Outlaws miss out despite win
Mark Ealham took three wickets
Opener Will Jefferson hit a half-century on debut - but it was not enough for Nottinghamshire to qualify for the semi-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy.
They went into the match with Lancashire needing victory and for North Conference winners Durham to beat Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Veteran all-rounder Mark Ealham did his bit with 3-34 as Lancashire were restricted to 219 for nine.
Jefferson struck an unbeaten 60, with David Hussey 50 not out, as Nottinghamshire won by 37 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.
But Warwickshire’s crucial win meant that they finished above the Outlaws in the table to qualify for the knockout stages.
Jefferson, 28, moved to Trent Bridge from Essex in the winter but a hamstring injury in pre-season ruled him out of contention for a first team place.
He began in quiet fashion, seeing both Stephen Fleming and Mark Wagh return to the pavilion for single figure scores before hitting his first boundary.
Fleming edged Dominic Cork to Steven Croft at first slip while Wagh was lbw to Oliver Newby’s first ball.
David Hussey helped put on a valuable 101-run partnership
That brought Hussey to the crease and the Australian immediately sparked his giant partner to life, with the 6ft 10ins Jefferson driving Gary Keedy through the covers and then slog-sweeping the left-arm spinner for six.
Jefferson enjoyed a slice of luck when he top-edged Tom Smith over the slips for another six - but added three more boundaries in orthodox fashion to reach his 50 from 72 balls.
Overseas batsman Hussey, enjoying a red-hot start to the season, looked entirely in control from the moment he drove Newby for three off his first ball.
He worked the gaps expertly as he raced to his half-century off just 45 balls, hitting four fours.
The pair added 101 in 16 overs to push the hosts well ahead of the required target under Duckworth-Lewis when rain arrived after 28.1 overs, guaranteeing a comfortable victory.
Earlier, Lancashire’s inexperienced batting line-up failed to come to terms with the guile of medium-pacer Ealham, who kept the visitors tied down with his mixture of swing and seam.
Dangerman Mal Loye was dismissed by AJ Harris for 21, mistiming a lofted drive to Wagh at mid-off.
Ealham picked off Paul Horton and Gareth Cross while Charlie Shreck claimed the vital wicket of Australian Brad Hodge, fending a short ball to Fleming at slip for 18.
Steven Croft and Cork added a level of respectability to the Lancashire score with an intelligent 96-run partnership for the sixth wicket before Cork hit the occasional off-spin of Hussey to Graeme Swann at long-on.
Croft made 63 from 84 balls with six fours before sweeping Hussey to midwicket, with Smith adding 30 before becoming one of three wickets to fall in the final two overs.
