Alex Hales put on a stunning show of pyrotechnics to follow up a four-wicket haul from Jake Ball as Notts Outlaws rampaged to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over local rivals Derbyshire in the Vitality Blast.

Hales unleashed a barrage upon the Incora County Ground stands as he raced to 50 from just 18 balls and eventually posted a 33-ball 91 as Notts made light work of chasing down their hosts’ 178 all out.

Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, and Tom Moores also all contributed with scores above 20, as the Outlaws took care of business in just 17.1 overs, as Samit Patel, on a night when he passed 25,000 career runs, hit the winning four.

Earlier, Ball’s allocation saw him pick up figures of 4-40 as Derbyshire capitulated from 158/3, losing a total of seven wickets for 20 runs in the final 14 hectic deliveries of their innings.

Leus du Plooy top-scored with 51 and Wayne Madsen hit 40, but it was James Pattinson, who took 2-38, and Ball who engineered the hosts' collapse, with Calvin Harrison and Patel picking up a scalp apiece.

After Outlaws skipper Dan Christian won the toss and opted to bowl first, the hosts initially belied that by making a strong start as Shan Masood and Luis Reece brought up their 50 partnership for no loss inside the powerplay.

It was Harrison who made the breakthrough to end the opening stand which eventually totalled 61, though, as he splattered Masood’s stumps for 33, before Patel saw Reece smartly stumped by Tom Moores for 27.

Madsen and Du Plooy stood together for nine overs to add 77, but once both had departed by the end of the 18th, the former bowled by Ball and the latter run out by Christian, the slip turned into a slide.

Two more scalps went to Pattinson in the penultimate over, as the Australian quick saw Harry Came caught by Matt Carter and bowled Brooke Guest, before another four fell in Ball’s final set of six.

The seamer was on a hat-trick after seeing Mattie McKiernan held by Pattinson and slamming one into Mark Watt’s stumps, before picking up a third two balls later when Sam Conners hooked to a leaping Moores.

Hayden Kerr was then run out off the final ball as the Outlaws ensured they ended the innings with a final show of strength by bowling out their rivals.

The intent was clear from the outset of Notts' reply as Clarke ramped four off the final ball of Kerr’s first over, but the true onslaught begun when Hales hammered George Scrimshaw for 20 off the fourth.

Kerr’s next over went for 18 as Hales and Clarke both hit two fours each, the second of which was a late cut to take the former to his half-century, before Conners conceded 26 to conclude the powerplay on 95/0.

The duo roared past three figures thanks to a straight maximum from Hales and posted the Outlaws’ biggest ever opening stand against Derbyshire, but it was broken when Clarke swept McKiernan to Came.

Hales’ rampage ended in the next over with a skied strike to McKiernan off Scrimshaw, but Duckett hit an entertaining cameo which included four boundaries before Moores and Patel took up the final task.

The latter’s major milestone arrived with a quick two, and their stand ended up worth an unbroken 38 from 35 balls, as six from Moores, who hit a run-a-ball 22, brought the scores level off the end of the 17th over.

Victory was then secured as Patel, who made 19 not out, hit a lofted one-bounce four, to continue the Outlaws’ record of 14 straight matches unbeaten against their neighbours in this format.

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