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Steelbacks come up short again as Notts Outlaws ease to six-wicket victory Northants Steelbacks suffered a fourth defeat in six matches to remain second bottom in Group A of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, going down by six wickets to Notts Outlaws on Friday. After back-to-back away defeats, the Outlaws revived their bid to reach the knock-out stage, while Northants’ chances of a top three finish are all but over. To ease pressure on the heavily-used square at Trent Bridge, Notts ‘borrowed’ the Queen’s Park ground from neighbours Derbyshire for this fixture and it proved a lucky move. Freddie McCann made a List A career-best 91, Haseeb Hameed 51 and Lyndon James 45 not out as Notts overhauled the Steelbacks’ 259 for eight with 20 balls to spare. The result takes the Outlaws to 16 points with two matches left but leaves the Steelbacks, for whom George Bartlett made 55, Luke Procter 53 and Nathan McSweeney 49, on a meagre return of eight from six matches. As the visitors opted to bat first, Procter reeled off a string of early boundaries before Gus Miller nicked behind. Sam King, making his Steelbacks debut against his former county, off-drove James Hayes handsomely for four but was soon leg before to James. McSweeney took four boundaries in an over as Hayes struggled with his line and Procter hammered Farhan Ahmed for six towards the pavilion at the densely tree-lined ground. But the off-spinner had revenge as the veteran opener was leg before attempting a reverse sweep. He and McSweeney added 74, giving Northants a platform at 127 for three from 25 overs. Their progress was checked when McSweeney lost his middle stump to Ben Martindale’s medium pace and Stuart van der Merwe’s, swinging ambitiously at McCann’s off spin, surrendered an easy stumping. But Bartlett, who reached his 50 from 49 balls when he cleared the legside boundary off James, added another 70 in a dozen overs with Rob Keogh (33) before both picked out McCann at long-off. Martindale held a fine boundary catch to remove Lewis McManus as Hayes and Farhan Ahmed finished with two wickets each. Needing just over five an over, the Outlaws raced to 62 for two from 10. A confident Martindale struck three boundaries in a row off Raphy Weatherall but was caught behind reaching for one from Liam Guthrie, the left-arm quick, who bowled Tayyab Tahir and had Haseeb Hameed dropped at slip on nought. McCann, already imposing himself, cut and drove profitably, going to fifty in as many balls. Northants looked to their spinners to get a grip but the left-hander reverse-swept Yuzi Chahal for six and took four off Keogh with the same shot. At 143 for two from 25, the job was more than half done. Hameed made the Steelbacks pay heavily for the drop, reaching 50 from 70 balls but had added only a single before spooning Chahal to midwicket, the third wicket having put on 101. McCann passed his previous best of 70 in List A cricket and moved into the 90s with his 11th four but could make no further progress, undone leg before attempting another reverse as Chahal grabbed his second. Yet the fifth-wicket pair of James and Kyle Verreynne were on the front foot throughout in adding 69 in 69 balls, James hitting the winning boundary. The Steelbacks are back in action on Sunday when they host Somerset at the cinch County Ground (start 11am).