WORCESTERSHIRE Rapids' turbulent T20 Vitality Blast season came to a close with a five wicket defeat to Notts Outlaws at New Road.
The Rapids finished the competition bottom of the North Group table with just two wins from their 14 matches.
Colin Munro, Moeen Ali, Kashif Ali and top scorer Ed Barnard all made decent contributions but no one was able to produce a decisive knock for the hosts as they totalled 159-8 from their 20 overs.
Outlaws' Jake Ball recorded figures of 4-21 with the ball before an unbeaten half century from Ben Duckett saw the away side claim victory with just eight balls to spare.
The game was dubbed as the charity game of the competition, as Worcestershire wore match shirts emblazoned with the club's charity sponsor logo on the front, Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust.
The Rapids were put in to bat and former Nottinghamshire batter, Jake Libby (6), departed after nicking a delivery from Ball.
Munro, in the final innings of his third spell at New Road, looked in good touch and struck Lyndon James for 4-6-4 and also lofted Steven Mullaney over the long-on boundary.
Ball returned to strike twice with Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira (5), finding mid-off and Munro, having made 27 off 14 balls, bowled behind his legs attempting a sweep.
Ball had figures of 3-5 after his opening two overs as the Rapids reached 41-3 by the end of the powerplay.
Rapids captain Moeen Ali looked in good form in adding 49 in partnership with the in-form Kashif Ali.
Moeen on 28 picked out long-on off Sol Budinger, Kashif (23) hit the same bowler to cover, and Gareth Roderick (2) played back to Samit Patel and was bowled before Barnard provided some late momentum with 38 off 28 balls.
He hit James for two fours and a six in the penultimate over from James before being caught at long-on, and then Dwayne Bravo became Ball’s fourth victim at deep mid wicket.
The Rapids quickly made an impression with the ball in picking up three wickets in the powerplay, with Stanley again showing his ability to take early wickets.
Joe Clarke sliced the first delivery from Stanley straight into the hands of third man, and Budinger, after making 24 off 12 balls, lofted the young pace bowler straight to deep mid-wicket.
Alex Hales smashed successive sixes over the mid-wicket boundary but then tried to steer Dillon Pennington to third man and was caught behind.
The Outlaws were 68-4 when Steven Mullaney was beaten in the flight and lbw to Bravo.
Duckett and James added 52 before the latter tried to hit D’Oliveira over long-on and had to depart thanks to the combined efforts of Libby and Barnard on the boundary.
But Duckett played sensibly to complete a 39-ball fifty and ended unbeaten on 62.
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