Twenty years ago today – on 29 August 1999 – West Indian international Vasbert Drakes bowled his way into the Nottinghamshire record books during a Sunday League match against Derbyshire.
The CGU National League was a 45-over competition and – batting first against their local rivals – Notts had finished on a satisfactory 269 for seven.
Usman Afzaal top-scored with 57 and captain Jason Gallian hit 53.
Derbyshire got off to a promising start, reaching 82 for the first wicket and then 225 for three, when Matt Cassar fell for 109.
Drakes – who took 80 first-class and 27 List A wickets during his only season with Notts – wasn’t having one of his better days.
He had been trapped LBW second ball and had failed to take a wicket in his first seven overs.
Derbyshire needed ten runs off the final over with five wickets in hand when Drakes was handed the ball.
First to go was former England all-rounder Phil DeFreitas, who lost his off-stump to a yorker, followed next ball by Adrian Rollins whose middle stump was flattened.
James Pyemont was trapped LBW for the hat trick – and the next ball sent Simon Lacey’s leg stump hurtling out of the ground.
Derbyshire closed on 261 for nine, handing Notts an eight-run victory. Drakes, for his part, was quickly swamped by jubilant home supporters.
“Not until he emerged from a gaggle of autograph hunters did Vasbert Drakes take his well-earned bow, but he soon made the most of it,” reported the Nottingham Evening Post in relation to the post-match scenes.
“He tore off his shirt as he ran towards the pavilion, toyed with the idea of throwing it into the throng of admirers waiting for him, and proceeded to run straight to the dressing room, where the applause surely continued.”
The match-ball rightly went home with the Barbadian, as a memento of his finest hour in the colours of the Green and Golds.
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There is just one further opportunity to catch the Outlaws in T20 group stage action at Trent Bridge this summer, with Durham the visitors under the Friday night lights on 30 August.