Welbeck base puts Notts in '˜good shape'

The Outlaws have been using the cricket facilities at the John Fretwell Sporting Complex to freshen their bodies - and minds - ahead of Friday’s opener against Yorkshire Vikings.

Notts go into the eagerly-anticipated match full of confidence following their dramatic four-wicket win over Surrey at Lord’s on Saturday to lift the 2017 Royal London One-Day Cup.

And, after celebrating their success, Moores and his squad have been north of the county as focus quickly shifts to the NatWest T20 Blast, with Notts keen to maintain their white ball momentum.

Moores said: “We’re in good shape as a team. We’re confident because we’ve come off the back of winning a trophy. It’s just about re-setting a little bit.

“We’ve had a couple of days to celebrate, a couple of days to relax and now we’ve got to get right back into it because it’s the middle of the season and we’ve got loads of cricket to play.”

Around 3,500 Outlaws fans made the journey to The Home of Cricket to watch Notts lift the trophy and Moores said the support north of the county is strong.

“You can tell when we come and play the one-dayers here - the support is great,” he said.

“There was a special moment [on Saturday] when the players went over to where the bulk of the fans were and walked round the ground.

“That photo is the sort of one that players love to have on their walls - that’s what they do it for.”

Notts are no strangers to playing at the Welbeck Cricket Club ground and chased down 218 to beat Leicestershire by six wickets earlier in their Royal London One-Day Cup journey.

“We’ve loved coming here,” said Moores. “The games we played in the Royal London seem a long time ago now but it’s a great wicket which makes for exciting cricket.

“You can play your shots on it but you can also bowl people out so it’s been good practice today [Tuesday]. We’ve had a little shower but we’ll go back out there and get ourselves ready for Friday.”

Notts start their T20 campaign with back-to-back away fixtures, facing Vikings on Friday and Birmingham Bears on Saturday, and Moores says they’re used to life on the road.

He said: “The Lord’s win gives us momentum and confidence. The way we went about it was, in some ways, the hard way.

“We played three away games to finish; we were away in the quarters at Somerset, away in the semi at Essex and then both teams are away in the final. We lost the toss but won all three.

“It’s a great confidence booster for the lads; knowing that they can go away from home and perform as well as at home, which I think is important.

“We go into this tournament confident we can play some good cricket and knowing we’ll have to be focused, and keep our wits about us, because we’ve got some good sides to play, especially early on.”