Category Uncategorized

Somerset youngster Gareth Andrew made a dream debut for the Sabres in their opening match of the season at the County Ground in Taunton, but despite his impressive performances with both bat and ball his side still went down to Durham Dynamos by seven wickets.After Saturday’s victory over the same opposition in the county championship, this result will be a bitter disappointment to the Cidermen, who were without the strike force of Richard Johnson and Nixon McLean, who were both being rested in readiness for the game at Derbyshire on Wednesday, because of minor injuries.All rounder Keith Dutch was selected along with debutant Andrew, and Steffan Jones and Keith Parsons were both recalled to the team.With the weather threatening from the start it was no surprise that when Durham won the toss they elected to field first.The Sabres innings got off to a bad start when they lost Mike Burns with the score on 4 when he was bowled by South African Dewald Pretorius who was making his Durham debut.Marcus Trescothick and Jamie Cox took the Sabres onto 71 before Cox was out for 19 in the 13th over, followed shortly afterwards by James Bryant who failed to score.Parson received a warm welcome when he went out to the wicket and batted confidently for his 35 runs,before he was caught by Danny Law off Vince Wells.Trescothick was once again showing just what a talented player he is and delighting the crowd with an array of attacking shots, until he chanced his arm once too often and was caught by Michael Gough off Wells for 74.When Andrew went out to bat Somerset had slipped to 183 for 7 and looked in danger of being bowled out cheaply, but the young man had other ideas. He got off the mark with a leg glance to the boundary off Indian Test star Javagal Srinath, and from that moment he looked very much at home in the big arena.Along with Keith Dutch the young all rounder added 35 for the eighth wicket before he was caught by Gary Pratt at mid on from the bowling of Pretorious for 22.Dutch brought some late cheer to Sabres fans before he became another of Pretoroius for a hard hit 39, and by the end of the innings Somerset had moved onto 233 for 9.For the visitors Pretorious took 4 for 31 from his 9 over spell.The Durham reply seemed to be going along steadily enough until in the sixth over Andrew, who opened the bowling from the Old Pavilion End tempeted Gough to edge a catch to wicket keeper Turner, to claim his first wicket in the game at this level.Better was to follow when in the same over Vince Wells gave a hard chance to Trescothick at slip where the England man made no mistake. The youngster from Glastonbury had taken two wickets in one over and the ground was buzzing.More wickets could have so easily followed but it just wasn’t to be. A couple of chances went down, and by the time the players left the field because of the rain Durham had recovered to 112 for 2.When the player returned with a revised total of 215 to chase the visitors made no mistake, and thanks to a third wicket stand of 164 between Gary Pratt ( 101 not out) and Nicky Peng they reached their target for the loss of three wickets with 8 overs to spare.After the game Gareth Andrew told me: “I never dreamt that my debut would be as good as this. It just couldn’t have been better, it was just ideal. I felt nervous when I went out to bat and nothing can prepare you for that, but once I got off the mark a lot of positivity went through me. I felt even more nervous when I started my opening spell with the new ball, but once I got my first wicket I felt fine. Today was a dream debut for me.”

The National Squad has already reduced its members to sixteen who are now contracted with BCB. This team will head for Multan on 24th July to take on Pakistan for their first match in Asian Test Championship.These sixteen boys are now carrying on their three-day weekly practice in BKSP, a sports training institute twenty miles away from the capital. Usually in BKSP, the practice session runs from Saturday to Monday. It begins from 6:30 in the morning. Trevor Chappell always gives importance on fitness; therefore, the morning begins with hard stretching.A long running session waits for those who are still struggling with their fitness. Mohammed Ashraful disclosed that they had to run continuously for almost an hour in this early hour session. Cricketers who are better fit start this running from 7:00 am.Then they are given a break. The second session keeps on from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, which includes net practice. The quick bowlers are seen firing on the cement track. Mohammed Sharif, who is now regarded as the fastest among Bangladeshi bowlers, has concentrated more on line and length. He looks more confident and matured as well. The two most recognized pace pair Hasibul and Manjurul are trying to put their recent overseas experience into operation.After these toil the players take a nap after lunch because the afternoon practice will soon begin from four o’clock. Under the guidance of Trevor the boys get on with fielding practice in this ending session in the BKSP Ground-1. Bangladesh floored a good number of catches in Zimbabwe. Keeping it in head Trevor put emphasis on this particular area.In June the players went through hard fitness training only, which was very monotonous and cumbersome. Some of the players even asked the coach to reduce the amount of labour. But Trevor explained, saying, " It is important to carry out fitness training in this way. You will see the outcome in future."As the Asian Test Championship is approaching; net practice is now becoming more vital. The players get a day off the field in Tuesday. They carry out weight training for the next two days in the BCB gymnasium at the early hours. In Wednesday and Thursday they select the BUET ground for additional net practice. On Friday the fatigue team members are given a complete rest.Khaled Masud, the vice-captain of the side is regaining his lost rhythm and fitness. He says he is almost fit to put on the keeping gloves again. He joined the side last week and kept on doing all those tough works with his mates. The doctor asked him to be off from taking any risky attempt still. A cordial Masud who received an ankle injury in Zimbabwe, said, " I think I am getting better these days. I don’t face any difficulty while doing running, stretching and all those. The doctor asked me to take the load gradually."So this veteran wicket keeper is optimistic to play in the Test Championship. Certainly it would be a great pleasure to see him back in the squad.The squad will undergo a fifteen-day training under Javed Miandad and Andy Roberts who are arriving soon. They are going to give expert instructions to the players over their related field. Trevor will warmheartedly welcome them, he says, " No doubt their specialized guidance would be beneficial. Both are great players and if we go along with their suggestions, we are looking forward to doing much better."

Celtic left it late against Aberdeen to seal Wilfried Nancy’s first win in charge of the club, as Kieran Tierney and James Forrest grabbed last-gasp goals.

The Hoops were drawing 1-1 with the Dons with 15 minutes to play, on course for a fifth straight game without a win, before Tierney popped up in the 88th minute to put them 2-1 up.

The moment that changed the game was created by substitute Colby Donovan, whose brilliant cross found the former Arsenal man at the back post to score.

Why Wilfried Nancy must finally unleash Colby Donovan

Nancy’s new 3-4-2-1 system has slowed down the academy graduate’s progress at Parkhead, because he has not started any of the manager’s games in charge yet.

This fresh formation means that there is no right-back position, which is where Donovan typically plays, in the side. Instead, there is a right-sided centre-back role and a right wing-back role.

Donovan should finally be unleashed as a starter by Nancy in a new role for him as a wing-back, because he has the attacking qualities to potentially be an effective player in that position.

The 19-year-old starlet has provided three assists in 12 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League combined this season, per Sofascore, including the one for Liam Scales against Sturm Graz in the clip above.

Donovan provided another reminder of the quality that he can offer at the top end of the pitch with his sublime ball into the box for Celtic’s second goal against Aberdeen, and that is why he should start in that new role against Livingston this afternoon.

If Nancy unleashes the teenage talent as a starter in that position, there could be an opportunity for another player in the squad to be sold next month.

The Celtic flop who should be sold in January

Since the new manager came through the door to play a new formation at Parkhead, Hyun-jun Yang has been playing as a wing-back for the Scottish giants.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

The South Korean attacker has started four of the manager’s five matches in all competitions, starting every game other than the League Cup final against St Mirren, but he has not offered much in the way of quality in the final third.

Since signing in 2023, the 23-year-old winger has only scored nine goals and provided ten assists in 63 appearances for Celtic in all competitions to date, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has not offered a consistent threat in front of goal.

Journalist Graham Spiers noted that Yang is an “often-maligned” player, possibly because of his lack of goal contributions, but hailed some of the work that he did for Brendan Rodgers and Martin O’Neill.

His last two starts, against Dundee United and Aberdeen, show the best and the worst of the forward, explaining both why he may be underrated, yet also why the Hoops should cash in on him.

Hyun-jun Yang

Vs Dundee United

Vs Aberdeen

Minutes

86

69

Pass accuracy

94%

96%

Duels won

8/13

5/10

Tackles won

3/3

1/1

Shots on target

0

0

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Yang did a lot of good work as a wing-back in those two matches, as he was reliable defensively and with his passes, but he lacked quality in and around the box, with no ‘big chances’ created or shots on target.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Celtic transfer & tactic insight Want clearer context on Celtic? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth takes on tactics, rising talents like Colby Donovan and transfer chatter. Focused analysis ties match moments to squad decisions so you know what matters next. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for Celtic transfer & tactic insight Want clearer context on Celtic? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth takes on tactics, rising talents like Colby Donovan and transfer chatter. Focused analysis ties match moments to squad decisions so you know what matters next.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Unfortunately, lacking quality in the final third has been the theme of the South Korean’s overall career at Parkhead, as evidenced by his aforementioned output for the club to date.

Yang has produced two goals and no assists in 19 appearances in all competitions this season, per Sofascore, which means that he has even fewer goal contributions than Donovan, who has recorded three assists.

This suggests that the Scottish full-back may carry an even greater threat at the top end of the pitch than the South Korean flop as a wing-back, which is why Nancy should make this change to the starting XI.

Related Bad news for Scales: Celtic opens talks to sign "immense" star in January

Celtic have reportedly opened talks to sign a star in a deal that could spell bad news for Liam Scales.

Posts ByDan Emery

Replacing Yang with Donovan would then allow the club to finally cash in on the winger, who would then not be a starting-calibre player, amid reported interest from Birmingham, Norwich, and Preston.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCameron Bancroft was awarded the Man of the Match for his counterattacking 72•Getty Images

Despite their dominance of the BBL over the years, Perth Scorchers have repeatedly been written off. After they slumped to 2 for 1 in the second over to a formidable Sydney Thunder attack, the Scorchers could probably hear the scepticism reverberating. However, once again, the defending champion’s famed resilience reared and another finals appearance looks assured after a 30-run victory over the Thunder at Spotless Stadium in Sydney.Notching their fourth win of the BBL, the Scorchers pulled a game clear of the Thunder after both teams were deadlocked at second on the ladder.Largely due to contrasting, but highly effective, half centuries from precocious youngsters Cameron Bancroft and Ashton Agar, the Scorchers recovered from the perilous early position to compile 5 for 175 after being sent in to bat.It was a total the highly disciplined Scorchers attack always looked likely to defend. On television commentary, Mark Waugh rated Thunder paceman Andre Russell the “best fast bowler in the competition”. Waugh may have a change of heart after Scorchers spearhead Jason Behrendorff (3 for 26 off 4 overs) again produced a scintillating display claiming the early wickets of Aiden Blizzard and the out-of-form Jacques Kallis to leave the Thunder reeling at 2 for 17 after three overs.Shane Watson, the Thunder’s acting captain in place of an injured Mike Hussey, looked in sparkling form counterattacking young Scorchers paceman Joel Paris, who is set to make his ODI debut against India next week.But Watson fell just when he looked threatening, playing on for 18 to leave the Thunder 3 for 49 in the ninth over.The Thunder’s chase looked forlorn until the powerful Russell produced an extraordinary display of brutish batting. In the ultimate purple patch, Russell smashed five sixes in eight deliveries between overs 12 and 14.The most noteworthy of the bunch was a slog off Behrendorff that astonishingly went 116 metres, just one metre short of Dan Christian’s tournament record.But Behrendorff showed his form, snaring the crucial scalp of Russell, assisted by a clutch catch from Paris after the ball swirled high in the air. Russell compiled a highly entertaining 20-ball 42 but his dismissal effectively ended the Thunder’s hopes, and they eventually finished well short of the target at 9 for 145.A comprehensive victory looked unlikely earlier in the day when the Scorchers struggled mightily with the bat at the beginning of their innings. Much of the Scorchers’ batting had revolved around their opening partnership of Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger, the Scorchers captain, who was out in the first over for a duck, followed quickly by the dismissal of Marcus Harris.Marsh looked in fine touch compiling 28 with ease, but his dismissal halted the Scorchers’ comeback and left them delicately poised at 3 for 64 in the 11th over. The Scorchers perceived weakness was their inexperienced middle-order, which had hardly batted throughout the tournament due to Klinger and Marsh’s domination.Making a mockery of that perception, Bancroft and Agar combined for Scorchers’ fourth-wicket record partnership of 105 off just 51 balls. Bancroft, a technically correct batsman, played orthodox yet powerfully, particularly through the off side. Smartly, he rotated the strike early in a determined rebuild attempt, and then impressively muscled numerous shots down the ground.In a notable contrast to his teammate, Agar looks ungainly at times with minimal footwork and a wild swing of the bat. But at the core of his burgeoning batting is his attentiveness; Agar watches the ball closely and when in rhythm, morphs into a stylish and powerful batsman. His effervescence was infectious, as the pair scurried between the wickets, rattling the suddenly ragged Thunder.Agar’s cavalier approach netted 68 off 34 balls in his first BBL half-century, while Bancroft scored a 53-ball 72.The impressive performances of their youngsters will well please the Scorchers, who will be without the services of Marsh for the remainder of the BBL.

Luke Ronchi reproduced some of the shots he plays for Western Australia for the Academy © Getty Images

Justin Ontong was a late addition to the South Africa Emerging Players squad but he immediately displayed his class as he steered them to a 19th-over victory against the Australian Academy in the opening match of the two-week tournament in Queensland. Vaughn van Jaarsveld’s decision to stay in England as a Kolpak player opened the space for Ontong, the former Test and ODI player, and he took control after they slipped to 3 for 21 with an unbeaten 63 off 44 balls.No other batsman reached 20 in the innings as Ontong planted three sixes and his seventh four ended the match with six balls remaining. The South Africa coach Kepler Wessels called Ontong’s display “superb” and was pleased with his team’s first hit-out of the Emerging Players Tournament.”It was important to start well and we did that, but we should get better,” he said. “The pitch was sporty, which was good for us as our bowling attack is strong, and we bowled well early, but I thought they got about 15 too many.”Morne Morkel stunned Australia when he dropped them to 3 for 8, including zeroes for the fancied top-order batsmen Mark Cosgrove, Ed Cowan and Luke Pomersbach. Aaron Finch (26) and Michael Hill (34) led the recovery and Luke Ronchi added some punishing touches with 35 off 23 balls to drag the side to 131.
The Australian Academy hit back quickly from their early disappointment by defeating the Karnataka State Cricket Association XI with seven balls to spare. The home side made regular inroads after bowling first and was led by Aaron Heal, the left-arm spinner, who picked up three wickets as Karnataka were restricted to 129.Deepak Chougle, the No. 4, led the resistance with 36 and Bharat Chipli and Amit Verma also made starts when a half-century would have pushed them to a highly competitive total. S Aravind struck twice when Australia were 18 before Luke Ronchi (31) and Luke Pomersbach (26) settled the situation. Craig Philipson and Ed Cowan, who had captained a game each during the day, were left to steer the chase and Cowan was 27 not out when the win was sealed shortly before dusk.
New Zealand A began their tournament on a high with a tight three-wicket win over South Africa Emerging Players under lights. Chasing 166, New Zealand reached a day-high score of 7 for 168 thanks to some heavy hitting from Gareth Hopkins, who smashed 51 from 34 balls before becoming the first of Johan Botha’s three victims.Hopkins departed at 4 for 114 with the side in good shape and Nathan McCullum provided a push with 29 off 14 deliveries. Botha, who went for 32 from his three overs, was supported by Vernon Philander as he picked up 3 for 34.The opener Alviro Petersen gave South Africa a good start with 59 as they set the challenge for New Zealand. Francois du Plessis picked up 42 and Jean-Paul Duminy made a handy contribution with 37.

ScorecardChris Benham’s riproaring century consigned West Indies A to a convincing defeat by 62 runs at the hands of Hampshire. Benham wasted no time in making 122 from 145 balls to lift Hampshire to an unassailable 292 for 8 and ultimately heap further misery on the tourists.He and Mike Brown put on 122 for the first wicket, a strong opening platform and the home side simply motored on from there. There was a mini-wobble after Brown fell for 44, with four wickets falling for 37, but some powerful lower-order hitting from Mitchell Stokes (36 off 18 balls) and Shaun Udal (32 not out from just 11 balls) boosted Hampshire late on.West Indies’ innings got off to a woeful start at 4 for 2 and, despite Runako Morton’s 102, they couldn’t recover. In fact, they were never in the hunt as they lost wickets steadily. James Bruce did the damage to the top order, grabbing 3 for 14 from seven overs, and there were three wickets too for Greg Lamb.

Michael Clarke: likely to retain his place when Ricky Ponting returns© Getty Images

Michael Clarke was stunned by Darren Lehmann’s offer to stand down when Ricky Ponting returns, but the third Test, starting at Nagpur tomorrow, will be the first of a series of unofficial bat-offs between the two.Ponting’s comeback from a broken thumb, either in the fourth Test against India at Mumbai next week or the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba from November 18, means one of the current batsmen will be squeezed out. Lehmann, at 34, is the most vulnerable unless the selectors make the unlikely move of dumping Clarke, 23, despite an amazing start to his Test career.Lehmann said after the first Test that he may stand down when Ponting returns to keep Clarke in the side but Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, rejected the selfess suggestion. Clarke himself was unhappy at the situation: “It was an unbelievable comment from such a great guy and someone who has been such a great player for Australian cricket. I want to keep playing but that call comes down to the selectors. I hope ‘Boofer’ [Lehmann] does not step down. I call him the veteran. He is the veteran of the team and like the father. Everybody goes to him for support.”In this series Clarke is well ahead of Lehmann, making 212 runs at 70.67 to Lehmann’s 62 at 15.50. As unlikely as his sacking seems, Clarke said he would be fine if the selectors omitted him when Ponting comes back. “I was selected because Ricky got injured,” he said. “If I got dropped I would not have an issue with it at all.”Clarke unwound from his heady first fortnight of Test cricket by spending four days at a luxury resort in Singapore with Damien Martyn during the team’s mini-break. “After the first day of the Chennai Test he [Martyn] was on 25 or 26 and I said if you make a hundred I’ll go with you,” Clarke said. “He initially wanted to go on his own. It turns out I was booking on the flight that night. We just had a good time and relaxed. We sat by the pool.”Clarke’s dream-like efforts with the bat at Bangalore and Chennai were marred slightly by two dropped catches at second slip. “There’s nothing worse in cricket than dropping a catch,” he said. “It’s definitely disappointing but we’re standing so close to the bat over here that the ball is coming pretty quickly.”

Bob Woolmer at work with the Pakistan team. He had “no problems in communicating” with his players, he said© Getty Images

He has barely been in Pakistan a week, but that has been enough time for some to start questioning how well the Bob Woolmer experiment will work. The new coach has rebutted claims that several senior Pakistani players had failed a fitness test he had devised with Murray Stevenson. A report in a local newspaper on Monday had quoted officials within the PCB as saying, “most of the senior players failed to come up to the required (fitness) standards” of Stevenson’s tests. Woolmer, speaking to Wisden Cricinfo, said, “We weren’t conducting tests so nobody failed. We were just trying to gauge the level of fitness of players now, and where we would like it to be later. To say that they failed is wrong.”Woolmer, who is due to fly out tonight to Cape Town – and not the UK as was erroneously reported – for a coaching assignment he had committed to prior to becoming coach of the Pakistan team, was satisfied with the start of a three-year tenure. “It has been fantastic to be here, I have come to Pakistan before but it has been great. The players have been very good throughout the camp, and there is clearly a lot of talent here. By their own admission the team needs to work on its fitness and fielding and that is what we have been looking at with Inzamam and Haroon [Rasheed, the team manager],” said Woolmer. He added, “Shoaib Akhtar is fit, otherwise he wouldn’t be bowling here and he is very much part of the set-up. It’s also been working out well with Inzamam; he is a quiet man, but very calm and controlled and a world-class player.”The 14-man Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup will be announced on Thursday, and Woolmer, with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Haroon, has given an idea of the team they would like to the selection committee headed by Wasim Bari. Refusing to shed any light on the composition of the team, Woolmer would go only as far as to reveal – not surprisingly – “it will have some batsmen, some bowlers and a keeper or two.”Since his arrival, Woolmer has insisted on meeting ex-players in Pakistan to discuss ideas about the team, and last night, he got his wish; a “working dinner” with the man he replaced, Javed Miandad. “I like to do things by committee and have tried to get as much input into selection as possible. I am new to the players here so it is natural that I ask around about them and try to find out more about them. Javed is a legend and he knows more than most about this team as well as Pakistan cricket, so we’ll be chatting about that.”Woolmer also shot down reports that communication between him and the players was problematic. Sourav Ganguly was the latest member of a group of players and coaches in Pakistan who questioned how effectively Woolmer would be able to communicate with his players. Ganguly, in an interview to the last week, said, “It would not be easy for Bob. Pakistan cricketers come from diverse backgrounds and are individualistic – it is difficult to mould them together.” He continued, “Communication is an art and an essential aspect of coaching – Woolmer would not find it easy to communicate what he wants with the players.”To this Woolmer replied, “I have had absolutely no problems in communicating with my players and I don’t foresee any problems in the future. Despite what Ganguly says or thinks, the whole process of communication has been very smooth so far, and you can tell him that.”Woolmer plans to meet up with the squad in Sri Lanka on July 13 – three days before the start of the competition. “The team is good enough to win the cup, there is enough talent here. But in ODI cricket, it literally is a matter of what happens on the day and who plays better on the day. But I am confident.”One week gone, and only a potential 150-odd weeks to go. Welcome to Pakistan, Bob.Osman Samiuddin is a freelance writer based in Karachi.

Shane Warne’s prizemoney allocation for Australia’s World Cup win has been defended amid claims the banned leg spinner did not deserve it.Warne is set to receive up to $15,000 from Australia’s victory despite not bowling a ball in the tournament and being banned from cricket for one year for failing a drug test.Warne was in South Africa for 11 days and will collect the cash through a pro-rata system adopted by the players for the 55-day tournament.His allocation – believed to be between $10,000 and $15,000 – has come under fire from Australian cricketing great Neil Harvey and is likely to anger large sections of the public.But Warne’s manager and brother Jason said the banned star deserved his share of Australia’s $3.36 million windfall.”From my own point of view it’s a tough one, but how far back do you go? He’s already being punished enough as it is, but do you go back and make it retrospective?” Jason Warne said.Jason Warne said his brother’s input into Australia’s victory could not be quantified.But he said it was a “bit harsh” to strip Warne of his stake given his involvement in team planning and training and World Cup promotions.”He is already missing out on income for the next 12 months and you’ve got to draw the line somewhere,” Jason Warne said.”The (anti-doping) committee drew the line in the sand when the suspension was started from February 10.”You can only go by what’s done and what the players decide.”How can you say he didn’t have any input into the games?”He was there to help Brad Hogg bowl in the nets and he was there for the structuring of the team plans which is an important part of it, so I suppose he has earned his stake in the money.””You can’t shift back his suspension and ping him both ways. That’s a bit harsh.”Australian Cricket Board public affairs general manager Peter Young said the Australian team wanted the payment system and adopted it specially for the World Cup.Young said each of the Australian players were paid the same “day rate” for every day they took part in the successful cup campaign.Warne is not the only member of the squad to benefit despite playing no games.His replacement Nathan Hauritz will also profit immensely, as will fast bowler Nathan Bracken, who replaced the injured Jason Gillespie.Gillespie played four matches.Young could not say how much each player would receive.But The Daily Telegraph newspaper said Hauritz would earn about $270,000, Bracken about $130,000 and Gillespie $180,000.

Kent Spitfires remain in second place in the NUL Div One after defeating the Notts Outlaws by just one run at Trent Bridge.Having set the home side a victory target of 197 it was nail-biting time for the Spitfires as Darren Bicknell with 64 and then Kevin Pietersen, with 48, threatened to condemn them to their first NCL defeat of the season. With two needed from the final ball though, Andrew Symonds throw from the long on boundary ran out Pietersen.Replying to the visitors’ all-out total of 196 Darren Bicknell’s first four scoring strokes all raced to the boundary boards as Notts began in confident fashion. His only moment of real concern in the early stages was an unintentional beamer from Ben Trott which narrowly avoided his head.Trott caused problems of a different sort in his next over when he found the outside edge of Greg Blewett’s bat but ‘keeper Paul Nixon dropped a straightforward offering moving to his right.Blewett had again looked out of touch and made only 13 when he tried to hit across the line to Trott and was bowled.Usman Afzaal, keen to celebrate his call-up for the Second Test, made only eight before being stumped advancing down the track to try to slog Min Patel over mid-wicket.Bicknell moved to his fifth league half-century of the season (81 mins 69 balls 9x4s) to cement his position as the leading run scorer in the NUL. Paul Johnson continued his fine recent form, combining deft touches with aggressive pulls.The pair had put on 47 runs in 12 overs when Johnson stepped back to give himself room against Patel but only succeeded in hitting the ball straight into the midriff of Andrew Symonds in the covers.Patel and Symonds dragged Kent back into the contest with miserly spells and the Outlaws needed more than a run a ball from the last ten overs. Mark Ealham’s return to the attack supplied the most important moment of the innings thus far, as his second ball induced Bicknell to chip straight to Fulton at mid-wicket.Ealham also bowled Bilal Shafayat and Chris Read but Kevin Pietersen upped the tempo and hit Saggers for a huge six as 21 were needed from the final three overs and then 12 from two. Richard Logan played his part to leave just six needed from the last over.A single took Pietersen to 48. Logan missed the next two but then got his partner back on strike. The canny Ealham then deceived everybody as Notts dashed through for a bye. 194-6 with one ball to go. Logan drove it straight but Pietersen couldn’t get back for two and was easily run out to leave the Spitfires victors by one run.Earlier Kent, who won the toss and elected to have first use of the wicket, were dismissed for 196 in the final over of their innings. They overcame the loss of James Hockley in the first over to reach 53-1 but then lost wickets steadily throughout with only David Fulton topping 30. Six different Outlaws bowlers shared the wickets, with Greg Smith carding the best figures with 3-37.