THE prospect of spending the rest of the season clad in sack-cloth for a cheerless salvage operation was the spur for Nottinghamshire to fight back to a one-wicket victory over Somerset with three balls to spare.

With their championship and AXA League returns meagre and no joy in the Benson and Hedges Cup, this was Notts' last chance to take away the nasty taste of under-achievement with a one-day sweetie and they grasped it with relief after Chris Tolley's resourceful 77 had primed their first home victory in a limited-overs game against first-class opposition since last season.

Their only other one-day success, beneath the soaring splendours of the new œ7.25 million cricket centre, was against the Minor Counties in the Benson and Hedges Cup and the prospect of improving this record seemed slender when, in pursuit of a target of 256, they subsided to 103 for five in 33 overs with no recognised specialist batsman remaining.

As so often in the last couple of seasons, however, their lower order proved rather more durable and resourceful and with Tolley supervising a reviving stand of 68 in 16 overs with Paul Strang and a frantic, scampering partnership of 63 in eight with Paul Franks, the target was reeled within reach.

Jason Gallian provided the platform with 50 off 82 balls but Mushtaq Ahmed stifled progress with two for 23 from 12 overs before Tolley, missed on five at silly mid-off and on nine behind the wicket, exacted the full price to claim the man-of-the-match award.

A slice to mid-off dislodged him with two runs still needed and Chris Read was yorked without addition but Kevin Evans edged past slip to secure a victory. Earlier Somerset must have been confident as Richard Harden's 61 was providing the middle-innings thrust to what appeared a testing total on a slow pitch which forbade fluency.