Notts win sends them to Lancashire in playoffs

Notts Outlaws finished their Royal London Cup campaign with back-to-back wins to clinch a place in the quarterfinals.

After last Saturday's thumping victory over Leicestershire, the Outlaws registered another emphatic success, defeating Surrey by eight wickets at Welbeck.

Ben Slater (81 not out) and Lyndon James (54) helped them chase down a target of 182 with more than 18 overs to spare at the north Nottinghamshire venue, which improved their net run rate to the extent that they finished ahead of Middlesex and Gloucestershire to claim third place in Group A on 10 points, behind Sussex and Leicestershire, who each have 12 points.

Both Middlesex and Warwickshire could have edged the Outlaws out of the qualifying places, but Middlesex lost by 157 runs to Sussex and Warwickshire were beaten by Somerset.

Notts now meet Lancashire away in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Surrey had been bowled out for 181 in 39.2 overs, seamer Toby Pettman finishing with four for 44 in only his second senior appearance for Nottinghamshire. It could have been worse for the visitors, who had been 36 for five.

Tom Lawes, the 19-year-old all-rounder, countered with a List A career-best 75 off 63 balls after being dropped on seven, but Brett Hutton followed up his seven for 26 against Leicestershire with three for 24. The other three wickets were shared between left-arm spinners Liam Patterson-White and Fateh Singh.

On a green-tinged pitch and with cloud cover at the start, Pettman and Hutton more than justified skipper Haseeb Hameed's decision to bowl first as Surrey, one of only three teams in Group A who were completely out of contention, emerged from the opening powerplay in trouble at 31 for four.

Pettman struck first as Surrey captain Ben Geddes edged to first slip, following up his first wicket for Nottinghamshire with a second, as more away movement accounted for Cameron Steel, caught at second slip.

At 24, the right-armer, who joined the county after leaving Oxford University with a double first in classics, is not short of experience, having made 10 first-class appearances and taken 42 wickets, although none yet for Nottinghamshire.

Pettman then held a simple catch at third man as Hutton weighed in by dismissing Ryan Patel via a top edge before having John Blake caught behind. Hutton had 18-year-old Sheridon Gumbs caught behind in his next over, pushing forward in much the same way as Blake to a ball that found a thin edge.

Lawes had his notable life when Hameed put down a straightforward chance at mid-on off Dane Paterson and survived a half-chance on 12 when his drive in the air brushed the fingertips of the South African pace bowler on the way to the boundary.

He made the Outlaws pay, adding 55 for the sixth wicket with Nico Reifer, who fell to a sharp return catch taken by Patterson-White, and 77 for the seventh with Nick Kimber, before following a couple of meaty blows off Pettman that brought him six and four with a miscue to backward point.

Kimber was bowled by Singh as he went to cut and the last four Surrey wickets fell for 13, Pettman picking up his fourth when Matt Dunn hit straight to mid-off.

Sol Budinger, who turned 23 on Sunday, launched the Outlaws chase in typical rumbustious style, smashing 32 off 20 balls, half of those runs accrued in three blows as he went four-six-dot-six off Lawes before perishing to a smart, low catch at mid-on in the same over.

At 68 for one off 10, the Outlaws were well ahead of the required rate and Slater and James, the former's punchy style contrasting with the latter's elegance, seldom looked troubled in adding 114 in 23 overs before the latter picked out the fielder at deep backward square.

Slater, who boasts a remarkable List A average of 55.64 in 52 matches, reached his half-century from 61 balls with five fours and a six hoiked over backward square off Conor McKerr, adding five more boundarie, culminating in the winning one off leg-spinner Cameron Steel.

Surrey's interim head coach, Gareth Batty, said: "There have been positives from the competition. It hasn't translated into too many wins, which is a disappointment, but we've brought in four academy players to register as pros and had a few good performances from senior players. Overall it is a development competition and we have developed a few players really well, including developing leadership skills in Ben Geddes, who has led very well."