Woods skied Ball to point but Reece made Billy Root pay for dropping him on 14 at deep cover by racing to a 26 ball 50 which included three sixes, all of them driven straight off Steven Mullaney.

Christian replaced Mullaney and had Reece caught at cover and Gary Wilson went the same way in his next over but Madsen lifted the Falcons by drilling Sodhi over wide long off for six.

Ball produced a slow bouncer to have Madsen caught at short third man and although Hughes swung Sodhi onto the pavilion roof, 28 off the last two overs proved too much against quality pace bowling from Ball and Gurney.