Moores shows form and could be Notts’ for keeps!

final over after the partnership was broken with the final ball of the penultimate over.

However, Caribbean wonderkid Hayley Matthews wasn’t having any of that, bowling the death over she picked up the final two wickets to see the visitors home by five runs in by far the best game of the competition to date. What next?

Friday: Loughborough v Western @ Loughborough University 4:30pm; Lancs v Southern @ Blackpool Cricket Club 2:30pm,

Sunday: Western v Surrey @ Bristol County Ground 2:30pm,

Monday: Southern v Yorkshire @ Rose Bowl Nursery Ground 2:00pm,

Tuesday: Surrey v Lancs @ Guildford Cricket Club 2:30pm.

Due to the nature of the draw where each team plays only the five games, margins for error are slight. In turn, for Surrey and Yorkshire their fixture on Thursday night at The Oval becomes vital – whoever loses will be on the cusp of elimination. Indeed, by the time this week’s matches have been run, the regular season will be two-thirds complete.

Then, five games on the following weekend will determine the final three travelling to Essex for Finals Day on August 21 where second and third will play an eliminator in the afternoon to earn the right to play the top seed under lights. TOM Moores is to be offered a new contract by Nottinghamshire.

England U19 wicket-keeper Moores is currently only on an academy contract. He is impressing on loan at Lancashire and Notts’ director of cricket Mick Newell expects him to be attracting interest from elsewhere, saying:“We made the decision to give him the chance of first team cricket.

“I guess you could say he’s putting himself in the shop window, but it was too good of a chance for us to turn down.We want him to stay and he knows that. There will be a full contract offer on the table for him.

“We’ve been impressed by how he’s kept wicket, but we always felt he would score runs for Lancashire. He’s done very well and we think a lot of him.”