Despite a century by Jacques Rudolph, Glamorgan lost their unbeaten record in the Royal London One-Day Cup as an eighth wicket stand of 93 in 13 overs saw the Notts Outlaws to a three-wicket victory at the SWALEC Stadium.
Jim Allenby and Michael Hogan returned to the Glamorgan side in place of James Harris and Ben Wright, with Allenby opening with Jacques Rudolph after the Outlaws won the toss and opted to bowl. Rudolph began with a series of fluent off-drives, including one that went through the covers against Luke Fletcher for the day's first boundary. He then drilled Harry Gurney through mid-off before getting an inside-edge to another drive against the left-armer which sped away to fine-leg.
Rudolph also steered Fletcher through backward point for four before Allenby drove Gurney for four, However, Ajmal Shahzad then replaced Fletcher at the River End and he found the edge of Allenby's bat with Rikki Wessels at first slip completing the catch. Will Bragg joined Rudolph who then greeted the introduction of Samit Patel's spin by reverse-sweeping him for four, followed by an under-edge to long-leg as Glamorgan reached the 50-mark in the twelfth over.
Another sublime drive for four against Shahzad en route to a 57-ball fifty before Bragg swept Patel for four. The assault on Patel prompted his removal from the attack as Glamorgan old boy James Franklin entered the attack, and the change did the trick as with Glamorgan on 85, Bragg drove a ball to mid-off where Shahzad dived forward to complete the catch.
Bragg's departure saw Murray Goodwin join Rudolph and the Kiwi nearly struck again as Goodwin chipped a ball just out of the grasp of the fielder running in from deep square-leg. But next over, Franklin was not to be denied as he, going around the wicket to the veteran, he bowled Goodwin with the total on 99. Rudolph then off-drove Franklin to the ropes, but the New Zealander claimed his third wicket in his sixth over as Cooke miscued a pull to Wessels at mid-wicket.
115/4 then became 122/5 as David Lloyd edged Steven Mullaney into Chris Read's gloves as the Glamorgan innings stuttered yet again as Mark Wallace made his way to the middle in the 30
th over. The Glamorgan captain benefitted from a mis-field by Fletcher at third man as the first boundary for nine overs was recorded. With the powerplay being taken on 142/5, Fletcher and Shahzad returned to the attack as the visitors continued to keep Glamorgan in check with the sixth wicket pair scampering some swift singles until Wallace inside-edged Shahzad for four to long-leg.
Rudolph then leg-glanced Gurney for four before completing his century from 130 balls with a pair of two's against Shahzad, but next ball he was yorked by the seamer as Graham Wagg made his way to the middle with Glamorgan, but 161/6 then became 167/7 as Wallace was run-out as James Taylor swiftly moved in from cover and ran out Wallace at the bowler's end.
Wagg then nurdled Gurney for four before harpooning Mullaney to deep mid-wicket where Shahzad took a good tumbling catch close to the boundary's edge.
Salter and Cosker then took Glamorgan past the 200-mark with the former cover-driving Gurney for three successive fours, before guiding the next ball through backward point for another boundary. Salter also drove Fletcher through extra-cover in the penultimate over besides cheekily reverse-sweeping gurney again for four as Glamorgan ended on 227/8.
Michael Lumb and Alex Hales then began the Outlaws reply but with just a single on the board, the latter edged Michael Hogan into Rudolph's hands at second slip. Lumb then drilled Wagg through extra cover for four as well as edging the left-armer just short of the slip cordon. There was little on offer though from the parsimonious new ball pairing who delivered three successive maidens before Hogan found the edge again as Taylor was caught by Wallace. Four balls later he clean bowled Patel as the Outlaws slipped to 11/3 with Hogan's salvo during the powerplays seeing him return the exemplary figures of 5-2-6-3.
Wagg also nearly claimed an early wicket as Lumb spooned a drive just over cover's outstretched hands before Rikki Wessels pulled Hogan for four. Lumb also unleashed an exocet-like drive through the covers against Wagg before Lloyd replaced Hogan at the River End and beat the outside edge of Lumb's bat. Next over, he had more success as he trapped Lumb leg before as the Outlaws plummeted further to 48/4.
Wessels then nurdled Lloyd for four before pulling him to the ropes at mid-wicket, followed next over by a rasping cover drive for four. Franklin edged a drive against Lloyd through the vacant slip cordon for four. Salter then replaced Allenby at the Cathedral Road End and with his first delivery he had Franklin caught behind as the Outlaws lost their fifth wicket on 78.
Wessels responded by pulling Lloyd for four and six, with the latter blow just clearing Rudolph on the square-leg boundary en route to his fifty from 60 balls. The spinners Cosker and Salter then bowled in tandem and in Cosker's fourth over, Wessels was run out after Read drilled a ball to Bragg at mid-on with Wessels run out at the striker's end with the total on 127. Nine runs later the batting powerplay followed but it led to Read's departure as Salter at mid-off took a brilliant one-handed jumping up to pluck a drive out of the air as the home side further tightened their grip with the Outlaws on 137/7.
Shahzad lofted Cosker for four whilst Mullaney greeted the return of Hogan by lofting him over mid-off for four and six, before Shahzad was dropped at deep mid-wicket in Allenby's penultimate over as he also tried a lusty swipe to the boundary. The target was 68 in the last ten overs, but Hogan then conceded just two singles in his next over. Shahzad responded by despatching Allenby through the covers for four before Wagg returned at the River End as the eighth wicket pair continued to scamper one's and two's before Mullaney clipped the left-armer over wide mid-on.
The equation became 45 off 42 balls as Cosker replaced Allenby at the Cathedral Road End and was lofted over long-on for four by Shahzad as the 50-stand came up. Further singles followed before Mullaney swept Wagg for four as the target became 30 off 30 balls and then 24 off 24 as Hogan returned in a bid to end the resistance, but Mullaney had other ideas as he drove the Australian for six and two to complete a 39-ball fifty.Another flurry of singles followed before Mullaney launched Hogan over mid-wicket for four before straight-driving him for six as the Outlaws won with nine balls to spare.