Match Result: Nottinghamshire won by 49 runs in rain-affected match restricted to 24 overs.
Nottinghamshire 170-4 elevated by D/L method to 193 (24 overs). Durham 144 all out (21.2 overs)
For full scorecard click here
Durham’s defence of their Royal London One-Day Cup came to an end 11 months after they lifted the trophy in a glorious Lord’s final.
Set 194 runs to win in a badly rain-affected match at Trent Bridge, Mark Stoneman’s side went down by 49 runs as they collapsed from 121-3 to 144 all out.
Nottinghamshire deservedly go through to the last four, where they will face either Surrey or Kent away from home.
The hosts were worthy winners after scoring 170-4 in their 24 hours, with Durham given the target of 194 to win via the Duckworth/Lewis method.
At the halfway stage it looked very much on as openers Stoneman and Phil Mustard put on 63 for the first wicket. Graham Clark and Calum MacLeod’s 61-run fourth wicket partnership also encouraged the belief that it could be Durham’s day but once the former was out, the contest ended in double quick time.
Stoneman told www.durhamccc.co.uk “I felt the target was one we could reach, eight runs an over, but all credit to Notts for playing the best cricket and they deserve to go through. We lost wickets at vital times and we are very disappointed to have gone down the way we have.”
Durham skipper Stoneman won the toss and unsurprisingly he chose to field.
Play started on time at 2pm with spots of rain already falling and opening bowler Graham Onions began with five dot balls before Riki Wessels produced a lovely drive for four.
Alex Hales smashed two fours off Chris Rushworth’s first over, but the Durham bowler responded well in his next over as only a single came off it.
Nottinghamshire moved to 22-0 off five overs, then off Rushworth’s third over Hales against punished him with two boundaries.
Hales played and missed on a couple of occasions, but the England one-day opener showed his class with a number of meaty blows.
Nottinghamshire scored 48-0 off the first ten overs from Rushworth and Onions as the rain began to become more persistent.
John Hastings replaced Rushworth at the pavilion end and the big Australian hit the right line and length immediately. He quickly got his reward as Wessels scooped a mis-hit drive straight to Scott Borthwick mid on as Durham celebrated their first success at 55-1.
Dan Christian came out at No3 and hit a bludgeoning four in his first over from Onions. Onions was hit for nine runs in his next over before Hales smashed a huge six over mid-wicket off Borthwick’s third ball.
Hastings bowled two balls of the 18th over before the rain started to come down in rods and umpires Jeremy Lloyds and Neil Mallender understandably took the players off the pitch at 3.10pm with Notts 94-1 after 17.2 overs.
The players then had a near-five hour wait to get back onto the pitch as the heavens opened over Nottingham.
Eventually, and after numerous pitch inspections, the umpires announced play could start at 8pm, the match reduced to a 24-overs per side contest.
Hastings needed to complete his over, as Hales took a single off his first ball. Christian got a thick edge off the last ball of Hastings’ over, which flew over keeper Phil Mustard to the boundary.
Hales hit an enormous six off Paul Collingwood’s second ball into the final tier of the new Bridgeford Road stand, but the slower ball next up tricked the Notts batsmen, who lofted a shot straight to Ryan Pringle at mid-wicket.
Aussie Christian followed suit with Borthwick’s fifth ball, lifting him into the stands back over the bowler’s head.
Christian then whacked Collingwood over long on for another massive six as the Nottinghamshire big hitters continued to find the middle of the bat.
James Taylor found Borthwick’s bowling very much to his liking as he found the long on boundary with a perfectly timed shot, then followed up that six with another next ball into the pavilion. Taylor made it three sixes in a row, landing another huge shot into the pavilion. A total of 21 runs came off Borthwick’s third over as Notts reached 154-2 off just 22 overs.
Rushworth came back into the attack for the penultimate over and kept Taylor down to a single, before Christian nearly chopped onto his stumps. Taylor then sliced Rushworth for four off a no ball, but then missed the free hit.
Collingwood came back to bowl the last over and Taylor began it by mis-cueing to Onions at point, going down for 29 runs off only 15 balls – an electric performance by the Notts skipper.
Collingwood employed all his wily experience in the final over to concede only five runs, with Samit Patel out to the last ball, caught in the deep by Rushworth. Notts’ score was 170-4, which was then elevated by the Duckworth-Lewis method to a daunting target of 194 to win off 24 overs.
Harry Gurney’s first ball was way down the leg side and was called a wide, before both Stoneman and Mustard hit sweetly timed fours, leaving Durham 12-0 off the first over, comfortably above the 8.08 runs per over required rate.
Brett Hutton’s first delivery was a juicy half volley which Stoneman gleefully launched to the extra cover boundary. The Durham skipper was then dropped by Patel in the covers off Hutton’s fifth ball and made the hosts pay by blasting the final delivery of the over to point for four.
Gurney’s second over was fast and accurate as Mustard managed only a single off the last ball, but the Durham openers, courtesy of two boundaries off Jake Ball’s first over, were keeping up with the required rate, reaching 33-0 off four overs.
Mustard thumped Gurney twice to the boundary then Stoneman was dropped again in the deep as Hales spilled a tough chance. Next ball Stoneman mis-hit an attempted drive straight to Hutton off Christian and the opening partnership was ended.
Mustard went with the score also on 63, caught by Wessels on the long on boundary off Steven Mullaney. Collingwood then went first ball, driving Mullaney back to the bowler as 63-0 became 64-3.
Calum MacLeod enjoyed a streaky four through the vacant slips but his next ball he timed it perfectly to reach the third man boundary.
Clark took 11 balls to muster four runs, but he then hit a couple of terrific sixes over long on and square leg. Clark and MacLeod put on 61 for the fourth wicket in only 7.5 overs before the former drove Patel to James Taylor at cover for 28. It was a wicket which triggered a swift demise for the visitors.
With seven overs left Durham needed exactly 63 runs, but Patel’s next over was supremely tight and eventually MacLeod pulled to Hales just behind square, who took a wonderful diving catch.
Gordon Muchall went for a big shot over cover and was caught by Patel off Mullaney as Durham’s innings continued to subside.
Ryan Pringle was next to go, caught at deep square leg by Hales off Patel, making it 136-7 and very quickly it became 140-8 as Hastings launched Patel, but only as far as Christian at the long on boundary.
Borthwick was bowled by Ball and the game was up, as Notts celebrated their victory by a 49-run margin.