Delray Rawlins and Sussex Sharks crashed to a 65-run defeat by Notts Outlaws in their opening match of the Royal London Cup one-day tournament at Trent Bridge yesterday.

The Outlaws overcame a difficult start to post a challenging 290 for seven from their 50 overs, then reduced Sussex to 73 for five inside 20 overs to put the visiting side under the pump.

Despite Tom Alsop continuing his good recent form with 75 runs from 70 balls, Sussex were always behind the rate required to give Notts any significant concern.

It had all looked so differently when Haseeb Hameed, captaining Notts for the first time, won the toss and batted under overcast conditions as they quickly slipped to 38 for three inside 12 overs.

But first Matthew Montgomery (87) and then Liam Patterson-White (62 not out), with reasonable support from Lyndon James (37) and Brett Hutton (29), launched an effective counterpunch to give the home side more than a fighter’s chance.

Montgomery’s best for Nottinghamshire before this match was 35 on his debut in the competition last season, although he has a List A century for KwaZulu-Natal in his native South Africa. But here he four fours and a six off 94 balls after coming to the wicket with the team in trouble at 28 for two.

New-ball bowlers Ari Karvelas and Brad Currie exploited conditions superbly. Karvelas found a thin edge to have Ben Slater caught behind before Sol Budinger top-edged an attempted pull off Currie and was caught at deep square leg.

When Sean Hunt replaced Currie at the pavilion end, he struck the Outlaws a further blow as the ball looped off the shoulder of Hameed’s bat to point, where Rawlins held a low catch that was queried by the Outlaws captain but confirmed as out.

Montgomery and James added 79 in just under 15 overs before the latter’s mistimed pull was caught at short mid-wicket. But Montgomery pulled 18-year-old leg spinner Archie Lenham for six to go to 51 from 58 balls.

Wicketkeeper Dane Schadendorf was run out but the Outlaws now had momentum and with Patterson-White setting the pace, the last ten overs saw the total swell by 104 runs despite the loss of Montgomery early in the charge.

After playing largely orthodox shots to that point, Montgomery attempted a reverse pull as Currie returned to the attack and could only help the ball into the gloves of wicketkeeper Alsop.

His dismissal was a welcome fillip for the Sharks but the Outlaws hit back with a barrage of sixes, Hutton clubbing three in his 14-ball innings as he and Patterson-White added 53 from 29 balls for the sixth wicket.

Having done his damage with the bat, left-arm spinner Patterson-White then combined with Dane Paterson to dismiss acting captain Cheteshwar Pujara with a stunning catch at square leg, as Sussex were bowled out for 225 in 44 overs. Hutton played his part with the ball, taking three for 24.

Needing to score at just under six an over, the Sussex chase got off to a flyer as Harrison Ward hammered 18 off Zak Chappell’s opening over but he was dismissed leg-before by Paterson for 28 after Ali Orr had been pinned in front by Hutton in the over before, and the loss of Pujara in the ten looked like a mortal wound.

Tom Clark was then stumped and Rawlins fell leg-before to Chappell, at which point Sussex were 73 for five in the nineteenth over.

Alsop raised the Sharks hopes of finding a way back but after he and Danial Ibrahim (40) had added 86 for the sixth wicket, he was eventually dismissed for 75.

Ibrahim was seventh out, pulling to deep backward square, Karvelas picked out Chappell at mid-on and Fateh Singh, the 18-year-old left-arm spinner, finished things off with his maiden List A wickets as Hunt and Currie were both leg-before swinging across the line.

Sussex are next up on Friday at home to Gloucestershire.