George Munsey was the Notts Outlaws hero as they booked their place in the Metro Bank One Day Cup quarter-finals by beating Surrey by six wickets at the Kia Oval.
Scottish international Munsey scored a match-winning 138 from 132 balls in what, in effect, was an eliminator for both sides in their last Group A fixture.
Surrey earlier posted 298 for eight with Ryan Patel, who made a superb 102 from 98 balls, and Dom Sibley (84) putting on 175 for the first wicket.
But Munsey, a powerful 33-year-old left-hander who has made 167 white-ball appearances for Scotland, hit four sixes and 11 fours and was joined in decisive stands of 109 in 18 overs by Haseeb Hameed (51) and 119 in 14 by Kyle Verreynne (57 not out).
Victory, clinching Notts third place in the group and an away play-off against Yorkshire on Friday, came at 299 for four and with 13 balls to spare.
Fast bowler Dillon Pennington was another of the Outlaws’ star performers with four for 54 from ten overs.
It was Pennington’s dismissal of Patel – caught at deep mid wicket – which also ultimately became the contest’s turning point after he and Sibley had eclipsed Mark Butcher and Ian Ward’s 112 in 2001 as Surrey’s previous best List A opening partnership against Notts.
Munsey punctuated a brilliantly-paced knock with a stream of big shots, including an early reverse-swept six off Tommy Ealham and a later six clubbed over mid wicket against Dan Worrall.
Worrall had initially raised Surrey hopes by having Ben Martindale caught behind for six in an outstanding new-ball spell of 6-0-13-1, and Notts were 58 for two when off spinner Ealham saw Freddie McCann (27) mishit a reverse sweep to Josh Blake at short third man.
But Munsey, Hameed – who lofted Ollie Sykes straight for six – and Verreynne were more than equal to an asking rate which crept up to above seven an over at halfway.
Surrey’s total was a challenging one, but should have been even bigger. At 175 for none, in the 30th over, they were in position to reach around 350 but Patel’s dismissal suddenly halted their momentum.
Jason Roy, playing his first domestic List A game since 2019, was bowled third ball by McCann’s off spin and Rory Burns hit Pennington straight to long leg as Surrey lost three wickets in as many overs.
And 179 for three became 207 for four when Sibley was held in the deep off Farhan Ahmed after anchoring the innings so well.
Adam Thomas and Sykes added 52 in nine overs, with left-hander Sykes launching legside sixes off both Farhan and Lyndon James before, on 26, skying to mid wicket in the 46th over.
Blake and Rahul Chahar went for five and nought and it took Thomas’ 43 from 44 balls and a couple of late blows from James Taylor to haul Surrey close to 300. Eight wickets had fallen, though, for only 123 runs in the last 20 overs.
