Lancashire became the second side to be guaranteed a quarter-final place after completing victory before the floodlit games at Hove and Derby had concluded. Although they reached 81 for two after eight overs, Lou Vincent charging towards 56 from 36 balls, only 34 came from the next 43 balls as four men fell, Andrew Flintoff among them for nine.

But, continuing the pattern of the last 14 months, Flintoff proved a different prospect with the ball as the Outlaws failed to reach an eventual target of 156. The turning point came when, with 79 needed from the last ten overs and eight wickets in hand, Chris Cairns was run out as non-striker for 21. In his first bowl in anger since May 9, Flintoff enjoyed another fine Old Trafford pitch of high pace and bounce to claim the wicket of Adam Voges, cutting to the wicketkeeper, with the final ball of the reply's opening over. But the target looked below par and the Outlaws added 31 in the next five overs until Samit Patel was well held by Stuart Law, backtracking from deep mid-off.

Chris Cairns, hammering two sixes in his bravura innings from 16 balls, and was apparently winning the match when a ferocious straight drive by Will Jefferson off Stephen Croft's first ball was deflected by the bowler into the stumps with Cairns out of his ground, backing up.

It proved crucial. In the next 24 balls, Chris Read and Jefferson, for 35, also fell, the latter inexplicably trying to steal a bye to the wicketkeeper when Bilal Shafayat, slashing, made no contact with the first ball of Flintoff's second, one-over spell. Next over, Shafayat sliced Simon Marshall to Flintoff himself at deep cover and, with 44 needed from the last 24 balls, the game was up for the Outlaws, who declined in their headlong but vain pursuit.

Mal Loye and Law had fallen in Darren Pattinson's first 13 balls, but with Vincent, who made an unbeaten 102 from 63 balls in his previous innings, going so well the momentum seemed unstoppable until the veteran, Mark Ealham, and the two left-arm spinners stepped in.

With the New Zealander crucially losing the strike, Francois Du Plessis, not profiting from escapes on one and 16, was quite outstandingly caught by the leaping Voges at mid-on for 19 and Flintoff came and went in seven balls. Tantalisingly, the fifth of these, from Patel, was beautifully driven over extra cover for six, but the false dawn was confirmed when an ugly swipe saw him top-edge Ealham, who returned three for 21, to point.

Flintoff has now failed to post any score above 34 in 23 innings in all competitive cricket since early May, 2007 and when Vincent, sweeping, was leg-before to Patel and Stephen Croft played on to the same bowler, it was left to the late order to scramble the 40 runs from the final five overs that, in the end, put the match out of reach.

Scoreboard

Lancashire v Nottinghamshire

Old Trafford (Nottinghamshire won toss): Lancashire (2pts) beat Nottinghamshire by 23 runs

Lancashire
L Vincent lbw b Patel 56
M B Loye b Pattinson 8
*S G Law c Voges b Pattinson 6
F du Plessis c Voges b Ealham 19
A Flintoff c Ferley b Ealham 9
S J Croft b Patel 3
G D Cross c Shafayat b Ealham 19
K W Hogg c Shreck b Adams 8
D G Cork not out 9
T C Smith not out 5
Extras (lb 13) 13
Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 155

S J Marshall did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-54, 3-95, 4-107, 5-108, 6-115, 7-132, 8-148.
Bowling: Shreck 2-0-26-0; Pattinson 3-0-16-2; Adams 3-0-27-1; Ferley 4-0-28-0; Ealham 4-0-21-3; Patel 4-0-24-2.

Nottinghamshire
W I Jefferson run out 35
A C Voges c Cross b Flintoff 10
S R Patel c Law b Hogg 14
C L Cairns run out 21
*C M W Read b Du Plessis 4
B M Shafayat c Flintoff b Marshall 10
M A Ealham b Cork 13
A R Adams b Du Plessis 5
D J Pattinson st Cross b Marshall 4
R S Ferley run out 1
C E Shreck not out 2
Extras (b 4, lb 6, w 3) 13
Total (19.1 overs) 132

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-42, 3-77, 4-85, 5-100, 6-110, 7-117, 8-126, 9-128.
Bowling: Flintoff 4-0-27-1; Cork 4-0-22-1; Smith 1-0-11-0; Hogg 2-0-15-1; Marshall 3.1-0-20-2; Croft 2-0-11-0; Du Plessis 3-0-16-2.

Umpires: J W Lloyds and M J D Bodenham.