Trent Bridge has been a happy hunting ground for the Bears in recent seasons and proved so again for half of this game.
After racking up the highest total in English T20 cricket of 261-2 there in 2022, the West Midlands side skittled Nottinghamshire for 57 last summer as they topped the North Group for a third successive campaign.
Sam Hain hit 112 in that record score and was in the mood again, launching six sixes in an unbeaten 92 off 49 balls, supported by a rapid innings of 55 from Ed Barnard as the Bears again made hay, posting 226-5.
But the Outlaws responded in kind, racking up 88-0 from their powerplay, led by captain Joe Clarke who set the tone with 58 from 23 balls.
The reply looked to be faltering when the Notts skipper fell to Danny Brigg’s second ball and Lyndon James also perished to spin soon after as Jake Lintott struck.
However, experienced Aussie all-rounder Moises Henriques hit 34 on debut, while Jack Haynes took charge, smashing an unbeaten 89 from 41 balls to cap a superb chase and a seven-wicket win.
The biggest feast of runs on a night of big totals came at Headingley which served up a mammoth aggregate of 461 runs.
Northants skipper Willey (54) smashed six sixes in reaching 50 off just 20 balls, adding 85 runs for the third wicket with Justin Broad in just 35 balls.
Broad was three balls slower to his 50 on his way to a 32-ball 67 as the Steelbacks piled up 237-4 against Yorkshire – the highest total of the evening.
Yorkshire were soon in trouble at 9-3 as Willey (3-42) removed Dawid Malan and Will Luxton and then ran out Adam Lyth.
Rapid knocks of 58 from James Wharton and Will Sutherland kept the Vikings up with the rate but the lower order could not pull off an epic chase as they closed just 13 runs short.
Leicestershire brought their red-ball momentum into the T20 campaign as they saw off East Midlands rivals Derbyshire by five wickets at Leicester.
The County Championship Division Two leaders, led by Logan van Beek’s 3-37, reduced the Falcons to 51-5 before Martin Andersson’s unbeaten 70, from 46 balls, pulled the visitors to 170-6.
The total was soon put into context when Foxes opener Budinger plundered 28 runs from a single Pat Brown over to reach 50 in only 15 balls – just two slower than Marcus Trescothick’s record set in 2010.
Afghan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar picked up two wickets as the Falcons fought back, but an unbeaten 45 from Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood took the Foxes home with eight balls in hand.
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