Nottinghamshire Ends Campaign on a High

Nottinghamshire wrapped up their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign with a satisfying 12-run victory (DLS method) over Warwickshire at Rugby School, capping off an otherwise inconsistent tournament.

Despite the loss, Warwickshire still advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face Worcestershire at Edgbaston on Friday. However, back-to-back defeats in the final group stage games suggest that Warwickshire may need to regroup before the knockout round.

Warwickshire, batting first, were dismissed for 182 in 46.3 overs, with Ed Barnard's 31 being the highest score. The Nottinghamshire bowlers, led by Robert Lord (3 for 24) and Liam Patterson-White (3 for 26), delivered an impressive performance, ensuring no Warwickshire batter faced more than 50 balls.

Nottinghamshire's chase was significantly disrupted by rain, ending on 135 for 5 after 28 overs, in pursuit of a revised DLS target of 173 from 38 overs. At 62 for 5, they appeared to be in trouble, but Jack Haynes and Tom Moores steadied the ship with a composed, unbeaten partnership of 73, taking their team past the required score.

The defeat dropped Warwickshire to third place in the final Group B standings, but they will still host Worcestershire (the second-place team in Group A) at Edgbaston, as New Road is reserved for the England Lions versus Sri Lanka match on Friday.

Nottinghamshire opted to bowl first against a Warwickshire batting lineup missing Rob Yates and Hamza Shaikh, both on England Lions duty. The absence of these key players was felt as no Warwickshire batsman managed to face more than 50 deliveries.

Zen Malik, making his debut, was quickly dismissed, edging James Hayes to wicketkeeper Tom Moores. Barnard and Will Rhodes added 45 runs before Barnard was trapped lbw by a sharp delivery from Robert Lord, triggering a downward spiral for Warwickshire.

Rhodes was run out by a direct hit from Jack Haynes, and Michael Burgess misjudged a ball from Patterson-White, leading to his dismissal. Chris Benjamin and Kai Smith attempted to stabilise the innings with a 30-run partnership, but both were caught at deep mid-wicket in Matthew Montgomery's first over. Patterson-White further dented Warwickshire’s hopes by trapping Theo Wylie lbw with a poorly executed reverse sweep, leading to a collapse of three wickets for one run in just seven balls.

Warwickshire slumped to 141 for 8 before Jake Lintott and Tazeem Ali added 41 runs in 11 overs, providing a glimmer of hope. Lintott managed to hit the only six of the innings before skying a delivery from Lord to extra cover.

Chasing 183 in 48 overs, Nottinghamshire’s start was shaky, losing early wickets under increasing drizzle. Freddie McCann chipped Barnard to mid-wicket, Ben Slater edged Michael Booth behind, and Haseeb Hameed was controversially given out caught at gully off Lintott, although the ball appeared to bounce before being caught. The DLS equation began to favour Warwickshire when Montgomery edged Lintott behind soon after.

Following an hour-long rain delay with Nottinghamshire at 56 for 4 in 12.5 overs, the target was adjusted to 173 from 38 overs. Lintott quickly struck again, trapping Sam King lbw with a full-length delivery. However, Haynes and Moores batted with composure in difficult conditions, with Haynes reaching a 64-ball fifty. Their sensible batting under poor light and drizzle put Nottinghamshire in control before the rain intensified, bringing the match to a premature end.