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Colin Ackermann made 83 off 33 balls and Durham made their record T20 score as they returned to Vitality Blast action with a 49-run defeat of Nottinghamshire Outlaws at the Banks Homes Riverside.

On a run-stuffed evening in the North East, the home side made 231 for five and the visitors replied with 182 all out, Kasey Aldridge, who had only taken two T20 wickets previously, finishing with a career-best five for 29 from 2.4 overs. The win is Durham’s sixth in this year’s Blast and clearly strengthens their bid to qualify for the knockout stages.

The home openers, Alex Lees and Graham Clark, began uncompromisingly, by putting on 70 runs in six overs. They were particularly hard on Olly Stone, who was playing in his first match of the season after recovering from injury and conceded 27 runs in his first two overs.

Joe Clarke’s decision to use the spinners, Farhan Ahmed and Calvin Harrison, in tandem slowed the run rate, but it was Matthew Montgomery who took the first wicket on 83 when he had Clark caught on the cover boundary by Daniel Sams for a 27-ball 40

Nevertheless, Durham’s hundred came up in the eleventh over, and Lees reached a 34-ball fifty a few deliveries later. By now faced with a battery of slow bowlers that included Liam Patterson-White, Lees and his partner, Ackermann, sought to attack at every opportunity.

Stone was reintroduced and was whacked for three successive boundaries before gaining his revenge with the next ball when he had the Durham skipper caught by Harrison on the deep backwards square leg boundary for a 46-ball 77 that included eleven fours and one six.

The dangerous Jimmy Neesham was bowled by Harrison for three, and Ben McKinney was caught on the long-on boundary by Harrison off Montgomery for three. Nevertheless, Durham had been well placed on 154 for three after 1 overs, and despite the loss of three wickets for ten runs, they were able to pillage an astonishing 77 runs in the final four overs.

Those efforts were assisted by two no-ball beamers from Daniel Sams, which necessitated the Australian being withdrawn from the attack. And the wheels really came off the Nottinghamshire attack in the 19th over when Colin Ackermann smashed 32 runs of Montgomery, reaching a 25-ball fifty in the process.

The Durham batsman was eventually caught at deep midwicket by Sams off Harr, Iso,n but by then he had done the damage, hitting 83 off 33 balls with seven fours and six sixes, all those maximums being scored off the last 11 balls he received. Harrison escaped with the least punishment, taking two for 33, but every other visiting bowler conceded at least ten runs an over.

Nottinghamshire’s pursuit of their distant target began poorly when Freddie McCann was dismissed off the fourth ball of their innings, caught by Will Rhodes off Callum Parkinson for five, but the visitors were going well on 37 for one after 3.2 overs until Jack Haynes was brilliantly caught by Lees off Kasey Aldridge fr 1, the Durham skipper running back twenty yards from mid off to take the steepling chance.

But the fall of wickets could make no difference to the Outlaws’ approach. Lyndon James hit his first two balls for,o ur and Jimmy Neesham’s first over cost 19 runs. Nottinghamshire scored 76 runs in their powerplay, six more than their hosts, but their onslaught was halted by Nathan Sowter, who conceded five runs in his first six balls and had James caught at deep midwicket by McKinney for 30.

Clarke was the next to go, caught at short third man by Sowter for a 25-ball 41 when attempting to ramp Ne,esham and the visitors reached the midpoint of their innings on 112 for four, still needing 120 to win. That task seemed tougher still when Aldridge struck twice in four balls, bowling Moores for five and having Liam Patterson-White caught at long off by Rhodes for eight.

Parkinson conceded 19 runs off his next over as the Outlaws dispensed with any scrap of caution, but Sams was bowled by Sowter for nine. With seven overs remaining, 76 runs were still required, and that was reduced to 61 off six thanks to Montgomery taking 14 off three deliveries from Parkinson.

Aldridge took his fourth wicket when he had Harrison caught at a backwards point by Clark for seven, and Olly Stone was run out for nought next ball after a complete mix-up. Aldridge completed his career-best figures when he had Montgomery caught behind by Ollie Robinson for 41.