A remarkable innings from Samit Patel steered Notts Outlaws to victory over Northants Steelbacks and a place in the semi finals of the Royal London One-Day Cup.

Patel was unbeaten on 136 as his winning blow took the Outlaws to a one-wicket victory with three balls remaining at Wantage Road.

Set to chase a victory target of 326, Notts had seldom looked like getting close, with half the side having been dismissed for 116.

Patel and Tom Moores then set about rebuilding the innings, with a pulsating partnership of 111.

Moores made 69 from 55 balls, hitting four enormous sixes along the way.

His departure left Notts still needing 99 from 62 balls. Luke Fletcher and James Pattinson both plundered quickfire 15s but when Matt Carter fell at the end of the 49th over, 12 were still required.

Patel, whose last century for the club had been a year ago at Leicester, calmly hit the first three balls of Ben Sanderson’s final over for 6, 4, 4 to seal the win.

It was the 34-year old’s eighth one-day hundred – and one of his best – made from 111 balls, with 10 fours. He hit a further five fours and a six after passing three figures to steer his side through to the last four.

In the first half of the day the home side had made 325 for seven, after choosing to bat first with four of their top order all passing fifty.

Ricardo Vasconcelos made 74 and Rob Keogh made 71. They were backed up by 63 from Josh Cobb and 53 from skipper Alex Wakeley.

Patel took two for 51 and the rest of the wickets were shared between Jake Ball (2-54), Fletcher (2-73) and Pattinson (1-55).

Joe Clarke fell in just the second over, bowled by Sanderson for seven, as the Outlaws set off in pursuit of 326.

The seventh over left the innings in disarray at 39 for three, as Nathan Buck picked up wickets with consecutive deliveries.

Chris Nash had made just 15 before chipping to midwicket, then Ben Duckett fell first ball one day after making his England T20 debut at Cardiff.

Duckett, who had been off the field with a hand injury for much of the Steelbacks innings, was squared up by Buck and the ball flew high on the leg-side to Wakeley.

Alex Hales had arrived in the middle at the fall of the first wicket and had eased into his work, punishing width and driving crisply. The 30-year old looked untroubled in making 36 from 43 deliveries but then unluckily chopped on from the bowling of Luke Procter, after hitting six fours.

Steven Mullaney, who made 14, could also consider himself out of fortune as he witnessed Sanderson run back and take an excellent catch as it dropped over his shoulder.

Patel avoided trouble as he worked his way to a 61-ball half century, which contained five fours, but he then needed treatment after a collision with bowler Tom Sole.

Fully recovered, he masterminded the run chase to perfection, as Notts chased down 70 from seven overs and then 33 from the last three.

Earlier, Northants were indebted to two sizeable partnerships to get them over 300. Vasconcelos and Cobb put on 117 for the second wicket and Wakeley and Keogh added 96 for the fourth.

Fletcher sent down a testing early spell, which included the only maiden of the innings and the wicket of the dangerous Richard Levi, clean-bowled for nine.

Although the six-pronged Notts attack kept the run-rate within check, they had to wait until the 27th over before striking again, when Cobb hit Patel to Hales at long off.

The wicket was celebrated enthusiastically because the same bowler had seen both batsmen reprieved by dropped catches.

Vasconcelos took one risk too many, given out lbw by umpire Lloyds when attempting a reverse-sweep off Patel

Wakeley and Keogh both backed up some lusty hitting with purposeful running until both fell in the closing overs.

Hales pulled off a superb catch at deep midwicket, taking Wakeley low down off Pattinson, and then Keogh lofted Ball into the hands of Patel.

Ball and Fletcher picked up further wickets, with Hales taking his third catch of the innings to remove Charlie Thurston for 21.

325 looked to be a stiff target, but thanks to a dramatic run chase Notts got over the line and can look forward to a semi final at Trent Bridge. 

Match details and ticket information will be released in due course here at trentbridge.co.uk.

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