Nottinghamshire 149 for 4 (Moores 51*) beat Leicestershire 143 for 7 (Eskinazi 52, Linde 3-31) by six wickets
Stephen Eskinazi made 52 not out from 41 balls but with only one other batter making more than 15, a total of 143 for 7 looked a sub-par return by Leicestershire after South African left-arm spinner George Linde took 3 for 31 and the 6ft 6in Sri Lankan left-arm seamer Binura Fernando 2 for 28 on his Outlaws debut.
Moores’ innings included three sixes and five fours, launching Josh Hull high over the midwicket boundary for the winning shot.
Earlier, three sixes in the first three overs – including two soaring clean hits from Ben Green – seemed like a statement of intent from struggling Leicestershire after winning the toss but after Green holed out to Linde for 21 off 11 balls the early energy drained away. Sheridon Gumbs, on his Blast debut, was bowled by a full delivery from Fernando – signed after Mohammad Ali was called up by Pakistan – and the Foxes were 54 for 2 from six.
This became 73 for 4 by the ninth over after Linde had bowled Rishi Patel and overseas Ashton Turner had been seen off by Liam Patterson-White. Ben Cox then shovelled Linde into the hands of short fine leg, at which point four of the five wickets had gone to left-arm spin.
Olly Stone intervened on behalf of the pace brigade as Ruan de Swardt gloved a catch to keeper Moores and Fernando picked up his second via a steepling top edge as Joey Evison departed. Eskinazi walked off unbeaten with his first half-century of the season but the last five overs had added only 28 to the Foxes’ total.
Needing a little over seven an over, the Outlaws lost George Munsey to a catch on the square leg boundary in reaching 53 for 1 from six but Clarke, who had been dropped on 5 and had another scare on 29, departed soon afterwards for 31 from 23, miscueing to long off. Another setback followed as Patel pouched Freddie McCann at deep midwicket.
Nonetheless, 76 for 3 from 10 represented a solid platform for the home side, stronger still after Moores thrashed three consecutive fours off ex-team-mate Joey Evison in the next over, although Jack Haynes (29 from 28) departed to a catch at fine leg soon afterwards.
The last five overs arrived with just 21 needed and six wickets in hand after Moores had accrued more gains against Patel and Alex Green, meaning the Outlaws could be risk-averse and still win comfortably.
