A successful season for the Outlaws in the game's shortest form saw them reach finals day for the first time in 2006. On their own turf, the Outlaws recorded a convincing win against Surrey in the semis before narrowly losing out to Leicestershire Foxes in the final.

Without doubt, the 2006 T20 campaign was the Outlaws' most convincing, consistent and exciting to date. Although two games in the group stages saw the men from Trent Bridge lose out as a result of poor batting performances, their home record was fantastic, and any who had been unconvinced by T20 cricket before were definitely beginning to come round.

The season began with a disappointing result away at Leicestershire, after a good bowling performance was not followed up by the Outlaws batsmen. Ryan Sidebottom, Charlie Shreck and Mark Ealham bowled superbly, sharing 3 wickets and, more importantly, keeping the run rate of the Foxes around 4. Although the other three Outlaws bowlers were expensive, 137 was a total that provided an excellent opportunity for a winning start to the season. 

The chase, however, never got going, as future Outlaws and England star Stuart Broad bowled extremely well taking 2 for 19, and only three players were able to reach double figures. Despite a late cameo from Clough, the Outlaws fell disappointingly short of the Foxes' total, providing some worrying signs in the batting department. 

The issues facing the Outlaws in the first game of the season were seemingly short-lived though, as they went on to record 5 straight wins, all of which were undeniably comfortable. First, there came a convincing win against Durham, as 175 runs were the outcome of a much better batting display first time round. Smith, Hussey and Ealham all provided scores over 30, and these figures were supported by contributions throughout the rest of the batting order. This heralded four further confident displays with the bat, as the Outlaws scored 195 against Yorkshire, and then went on to record two wins by 7 wickets and one by 5 in the following three games.

Despite a temporary 'blip' at Old Trafford, the Outlaws' campaign went from strength to strength as they secured their position in the quarter-finals in superb style with a convincing win over Derbyshire at Trent Bridge. A solid bowling performance saw the Falcons restricted to 141 for 6 from their allocation, with Sidebottom, Ealham and Swann ably containing their batsmen. It was, however, skipper Stephen Fleming who ensured success, as his 64 from 47 steered the Outlaws home with four overs and one ball to spare. Swann opened the innings with a typically brief but effective knock, as his 20 runs from half as many balls put the Falcons' bowlers on the back foot immediately. Fleming was also backed up by Samit Patel, who also reached his half-century without being troubled, dispatching the ball to all parts and scoring at a strike rate just short of 140.

Trent Bridge proved to be something of a fortress for the Outlaws this time round, and Northamptonshire found this to their detriment in the same way that so many other sides had. A convincing win in the quarter-finals saw Patel (68) get amongst the runs again, before David Hussey scored a magnificent 71 from 34 to post a total of 213 for 6. In truth, victory never looked in doubt for the home side, despite a well-constructed 72 from Lance Klusener. Ryan Sidebottom was once again the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets at just four an over. The Outlaws were through to the semi-finals for the first time, and had a home finals day to look forward to.

Surrey were the Outlaws' first obstacle, and they overcame it without too many issues or scares. A first innings score of 176 was always going to be competitive, providing a large amount of scoreboard pressure. Consistency to the Outlaws' innings was the key, as all of the top 6 were able to reach double figures. Hussey played a hugely entertaining 42 once he got going, dispatching four sixes and scoring at a strike rate of 140, and the opening pair of Swann and Fleming both made scores exceeding 30. It was then over to the bowlers, and Ryan Sidebottom was without doubt the standout performer. His 4 overs for just 7 stopped the Brown Caps from ever gaining the momentum, and although Shreck was the main wicket-taker, Sidebottom proved that T20 cricket can be more about economy than aggression.

Having set a daunting total, thus gaining the advantage of scoreboard pressure against Surrey, the Outlaws were on the receiving end of such pressure in the final against Leicestershire. The Foxes posted 177 for just 2 wickets, and scores of 64 from the bat of Jim Allenby and a superb 86 not out from Darren Maddy provided all the momentum for the side that had troubled the Outlaws in the first game of the season. Only a brave man would have predicted the result however, as the game was still finely poised, with home advantage playing into the hands of the side batting second. Once again, Stephen Fleming was fantastic as he led from the front, scoring 53 from 39 balls.

He was backed up well by the consistent David Hussey (37), and it became increasingly clear that this game was to go to the wire. The Outlaws continued to lose wickets but were in the game until the final over, when 11 runs were needed off the last ball. A waist high full toss from Jim Allenby was lofted over mid-on for 6, but the delivery was deemed legal by umpires Allan Jones and Peter Hartley.

Television replays later on though showed that the ball was in fact over waist height, and the Outlaws should have had the chance to win the T20 cup with 4 runs from the final ball. In the end, the fate of Nottinghamshire was sealed by an incorrect, although difficult, umpiring decision, and this certainly put a downer on what was an otherwise fantastic season. It would be easy to look at the misfortune of the Outlaws that season, but it should be remembered that they experienced a very high success rate during the 2006 T20 campaign, and would certainly look to come back even stronger next year.

 

Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast fixture and ticket information:

v Durham Jets – Friday 30 May 6pm BUY TICKETS
v Birmingham Bears – Friday 13 June 6pm BUY TICKETS
v Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 20 June 6pm BUY TICKETS
v Yorkshire Vikings – Saturday 28 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Leicestershire Foxes – Sunday 20 July 2.30pm BUY TICKETS

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