‘We want to go big and get a big score’ - centurion Ben Slater reflects on Nottinghamshire’s Royal London One-Day Cup win over Warwickshire

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Ben Slater of Nottingham batting during the Royal London One Day Cup match between Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston on April 23, 2019 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

The Outlaws maintained their 100 per cent start to their 50-over campaign with a rock solid 118-run North Group win over Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

After choosing to bat, they piled up 301-9 thanks mainly to Slater’s classy 100, which came from 115 balls and included 15 fours, including weathering a mini-storm when four down.

Slater said: “With our top four or five in the batting order, once we get in in this comp we want to go big and get a big score. In the last couple of games I’ve got a 70 and an 80 so it was nice to kick on and get a century, although then disappointing to get out straight away. But yes it’s nice to get three figures.”

The former Derbyshire batsman’s fifth List A century, and first for Notts, crucially held the innings together when it was wobbling at 98-4. It then underpinned a total which assumed imposing proportions after punchy contributions from Steve Mullaney (40, 43 balls) and then bowlers James Pattinson (33, 25), Luke Fletcher (32, 22) and Matt Carter (21, 14).

“The skipper came in and played really well for his 40 and that helped me through that spell and said let’s aim for about 270,” said Slater. “Then the guys coming in lower down managed to get us up to 300 and that was a good score on that wicket.

“We have started well and won the first three games and historically been good in this comp but we are not going to take anything for granted. We’ll just try and take every game as it comes and try to qualify for the quarter-finals.”

It was another pummelling for Warwickshire two days after they suffered their heaviest ever List A defeat, by 194 runs at Northampton, and in reply they were soon in dire straits again at 22-4.

There was no way back from there. Liam Banks (57, 60 balls) and Alex Thomson (55, 61 balls) offered the home fans a glimmer of light with maiden List A half-centuries but the Notts bowlers worked their way through the batting to leave the Bears 183 all out.