One-Day Cup: Notts beat rain and Durham to reach semi-finals

Alex Hales has now reached 50 in one-day cricket 27 times in 105 innings

Nottinghamshire reached the One-Day Cup semi-finals with a rain-reduced 49-run quarter-final victory over Durham.

The reigning champions were asked to chase a Duckworth Lewis readjusted target of 194 from 24 overs at Trent Bridge, but fell well short as Samit Patel (4-11) took four quick wickets.

Alex Hales top scored with 63 for Notts who had to suffer a frustrating five-hour rain break in their innings.

They eventually reached 170-4 from 24 overs, Durham falling short on 144.

Notts had made good headway on 94-1, with Hales on 53, when rain called a halt after 17.2 overs.

A further early evening downpour looked like ending play for the day, with the sides prepared to reconvene on Wednesday.

But, after a near five-hour delay, and with the game now reduced to 24 overs a side, Notts re-emerged to plunder a further 76 off the final 40 balls as they reached 170-4.

A lot of the Trent Bridge crowd had dispersed during the five-hour rain delay

Although Hales holed out to deep mid on just a ball after being equally well caught by a spectator in, Daniel Christian went on to reach 48 and captain James Taylor hit three sixes in his 29 off 20 balls.

In reply, Durham raced to 63-0 in the seventh over, but then crucially lost both openers Mark Stoneman and Phil Mustard, as well as skipper Paul Collingwood, brilliantly caught and bowled by Steve Mullaney, for just one run in the space of two overs.

Graham Clark and Calum MacLeod mustered some hefty blows to keep them in it with a 62-run fourth-wicket stand. But Patel got rid of both, before catching Gordon Muchall and adding two more scalps as Durham quickly collapsed from 125-3 to 144 all out.

The semi-final draw took place before the first of the four quarter-finals, throwing up an away tie for Notts on Sunday 6 September at either Canterbury or The Oval against the winners of Thursday's Kent v Surrey quarter-final.