Middlesex defeated Nottinghamshire 231 (Loten 44, Bamber 3-32, Higgins 3-40) by 134 runs with a total of 365 (Andersson 100, Higgins 88).
Martin Andersson of Middlesex scored his first century of the season to help his team defeat Notts Outlaws at Radlett and win the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Along with Ryan Higgins, whose 50-over performance of 88 from 58 was also a career-best, the 26-year-old all-rounder was promoted to bat at No. 6 and produced a knock of exactly 100 from 81 balls to get the Seaxes back on track. Middlesex was able to post 365 all out thanks to the pair’s work, which was much more than the Outlaws could manage in their reply with only 231 from 40.1 overs.
Higgins and Ethan Bamber both took three wickets, and if not for a spirited eighth-wicket stand of 74 runs between Tom Loten and Calvin Harrison, Middlesex’s victory margin over Notts in limited overs cricket might have been higher.
When Middlesex was given the opportunity to bat first, skipper Mark Stoneman got things going quickly. He controlled the opening stand of 40 runs with Joe Cracknell, reaching 35 from 27, and drove Brett Hutton over the top for six. The Outlaws seamer also claimed the wicket of Sam Robson, who pulled a delivery back onto his off stump, but Hutton ultimately had the final word, piercing Stoneman’s defenses with a straight one.
Cracknell promptly targeted left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White with two successful sweeps to the fence, but a third try ultimately proved to be his downfall as Dane Schadendorf caught him behind the stumps with a tumbling bat-pad catch.
Andersson advanced to deep third on 18 by fully utilizing the drop.
The home team was down to 136 for 4 when Jack Davies was caught at cover, but the choice to elevate Andersson up the order paid off as he and Higgins shared a partnership of 129 runs from 78.
When he skied Lyndon James to mid-off, Higgins, who was effective against seam and spin alike, appeared to be on track for a first-ever 50-over-hundred, but Andersson took full advantage of the drop to move up to deep third on 18.
With the help of Luke Hollman (35 from 34), he guided Middlesex above the 300-point threshold as he reached his half-century by hitting Patterson-White through cover. As the Seaxes posted 365, Andersson, who was on 90 at the start of the final over, carved James for two straight fours, scrambled two to achieve his milestone, and then was trapped on the rail the next delivery.
In response, Notts lost three wickets in the powerplay overs, including both of their openers to Bamber. However, Stoneman’s magnificent one-handed catch at midwicket to stop James’ fierce pull off Ishaan Kaushal stands out as the most impressive dismissal.
When Bamber uprooted his middle stump to leave the visitors reeling at 60 for 4, Outlaws skipper Haseeb Hameed had only started to repair the damage after hitting the cover boundary with his first delivery from Kaushal.
Patterson-White’s edge just missed John Simpson, and Higgins squandered the chance when Montgomery cut him to gully later in the same over, depriving Andersson of the opportunity to add his name to the list of wicket-takers.
Although Notts’ eighth-wicket pair dashed any chances of a rapid conclusion, Higgins made apologies by tearing through the middle order with three quick wickets, including Montgomery, who was caught at backward point for 40. Loten hit a career-high 44 before Robson caught him behind, and the legspinner finished the game when Harrison, who was attempting to reach his first fifty, was caught at long-off for 41.
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