A complete performance with the ball after valuable contributions from Matthew Montgomery and Liam Patterson-White with the bat fired Notts Outlaws to their first win of the Royal London Cup campaign at the first time of asking as Sussex were beaten by 65 runs at Trent Bridge. 

Brett Hutton claimed standout figures of 3-24 off nine overs, while Fateh Singh, Dane Paterson and Zak Chappell picked up two wickets apiece, as a plucky Outlaws side halted the progress of the visitors at regular intervals in their pursuit of 291. 

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Montgomery made a workmanlike 87 from 94 deliveries, and played his part in an important 79-run partnership with Lyndon James after early wickets fell for the Outlaws. 

With the platform set, Patterson-White blasted 62 from 48 balls in the closing stages, including four fours and three sixes, as Notts posted 290/7 from their allotted overs. 

Ari Kervelas and Ben Currie had found early movement with the new balls to restrict Notts in the powerplay. 

The Outlaws had to wait until the third over for their first boundary, and when Slater feathered to Alsop for six an over later, and Budinger departed for 10 in the 10th, Notts had just 28 on the board. 

Sussex’s start improved further with the scalp of Haseeb Hameed in the 12th over, caught by a diving Delray Rawlins at point after Sean Hunt popped one off a length to find the Notts skipper’s edge. 

James and Montgomery staved off the fledgling momentum, however, countering with 25 runs off three overs after coming together at 38/3. 

The pair continued to punctuate rotation of the strike with the odd boundary and each marched into their 30s at a run a ball. 

Their stand was broken in the 27th over, however, when James chipped Hunt to Tom Clark at short mid wicket for 37.

Montgomery went on with Dane Schadendorf for company, and pulled Archie Lenham over the deep mid-wicket boundary to bring up his half-century off 58 balls, before Schadendorf was run out from short fine leg, unable to make his ground having been sent back to the striker’s end. 

On 186/5 after 40 overs, and in need of some impetus on a ground renowned for its fast scoring nature, Patterson-White provided just that. 

He and Montgomery clubbed 12 and 13 off the 41st and 42nd overs respectively, and when the latter was caught behind reverse pulling, the all-rounder joined forces with Hutton - who scored 29 from 14 deliveries before being run out - to bludgeon 73 off the final seven overs.

Sussex’s reply was swift - 34 coming off the first four overs - but Hutton’s breakthrough, the lbw of Ali Orr in the fifth over, brought with it a shift in momentum.

Harrion Ward - Sussex’s proponent of their quick start - was pinned lbw by Paterson for 28 four balls later, and Cheteshwar Pujara was caught brilliantly down low by Patterson-White at short mid wicket for nine with the final ball of the first powerpay. 

By the time Clark was stumped off Patterson-White in the 16th over for a steady 13, Sussex had slipped to 64/4, which became 73/5 when Rawlins was struck adjacent by Chappell for his first wicket of the game.

Tom Alsop and Dan Ibraham did as their middle overs counterparts had done in the previous innings, and turned the tide, though. 

Settling for singles besides the occasional lusty blow, the away side inched towards their target. 

Alsop brought up his fifty with a pulled four through mid wicket off Fateh Singh, and took Chappell for 10 off the opening two balls of the 33rd over to take him onto 75, before pulling to James at long off to swing the pendulum once again. 

From 158/6, Ibrahim and Kervelas kept the target within sight, maintaining a required run rate of under eight. 

With 10 overs left - shortly after Ibrahim had pulled Hutton to Slater at deep square for an industrious 40 - Sussex were 203/7, compared with Notts’ 186/5 at the same stage.

Their final three wickets added 22, however, as Hutton picked up his third wicket, Kervelas caught at mid-on by Chappell, and Singh collected two lbws - those of Hunt and Currie, to secure the Outlaws an opening day win.

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The Royal London Cup Final

The timeless pomp, ceremony and tradition of county cricket's historic 50-over final. 18 First-Class counties go head-to-head in this prestigious competition, aiming to emerge with the spoils at our historic venue. Secure your seats here...