In the latest installment in a series of articles documenting Notts Outlaws' trials and tribulations in Twenty20 cricket, Trent Bridge Librarian and Nottinghamshire cricket encyclopedia Peter Wynne Thomas looks back over a tumultuous 2010.

In complete contrast to the immediate successes in the County Championship, the battle for the Twenty20 crown made the worst possible start. Only a single victory in the first six matches. The chances of going forward to the knockout stages were thus minimum with four games left to play.  The completed tables for the group matches are thus rather deceiving. On the face of it Nottinghamshire ended in fourth [place and just two wins away from their goal.

The fixtures began with the most exciting of the ten matches. Durham required only a single run from the final over, but such was Mark Ealham’s parsimony that the first five balls were delivered without altering the Durham total. To the relief of the latter the deciding run was made from the sixth ball. At Old Trafford for the second match Nottinghamshire restricted the home side to 151, but then disintegrated, the scoreboard reading 19 for five. 

Read, as is so often in the championship, played a fine innings, but his rescue effort was in vain. Swann’s 90 did bring hope against Derbyshire and thus raised the hopes of the Trent Bridge fans, but Durham inflicted a second defeat at Chester-le-Street two days later and then Leicestershire won at Grace Road by some 70 runs. 

The sixth match witnessed an even easier victory for Yorkshire, by eight wickets, putting Nottinghamshire firmly at the foot of the table.

Ali Brown emerged from this debacle to hit three successive innings all over 60 and all at the pace he previously paraded at The Oval. Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire were all ‘browned off’, but Notts came up against Lancashire in the final fixture. The Red Roses had already secured top spot in the group table and in face were the outstanding team, with most wins and best run rate in the country. 

They won by nine wickets. In view of their superiority, it was most unfortunate that Lancashire lost in the quarter-finals to a ‘bowl out’ in the Old Trafford indoor nets, especially as the ultimate prize was a place in the Champions League in India and untold wealth. 

Individually, as in 2008, Voges proved the best Notts batsman but after six matches was drafted into the Australian squad. Wood replaced Voges for the remaining games and averaged a very respectable 45. Read enjoyed better fortune than he had in 2008, whilst Jefferson also played some worthwhile innings. Brown’s sudden conversion has been noted.

Samit Patel was again the leading wicket taker, but this time was more expensive both in terms of runs per wicket and runs per over. 

Sidebottom was only available for four matches – his analysis was quite outstanding, similarly Swann appeared only twice. Stuart Broad wasn’t released by England for any matches at all.

Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast fixture and ticket information:

v Yorkshire Vikings – Saturday 28 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Leicestershire Foxes – Sunday 20 July 2.30pm BUY TICKETS

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