RICHARD Bates, best known as a slow strangler with his off-spin in limited-overs cricket, revealed a more positive ability with some brisk and determined batting against a Derbyshire attack struggling to cope with a sodden ball in the final stages of an AXA Life League game which would have benefited from flood-lighting throughout.

The odds seemed to have shifted Derbyshire's way when Nottinghamshire slumped from 110 for two to 116 for six in four overs but Paul Strang, on his debut, imposed some discipline at one end and Bates some muscular enterprise with 24 runs off 23 balls at the other to carry Notts past the victory target of 177 for a two-wicket victory with two balls to spare.

While Kim Barnett, who ended with best figures of four for 25 in 40-over competition, was operating with what he calls his ``geriatric dob'', Notts found runs desperately difficult to come by.

Barnett's deliberate lack of pace utterly bamboozled Notts but when Dominic Cork returned for a final two overs, Notts' run rate leapt forward conclusively, Bates hoisting a full toss (and no-ball) over long leg to collect eight runs in a first over which yielded a dozen and cracking him for four to long-off in a second which cost 10 more.

Derbyshire's innings began shakily, with four wickets gone and only 42 runs on the board, before Ian Blackwell confirmed the promise shown in his half-century in the championship game just finished with an impressive 89 off 80 balls, including three sixes.