Half-centuries from Tom Moores and Joe Clarke and a spectacular bowling performance from Matt Carter set Notts Outlaws on their way to a 71-run Vitality Blast win over Birmingham Bears.
Moores scored 69 from 38 balls and Clarke hit 50 from 40 as Notts totalled 184 for four after winning the toss and choosing to bat.
One of the wickets was taken by Olly Stone, on his return to county duty after being released from England's Test squad.
Birmingham lost the dangerous Ed Pollock to Carter early on and did not really recover. The 23-year old off-spinner followed up with the wickets of Michael Burgess and Adam Hose to record figures of three for 14 in four overs.
The Bears were eventually bowled out for just 113 in only 17.3 overs. Luke Wood backed up Carter well, taking three for 16.
Birmingham struck the first blow of the evening, having Alex Hales caught at mid-on for 10 in the third over off Henry Brookes just two balls after he had been put down by Liam Banks at midwicket.
Clarke counter-attacked in style, playing the most glorious of drives off Fidel Edwards to move his own score to 16.
Stone was lifted high over the deep midwicket fence by Ben Duckett but then bounced back to bowl his former Northants team-mate for 13 before Banks put down Moores off Will Rhodes when the left-hander was on 16 – it would prove costly.
Clarke reached his fifty with a six off Ashton Agar but then perished two balls later, having also hit five fours.
Moores also brought up his half-century with a six and continued to push hard, hitting Jeetan Patel for two more maximums from successive deliveries.
A well-judged boundary catch by Rhodes eventually saw the back of Moores, who plundered six sixes in total, but Dan Christian and Imad Wasim took the total beyond 180.
Carter fired a delivery through the defences of Pollock in just the second over and the chase floundered from an early stage.
Only 37 runs came from the powerplay overs as the Bears fell alarmingly behind the run rate. Imad, playing his 150th match in this format, picked up two for 21.
Sam Hain made 29 and Rhodes hit 27 but the end came quickly, with the final five wickets falling in 3.4 overs.
