Notts Outlaws lost to Birmingham Bears by 55 runs on a night it rained boundaries and records tumbled at Trent Bridge. Outlaws captain Dan Christian won the toss and put the Bears in to bat on Friday night.
A crowd of 12,433 packed out Trent Bridge to see the Bears smash 261/2 off their 50 overs, the highest ever domestic T20 total. And the Outlaws fell short in the end after a strong start, hitting 206 all out off 18.2 overs, with Joe Clarke top scoring with 86.
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Luke Fletcher bowled the first over for the Outlaws, with opener Rob Yates hitting two boundaries to start the score. Spinner Matt Carter picked up the opening wicket of the match, as Alex Davies (5) picked out skipper Dan Christian at extra cover in the second over.
But other opener Rob Yates hit Carter for 22 in the fourth, with four fours and a six. The Bears kept the scoreboard ticking over well, reaching 69/1 at the end of the powerplay and sixth over, with the 50 partnership between Yates and Sam Hain coming up in just 25 balls.
Yates reached his own milestone in the eighth, scoring his first T20 career half-century, notching up a fine 51 off 26 balls, but fell for 53 the following over, picking out Ben Duckett at long-on off Samit Patel. At the halfway stage, the Bears were 107/2, and scoring well.
Hain reached his own 50 off 29 balls in the 13th over. At the end of the same over, Hain and Adam Hose brought up their 50 partnership off 28 balls, as the Bears looked set to post an impressive score.
And the Bears continued to accelerate the run rate, with Hain scoring 22 off Patel in the 16th, bringing up a partnership with Hose of 102 off just 45 balls in the process. Hose reached his 50 in the 17th, scoring 52 off 24 balls.
Hain smashed a mammoth six at the start of the 18th to bring up the 200 for the Bears. He brought up his first T20 career century off just 47 balls later in the over in a scintillating innings that did not stop there.
Hain top scored with 112 not out off 52 balls, and Hose wasn't far behind him with a stunning innings of his own, reaching 88 not out off 35 balls, posting a partnership off 174. Dan Christian's final over was hit for 29.
The Bears posted 261/2 off their 20 overs, the highest ever score recorded in domestic T20 history and the eighth highest T20 score ever as records tumbled at Trent Bridge. Only two of the seven bowlers finished with an economy rate lower than 10 an over as the Outlaws were hit to every corner of Trent Bridge.
After a decent opening over from Olly Stone, Joe Clarke hit Craig Miles for 25 in the second, signalling the Outlaws' intent they were not going down without a fight. But Alex Hales (4) fell to Stone in the following over, top edging to Hain.
Ben Duckett (26) followed in the sixth, top edging to Jake Lintott at short third man off Carlos Brathwaite. The Outlaws ended the powerplay 80/2 after a lively start.
Clarke notched up his 50 off 22 balls off Danny Briggs in the seventh. The hundred came up for the Outlaws in the eighth, Clarke smashing Lintott for a six through midwicket in the process.
Tom Moores brought up the fifty partnership off 26 balls in similar fashion, hitting Lintott for a six. Moores edged to Brathwaite at point the very next ball, who couldn't quite take what was admittedly a very difficult chance down low in front of him.
Clarke and Moores rotated the strike well, before Clarke (86) picked out Stone at long-off off Brathwaite in the 13th, bringing a fine innings to a close. Moores followed in the 15th in a similar fashion, hitting it to Hose at long-off off Briggs, before Steven Mullaney (0) got out very next ball, hitting it to Stone.
Patel survived the hat-trick ball, but Briggs picking up two wickets for just four runs turned the tide. Patel (2) wouldn't last much longer, hitting to Miles at deep midwicket off Lintott the next over.
Captain Dan Christian looked to be on his way in the same over for 9, but Yates at long-on dropped the catch over the rope for six. Calvin Harrison (2) was the next man to depart in the 17th, being clean bowled by Stone, the off-stump being knocked out of the ground.
Matt Carter (1) edged to Brathwaite at cover off Miles at the start of the 18th, and the inning was wrapped up soon after, Brathwaite bowling Fletcher for 1. It was a valiant effort from the Outlaws, but they fell short of the brilliant Bears by 55 runs.
Notts Outlaws: Joe Clarke, Alex Hales, Ben Duckett, Tom Moores (wk), Dan Christian (c), Steven Mullaney, Samit Patel, Calvin Harrison, Matt Carter, Luke Fletcher, Dane Paterson
Birmingham Bears: Rob Yates, Alex Davies (wk), Sam Hain, Adam Hose, Chris Benjamin, Carlos Brathwaite (c), Dan Mousley, Jake Lintott, Olly Stone, Danny Briggs, Craig Miles
