A scintillating knock of 95 off just 51 balls from Adam Hose powered Worcestershire Rapids to a vital win over Nottinghamshire Outlaws as they got their Vitality Blast campaign back on track.
An innings that included seven fours and six fours, the vice-captain, ably supported by Kashif Ali (51) and Ethan Brookes (32), propelled the visitors to 206-5.
Wickets at regular intervals kept the away side in control of the Outlaws chase, as the Rapids strangled their opponents throughout, who struggled to recover from 72-4.
In a complete performance, Ben Dwarshuis (1-23) showed all his skills to help steer the Rapids to a clinical 25 run-win.
After a short turnaround, the Rapids travelled to Nottingham looking to get their Blast campaign back on track after falling short against Northants Steelbacks the night before.
Losing the toss and being asked to bat under darkened skies, the away side found themselves in immediate danger.
Brett D’Oliveira, was run-out in unfortunate circumstances as he lost his footing, failing to regain his feet as he was on the way down the wicket, as Daniel Sams reacted sharply to dismiss the skipper.
Moments later and the Rapids were 1-2, as Ed Pollock was caught out on the midwicket boundary after mistiming a big shot into the legside.
The repost that followed however, was exactly what the Rapids required, as the momentum of the match was swung dramatically back in the favour of the visitors.
Kashif Ali and Adam hose, came together in sensational style as the pair played at their brutal best, adding 72 for the third wicket.
In the process, Ali (51 off 35), showed some sublime ball striking, during a powerful innings that saw him register four-fours and three-sixes, taking a particular liking to the Outlaws spinners in the process.
Hose, followed suit, as he manoeuvred the ball to all parts of the ground, sending the ball over the stand of the bigger boundaries inside Trent Bridge with one particular booming sweep shot.
With the game suddenly back in the away side’s favour, Notts turned to their seam bowlers in an attempt to stunt the scoring.
The third wicket to fall, was that of Ali, who was caught out in the deep in the tenth over at the innings, with his side far in a far more promising position than when he arrived, at 74-3.
Ethan Brookes, wasted no time getting to work with vice-captain, Hose, as his canny stroke play and deft touches ensured the outlaws fielders had no time settle, as Captain Joe Clarke continued to shuffle his pack.
The Rapids ended the 14th over 120-3, with the pair starting to hit their straps, shortly after brining up their 50 partnership as the mizzle descended on Trent Bridge.
The fireworks continued as the dew settled, sending the ball fizzing across the outfield, with Hose continuing his assault with a strike rate that hung around 200.
The sizzling partnership was brought to a close in the 16th over, as Brookes (32) was caught at cow-corner, after playing a crucial part in the partnership of 79.
Hose, now joined by Ben Dwarshuis, started the 17th over with a bang, striking consecutive sixes to keep the run-rate above 9.5 as the innings headed into its closing stages.
The pair added 49, for the fifth wicket, as Dwarshuis (18) landed some lusty blows, as Hose continued his mesmeric march and took the Rapids beyond 200.
The magnificent Hose innings was brought to a close in the 20th over, as he was trapped LBW for 95, agonisingly short of a thoroughly deserved hundred, to a rapturous applause from the travelling fans.
The batting card had contributions throughout the middle order, as the Rapids finished their 20 overs with an impressive 206-5.
Tom Taylor (2-36) wasted no time getting the reply off to the best possible start, as he picked up a wicket in the first over, when star-man Hose caught Lyndon James for one.
The momentum continued as Jacob Duffy, claimed another scalp when he had Haynes caught, as Notts ended the powerplay 44-2, shortly before Fateh Singh, picked up his sides’ third wicket when he had Moises Henriques stumped for just five.
The pressure continued to build on the home side, and when Taylor was re-introduced into the attack and proceeded the dangerous Joe Clarke, the Rapids had their rivals in trouble at 74-4.
D’Oliveira, showed all of his captaincy prowess throughout the innings, rotating his bowlers to full effect, as the variations combined with some clinical catching kept the pressure on the Outlaws.
Sams (20) and Moores (39) came together for the home side, as they began the rebuild in the middle overs, looking to keep their side in touch with the rising run rate, but it was the ever-reliable arm of Brookes, who broke the partnership in the 14th over, when Adam Hose took a smart catch at point, to remove the Australian.
Jacob Duffy, re-entered the attack, to dismiss Moores, just as he has started to cut loose, as the Rapids got their sixth wicket with 148, the Outlaws total after 16 overs.
A textbook display of death bowling from the Rapids seamers, saw Dwarshuis (1-23) remove Montgomery cheaply as his side secured an impressive 25 run-win, getting their tournament back on track in style.
