TWENTY20 CUP NORTH DIVISION, Trent Bridge:
Lancashire 175-1 beat Nottinghamshire 173-7 by nine wickets. Lancashire 2pts, Nottinghamshire 0pts.

VVS Laxman and Steven Croft shared a record unbroken stand of 162

An unbeaten new county record Twenty20 Cup stand of 162 between Steven Croft and VVS Laxman set up Lancashire's nine-wicket win over Nottinghamshire.

Croft thrashed 83 from 47 deliveries while Laxman finished unbeaten on 78 off 53 balls as Lancashire eased to victory at Trent Bridge on 175-1.

It completed a fine all-round game for Croft, who had earlier picked up 2-35 and a catch in Notts' 173-7.

But Croft and Laxman made mincemeat of it, winning with two overs to spare.

Both batsmen hit their highest score in this form of cricket as, after the frustration of Friday's wash-out at the Riverside, Lancashire finished in style to run up their eighth win in 10 group games.

Croft had never previously made it to 50 and Laxman hit his second successive half-century for the county.

It was remarkably only Laxman's 14th game of Twenty20 cricket.

After being dropped by the Deccan Chargers earlier this year, he only played five games in the IPL. And he did not play at all in his previous stint with Lancashire two years ago as he did not arrive until late on in the season after the Twenty 20 had been and gone.

But, after a cheap dismissal against Leicestershire on his T20 debut at Aigburth, he has now found his feet.

Together with Croft, their unbroken 162 partnership surpassed the 160 put on for the second wicket by Mal Loye and Brad Hodge against Durham at Old Trafford four years ago.

But it was still well short of Twenty20 cricket's highest-ever partnership, the 186-run stand compiled by Justin Langer and Cameron White for Somerset against Gloucestershire at Taunton in 2006.

Ironically, runaway North Division winners Lancashire, who had long since booked a home quarter-final, now get to meet Somerset in the last eight at Old Trafford in the final week of July.

The spectacular efforts of Croft and Laxman all meant that David Hussey's explosive 55 from 32 balls was in vain for the hosts, who miss out on third place in the North Division.

The Australian international combined with Kevin O'Brien to add 53 for the sixth wicket in five overs, as Notts recorded their highest score in the competition this season.

Notts seamer Darren Pattinson then struck in the third over when Paul Horton miscued to give O'Brien a simple catch at short fine leg.

But that was as good as it got for the hosts, who play host to Lancashire again on Tuesday in the County Championship, as Croft and Laxman made hay.

Croft rode his luck as several ugly slogs narrowly avoided fielders. And he could also have been run out on 61 but for an unusually wayward throw from Hussey at cover.

But the 24-year-old Blackpool boy was still there to launch Paul Franks for a straight six and an edge to the third-man boundary to finish the game.

Steven Croft told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"We found it tough getting back into it again after the break but we've got some good momentum going again.

"It was a competitive target to chase but, with our batting liner-up, you always stay positive.

"I like batting here. I've got runs here at Trent Bridge before. And you always learn when you bat with a class player.

"It was nice batting with Laxman. It helps to listen to him and it was a pleasure to watch him from the other end."

Mick Newell told BBC Radio Nottingham:

"Had we won we would have got that third position in the group which would have been a tremendous achievement given where we were seven days ago.

"We've had a lot of fun, it's been great weather all week, big crowds, I think people have enjoyed it and I think that's the whole purpose of Twenty20 cricket.

"The problem is it's becoming financially more important which makes it a competition you have to take more and more seriously."

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