• Ben Duckett hit a season-high 63 and Alex Hales his third half-century.
• Outlaws beat the Falcons to set a new record total of 227.
• Brooke Guest scored 40 unbeaten.

Ben Duckett hit a season-high 63 and Alex Hales his third half-century as the Outlaws had their best night of a disappointing season.

Zak Chappell (3 for 28), Samit Patel (3 for 32), and Steven Mullaney bowled the Falcons out for 153 on a good batting surface (2 for 17). Brooke Guest scored 40 unbeaten.

With two matches left, the Falcons are well-positioned to make their second Finals Day in four years.

The Outlaws punished the Falcons bowlers with 86 off the first six and never let up.

Hales set the tone with a brutal 55 off 22 deliveries, twice clearing the ropes and lofting a straight six off Mattie McKiernan to complete his half-century.

He was caught at long-on trying to repeat against Leicestershire, but he had support.

Duckett’s three boundaries off Wayne Madsen put the Outlaws at 124-2 at halftime. Mullaney’s 45 off 20 balls included four sixes off Scrimshaw. He tried another six.

Mark Watt (1 for 51) and Scrimshaw (2 for 62) took consolation wickets, but four boundaries by Tom Moores took the Outlaws past their previous record total of 227 in 2017.

While the Falcons were batting with the advantage, Chappell bowled Masood. Clarke and Mullaney nabbed Reece and McKiernan.

Hayden Kerr scored 24 runs in 11 balls, and Mullaney was there to catch them all. In the fifth over, with the score at 99, he bowled Madsen. Chappell was run out by a mid-off from Du Plooy.

Alex Hughes became Chappell’s third victim, Patel lbw’d Watt and Conners, and Guest and Scrimshaw skied 34 unbroken runs.