Outlaws win shortened FPT game

Leicestershire Foxes (chasing 77 from 10 overs) 67-5 (Taylor 18, Voges 1-9), lost to Nottinghamshire Outlaws 149-3 (Patel 49*, O'Brien 2-38) by nine runs.

All-round performances from Adam Voges and Samit Patel and a superb death over from Ryan Sidebottom helped Nottinghamshire Outlaws to a nine-run win against Leicestershire Foxes on the Duckworth-Lewis method at Grace Road.

Chasing a revised target of 77 from the minimum ten overs allowed in an innings, Foxes' openers Matthew Boyce and Jim Allenby took exactly eight runs from the first three overs to get the team above the rate.

However, Patel stemmed the tide by bowling Boyce for 16 and conceding just three runs from his first over. It was then somewhat of a surprise package who swung the pendulum towards our East Midlands rivals.

Outlaws' second left-arm spinner Voges is not best-known for his bowling, but he really helped to turn the tide. The Australian conceded just two runs from his first over - the crucial sixth of the innings - and removed Allenby for 13 in the process.

Boeta Dippenaar, who scored quickly with 14 runs form ten balls - picked up the rate by taking two boundaries from Patel's comeback over, but Voges' second over went for just seven when County needed a boost of a double-figure over.

It left 25 needed from two - and although James Taylor struck a powerful pick-up six and four to the leg side from the ninth, Darren Pattinson struck two important blows.

He dismissed both Dippenaar and the youngster - who played a lovely cameo of 18 from 14 balls - inbetween the boundaries to leave 14 needed from Sidebottom's final over and neither Josh Cobb or Wayne White were settled at the crease.

The England left-armer then sent down nothing to hit, and County could only add another four runs to the total with the loss of Cobb to a run-out.

It was an exciting way to end the FPT, but the game was shaping up nicely as a fuller spectacle.

The visitors were just gathering momentum at 149-3 from 35.3 of their allotted 48 overs when rain came at 2pm, halting proceedings for almost four hours.

County had more than held their own though, bowling tidily throughout and looking dynamic in the field.

Bowling heroes Patel (48*) and Voges (29*) had also flourished with the bat, sharing an unbeaten stand of 65 for the fourth wicket after the Foxes had chipped away to leave the Outlaws 84-3 after 22 overs.

The game began on time, with County bringing Boyce, Jigar Naik and Iain O'Brien into their eleven for Paul Nixon, Carl Crowe and AJ Harris.

Boeta Dippenaar was named captain in Nixon's absence, and his first task was to lead his team into the field after Chris Read won the toss and elected to bat.

Both Harry Gurney and O'Brien bowled nicely early on, with the left-armer bowling a controlled spell of eight overs for 29.

His accuracy was backed up by good aggression from O'Brien, who struck twice in the first powerplay.

The Kiwi's first victim was Ali Brown, who was leg-before playing across the line. Alex Hales was next to go, bowled by the New Zealander.

That left the total on 54-2 off ten, with Mark Wagh going strong after opening the batting.

He was on his way to a patient 40 from 67 balls, finding the boundary just twice. However, that was credit to the bowling attack who nagged away impressively.

Claude Henderson and Jim Allenby backed up the openers' work by further pushing down on the brake pedal, ensuring a decent start became an excellent one.

The slow left armer sent down eight overs at a cost of just 20 runs, while Allenby had five overs for fourteen and also claimed the key wicket of Wagh, well held by Tom New standing up.

The game was paused during the Henderson-Allenby stranglehold, with two overs per side lost at that stage.

Naik also bowled nicely in tandem with Henderson later, conceding just twenty from his five overs of economical off-spin.

Patel and Voges were patient though, and seized the initiative as the innings progressed and the third powerplay was taken.

Patel scored nothing more than a single for the first 27 balls, and did not score a boundary in his first 50 balls face, but scored three fours after the powerplay was taken.

Indeed, 19 runs were scored in the nine balls of that third restriction before the heavens opened for a second time.

It looked as though a further heavy shower mid-afternoon may curtail things, but the groundstaff worked extremely hard to ensure the game finished.

But, perhaps the fact that the usually free-scoring Patel was not able to tee off from word go was a good indication that the chase was going to be tough.

And, so it proved, with the Outlaws holding their nerve to top Group A going into their final-day showdown with Hampshire Hawks tomorrow.

The Outlaws, Hawks and Worcestershire Royals will contest for the two qualification places, with the Pears hosting Ireland at New Road.

The Foxes have finished their fixtures, and will now prepare for Monday's Twenty20 opener against Yorkshire Carnegie at Headingley.