Notts Outlaws fell short of a third win on the spin in the Metro Bank One Day Cup as, despite the bowlers’ best efforts with the ball, Glamorgan pulled away with an eight-wicket victory in Neath.
Club captain Haseeb Hameed’s 89 was the highlight of a team performance with the bat, with Freddie McCann’s List A best of 48, Tom Moores’ 37 and Liam Patterson-White’s 36 culminating the other key contributions, but Eddie Byrom and Colin Ingram stole the show for the home side with a classy ton apiece to guide the Welsh outfit to victory.
Notts made one change to the side which clinched victory over Yorkshire Vikings at Welbeck, with Tom Loten entering the bowling line-up in place of the rested Luke Fletcher.
The hosts won the toss on a warm and humid morning in Neath, putting Notts into bat as Glamorgan looked to make use of the slightly moist conditions. Their decision paid dividends early on as Slater was caught by Bevan at second slip before Jack Haynes feathered behind into the gloves of Smale to hand Jamie McIlory two early scalps whilst the visitors were getting to grips with the surface.
Freddie McCann provided a steely response with four consecutive boundaries off Timm van der Gugten to end a 23-ball baron run for the Outlaws, while McIlroy continued to pile on the pressure with three consecutive maiden overs.
McCann pushed on alongside skipper Haseeb Hameed, the pair building a crucial third-wicket partnership as Notts looked to wrestle back control of the contest, reaching 50 between them in the 18th over with Notts 55/2. A maximum followed by a one-bounce four for Hameed from consecutive deliveries boosted the Outlaws’ hopes of posting a more commanding score at half-way.
The youngster in his debut season looked on course for a maiden List A half-ton, but a hefty dose of misfortune saw him dismissed as the umpires adjudged Smale to take a catch off McCann’s bottom edge, with the wicketkeeper successfully claiming for a bounce off the opener’s boot.
Montgomery then added nine from 17 balls, but Smale continued to enjoy some success behind the stumps as Douthwaite found an outside edge of the all-rounder with Notts 117 up.
Hameed continued to wear the captain’s responsibility on his sleeve, clinching his seventh List A fifty on his 63rd ball faced, cutting Kellaway to the rope at backward point with the slight helping hand of a misfield on the boundary.
Batting partner Tom Moores showed plenty of will to move the visitors’ score along, too, clubbing Kellaway beyond the ropes on just his fourth ball at the crease before driving Douthwaite to the boundary twice in the following over.
Moores was able to carve our five fours and two maximums in his 28-ball appearance at the crease, mustering a rapid 37 before finally being caught at mid-wicket, Liam Patterson-White then entering the frame.
The skipper, meanwhile, was edging closer to a second ton of the One Day Cup campaign, but fell 11 runs short when he was caught at long-on to end a true captain’s knock, before James was caught behind shortly after while attempting a spectacular ramp shot.
Brett Hutton then added 13 in a short cameo before he could be caught by Gorvin, as Tom Loten and Toby Pettman paired up to put another 16 on the scoreboard as Notts set their hosts 275 to win.
Glamorgan openers Eddie Byrom and Will Smale enjoyed a fast start, reaching 27 without loss after five overs as they looked to set up an enticing contest - the latter should have then departed for 11 when he top-edged Hutton high into the air, but Hameed couldn’t hold the catch as he scampered in from the edge of the powerplay circle.
Byrom tallied his fifty in little time, Glamorgan 100-up at the beginning of the 16th over as they moved at a canter, but Smale was finally dismissed when he sent Liam Patterson-White to Lyndon James at mid-off.
James then chipped in with a wicket of his own in the over that followed, feathered through to the gloves of Moores by Carlson with Glamorgan 108/2.
Those two quickfire wickets provided some hope of a turnaround for the Outlaws, but Byrom used a helping hand from the incoming Colin Ingram to put the home side back on course, the latter not settling for a supporting role as he secured Glamorgan’s second half-century of the afternoon.
But Byrom was indeed the star of the second half of the contest, reverse-sweeping two maximums in an over before being made to wait a further handful of overs for a deserved ton in front of home supporters.
Notts refused to give up hope on a late change in fortunes, Hameed very nearly running out Byrom with a smart reactive piece of fielding to throw down onto the stumps, the centurion marginally safe.
With ten overs remaining, the hosts had successfully navigated several challenging spells and pulled away beyond the required run rate, and Ingram secured a century of his own with the final run required as Glamorgan clinched victory in the 46th over, Notts condemned to their second defeat of the 50-over campaign.
The Outlaws will look to return to winning ways on Sunday 4 August, when they face Surrey at Guildford in an 11am start, before they return home on Friday 9 and Sunday 11 August for back-to-back Trent Bridge contests against Gloucestershire and Essex, the latter featuring as a Family Fun Day.
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