Relief for Read as Notts end wait for one-day joy

Read has won the County Championship twice during a long and successful county career, but the Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper has not been able to translate that form into the shorter forms of the game.

That changed on Saturday evening at Lord’s where the Outlaws won their first final at the ground since they lifted the Benson & Hedges Cup in 1989.

“The Championship wins were marvellous, but this ranks right up there,” said Read.

“This is something that has been nagging at me for some time – can we get to a Lord’s final? Can I do it in my career? So to have got there and lifted a trophy is a fantastic feeling.”

Nottinghamshire looked in trouble at 58-2 in the morning, but Read (53) and Hussey (42) put on a 99-run partnership to help steer the Outlaws to a record-equalling total of 244-8.

Glamorgan recovered from the early dismissals of Mark Wallace (two) and Gareth Rees (29) to keep pace with Nottinghamshire’s run-rate, but Samit Patel’s introduction killed the Dragons off.

The 28-year-old, shunned by England throughout the summer, removed Chris Cooke for 46 with a peach of a delivery that pitched on leg and hit off.

Patel then dismissed Allenby (34) with a similar ball before snaring Murray Goodwin for eight by trapping him leg before wicket.

The triple-strike left Glamorgan struggling on 118-5 and Ajmal Shahzad and Stuart Broad got three wickets apiece to bowl Glamorgan out for 157 with seven overs remaining.

With Ashes-winning spinner Graeme Swann back in the line up, Patel, who ended with figures of 3-21, thought he would not see much action.

“I didn’t think I was going to get a bowl with England’s No 1 spinner in the team so I was pretty happy to get one,” said Patel.

“People don’t think I can spin the ball enough, but maybe it hit a pebble. This (win) is a massive relief, but the boys have deserved it. We’re all in it together. It’s a great feeling.

“Swanny and Broady played today, and fronted up and were excellent.”

Glamorgan captain Mark Wallace, who was hoping to win his first Lord’s final, admitted Patel’s spell changed the course of the game.

“A lot of people would have been looking to Graeme Swann to be the match-winner when it came to spin but we played him very well,” said Wallace.

“Samit got two good wickets with two very good balls – they weren’t loose shots. That was a turning point.”

Wallace was also made to rue Rees’s inability to hold on to a catch that would have seen Hussey dismissed for two.

“That was the partnership we needed to break,” the Glamorgan captain said. “We had that opportunity, but it didn’t come off. It was a difficult catch.

“We are disappointed. We had opportunities to win, but Notts were by far the better team.”