Mullaney fifty brings Notts home

Steven Mullaney and Ajmal Shahzad batted Nottinghamshire to an impressive three-wicket victory in the Royal London One-Day Cup against Glamorgan at Cardiff.

The eighth-wicket pair came together with Notts in trouble at 137 for 7, needing a further 91 runs to win in 14.2 overs. But Mullaney, with an unbeaten 63 from 46 balls, and Shahzad, making 33 not out from 39 deliveries, won the game with nine balls to spare. Mullaney celebrated victory by striking Michael Hogan back over his head for six.

Glamorgan had been indebted to Jacques Rudolph for his century from 130 balls with 10 fours, but their total of 227 for 8 looked a little light until Hogan reduced the visitors to 11 for 3 inside seven overs, sending Alex Hales, James Taylor and Samit Patel back to the pavilion with ducks.

When Riki Wessels was controversially run out for 65, complaining he had been impeded, and Chris Read was brilliantly caught by Andrew Salter one-handed, the victory was far from realistic. But Mullaney and Shahzad stepped up to the occasion and their heroics ensured Notts finished the day top of Group B.

Earlier, Rudolph and fellow opener Jim Allenby gave Glamorgan a useful platform, but after Allenby edged Shahzad to Wessels at slip it heralded a middle order procession. Rudolph batted solidly at one end but between the 18th and 29th over he lost another four partners. The South African had reached his 50 out of Glamorgan's score of 70 for 1 before Will Bragg became the first of three victims for James Franklin.

Franklin, who played for Glamorgan in 2006, struck in his first over to have Bragg caught at mid-off by Shahzad. The left-arm seamer followed that up by bowling Murray Goodwin from around the wicket. And from 99 for 3 in the 22nd over Glamorgan slumped to 115 for 4 when Chris Cooke miss-hooked a Franklin short ball straight to midwicket.

Mullaney, who had bowled well in harmony with Franklin, got the deserved wicket of David Lloyd who edged behind to Read. The ball after reaching his century Rudolph could not keep out a finely bowled Shahzad yorker leaving Glamorgan in trouble at 161 for 6.

But there was worse to come for the home side as Mark Wallace was run out in a mix-up with Graham Wagg attempting a single. Wagg was dismissed three overs later well caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Shahzad off Mullaney, who finished with figures of 2 for 26 from his 10 overs.

Salter took Glamorgan past 200 with four consecutive fours off Harry Gurney as the ninth wicket with Dean Cosker became the highest partnership of the innings.