Notts Outlaws booked their first trip to Finals Day since last winning the competition in 2020 with a seven-run victory over Surrey in their Vitality Blast quarter-final at Trent Bridge

On a well worn pitch with little pace, Jack Haynes made an impressive unbeaten 75 from 54 balls as North Group winners Notts posted 163 for six after opting to bat first, which always felt like a good effort after they had laboured to 62 for two at the halfway point of their innings.

Surrey looked set to overhaul their target comfortably after Jason Roy (76 off 50 balls) and Laurie Evans (40 off 34) put on 101 in 12.1 overs for the first wicket but wobbled badly with the winning line in sight, Sri Lankan left-arm seamer Binura Fernando (2 for 27) taking two wickets in the penultimate over and Olly Stone (2 for 23), defending 12, another two in the last as the South Group runners-up fell short at 156 for seven.

Of Surrey’s bowlers, Chris Jordan took three for 22 after setting the tone with a wicket-maiden in the powerplay, a rarity matched by Reece Topley as Surrey’s bowlers made a strong start against an opponent they had met only twice before in the competition’s history – both times at Finals Day.

Surrey lost a semi-final in 2006 and were beaten in the final in 2020 but were quickly encouraged to think they could avenge those defeats as Topley dismissed Joe Clarke caught behind with his fourth ball and George Munsey edged Jordan’s fifth delivery to short third.

Haynes, on his way to a second half-century of the season, added 68 with left-arm spinner Joe Pocklington, sent in at four, who got away with a couple of mistimed steeplers but then found long-off for 26 off 23 balls.

Tom Moores was then caught at short third as Jordan took two in two, George Linde losing his off stump first ball.

At 122 for five in the 17th, the Outlaws looked in some peril but Haynes, Benny Howell and Liam Patterson-White combined to add 41 from the last 22 deliveries.

After Roy clobbered Patterson-White for six over long-on to pass the fifty mark from 40 balls, Surrey were well in control of the chase at 85-0 from 10, needing 79 more.

But the wheels came off after left-arm spinner Linde at last made a breakthrough as Evans hit straight to extra cover.

Linde, who took two for 23, then had Dan Lawrence caught at wide long-off and Roy was run out by a direct hit from sub fielder Freddie McCann, fielding at long-on to Josh Phillippe.

With 21 needed from the last two overs, Ollie Pope’s botched switch hit saw him caught behind off Binura, who then had Tom Curran caught at cover off a towering top edge, before the nerveless Stone got under a return catch to remove Jordan and had Ollie Sykes caught behind to spark celebrations for the home fans.