Career best bowling figures from Luke Fletcher and disciplined batting helped secure back-to-back wins for Notts Outlaws at the start of their Royal London one-Day campaign.

Fletcher took five for 56 as Derbyshire Falcons made 297 for eight, after winning the toss and opting to bat first on their home ground. Their captain, Billy Godleman, made 116 and added 153 for the first wicket with Luis Reece, who scored 88.

For 30-year old Fletcher, who spent a brief loan period with Derbyshire in 2016, it was a memorable return to the Pattonair County Ground as he hit the stumps on four occasions, including three times in the final over of the Falcons' innings.

Notts reached their victory target with 4.5 overs to spare, closing on 299 for four to win by six wickets. Unbeaten at the end were Steven Mullaney and Tom Moores after adding 126 together, a county fifth wicket record against Derbyshire.

Mullaney made 64 from 47 balls and his younger partner finished on 52 not out, from 46 deliveries. Ben Slater had laid the platform for their assault by scoring 83.

At the start of the day, Godleman and Reece had things pretty much their own way for the first hour of the contest, putting on 46 in the powerplay overs and then accelerating towards their individual fifties.

Reece brought his up from 52 balls and his opening partner required 34 more to reach the landmark.

Mullaney rotated his six-man attack, which included Matt Carter, in for Zak Chappell in the only change from the team that defeated Lancashire on Good Friday.

At the start of the 31st over, Notts made the important initial breakthrough as Reece tried to slog-sweep Mullaney and ballooned the ball off a top-edge to Fletcher at short fine leg.

Wayne Madsen made 38 in good time before mistiming Jake Ball into the safe hands of Ben Duckett.

Ball, two for 55, followed up his first success by bowling Matt Critchley off a bottom edge.

Godleman advanced to his fourth one-day hundred for the Falcons; getting there from 131 balls with seven fours and a six. The tall left-hander eventually departed as Fletcher’s second victim, caught behind when attempting a hook.

Fletcher had earlier bowled Leus du Plooy and rounded off a fine personal performance by hitting the stumps three times in the final over, as Tom Lace, Harvey Hosein and Logan van Beek failed to take Derbyshire to 300.

Slater and Joe Clarke had put on 197 for the first wicket in the win over Lancashire and again made it safely through the opening 10 overs together, adding 70.

Clarke was starting to look like he was in the mood to deliver another stunning performance, but was undone by an unlikely source.

Alfie Gleadall, an 18-year old playing his first Royal London match, enticed Clarke to pull into the hands of Reece for 37 with only his second ball.

74 without loss became 79 for two when Ben Duckett was given out lbw against Reece’s left-arm medium-pace.

Slater brought up his 50 from 62 balls with seven fours and was moving towards his first Outlaws’ one-day hundred when he lofted Gleadall to cover after a stand of 93 with Jake Libby.

Libby, playing his maiden one-day innings for Notts, had reached 41 but fell in the same over, to give Gleadall figures of three for 43.

Requiring a further 125 at that stage, Derbyshire were very much in the contest, but Mullaney and Moores soon snatched it away from them.

Mullaney played a gem of a captain’s innings, passing 50 from only 39 deliveries before applauding his partner soon afterwards. Between them they clubbed eight brutal sixes to close out the contest without any alarms.

The win was Notts’ eighth consecutive victory over their near-neighbours and lifts them alongside Durham as the only two sides to win both their opening matches in the North Group.

Notts play again on Tuesday, when they face Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

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