A century from Riki Wessels helped Notts Outlaws deliver a near-perfect performance to defeat Derbyshire Falcons by 65 runs in their Royal London One-Day Cup meeting at Welbeck.

In front of 4,649 spectators, Notts pulled off their third win of the campaign to remain inside the top four in the North Group.

Put in, Notts made 340-7 with Wessels hitting 114, his second century of this season’s competition. Chris Read scored a typically aggressive 50 and there were four other scores between 28 and 44.

In response, the Falcons scored 275 before being bowled out in 45.1 overs, with Ben Slater scoring 51 and all six Notts bowlers sharing the wickets.

Michael Lumb, after scoring centuries on each of the three occasions he had walked to the crease in this season’s competition made only 15 before falling to a catch at point.

Shiv Thakor followed up by having Greg Smith caught behind for just one, as Notts slipped to 48 for two in the 13th over.

Wessels, accompanied by Brendan Taylor, then decided to kick on. He’d already hit a six from the bowling of Tony Palladino but accelerated after a slow start to reach his 50 from 57 balls, with seven fours as well as his maximum.

The Falcons took pace off the ball with the spin of Matt Critchley and Wes Durston but the third wicket partnership stretched into three figures as the boundaries flowed.

Wessels hit Thakor for a six and two fours in an over that cost 19 and he reached his second hundred of the competition soon afterwards, getting there from only 80 deliveries faced, with 16 fours and four sixes.

After the pair had put on 122, both Wessels and Taylor were dismissed in quick succession. The centurion fell after mistiming a reverse sweep off Matt Critchley into the hands of Ben Cotton.

Taylor, who played some audacious shots on his way to 44 off 38 balls, followed in the next over, hitting Wes Durston to Wayne Madsen.

Runs continued to flow, even though the arrival of light drizzle threatened to interrupt everyone’s enjoyment. Samit Patel made 31 before holing out and Dan Christian was given out lbw for 28.

Chris Read and Steven Mullaney applied the icing on top of the cake with some late fireworks. Chris Read blazed his way to 50 from 35 balls before falling with the score on triple Nelson – 333.

Mullaney hit three sixes in a row off Ben Cotton in making an unbeaten 39. Local hero Jake Ball even had time to smash the biggest blow of the day, hitting Thakor for a huge straight six in the final over.

Derbyshire soon lost Wes Durston, when they began their reply. The dangerous hitter, who has a T20 ton against Notts on his CV, made only six before hoisting Harry Gurney high to Mullaney on the leg side.

Luke Fletcher had both Ben Slater (51) and Hamish Rutherford (26) caught behind and Christian removed Wayne Madsen for only eight.

From a position of 103 for four the prospect of the Falcons pulling off their highest run chase appeared to be rescinding, although Neil Broom combined with Thakor in a stand of 49.

Mullaney removed them both, bowling Thakor for 29 and then having Broom scooped up at midwicket by Ball, for 25.

Patel trapped Alex Hughes (13) lbw but Critchley wasn’t in the mood to let the match grind to a sudden halt without a fight.

Coming in at number eight the 19-year old went after his shots and showed some much-needed fight and he was joined by Harvey Hosein in a ninth wicket stand of 63.

Gurney, who took 3-47, closed out the innings by catching Tony Palladino off his own bowling.

Notts move on to seven points and face Yorkshire next, at Scarborough on Wednesday. Derbyshire remain on six points, ahead of a home clash with Lancashire on the same day.

 

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