Stunning Taylor sets up Notts win

England hopefuls James Taylor and Samit Patel played key roles as Nottinghamshire recorded their first Clydesdale Bank 40 win of the season with a narrow 14-run victory over Hampshire.

With Kevin Pietersen announcing his retirement from all limited-overs international cricket the pair sent a timely reminder to the England selectors of their abundant talent. Taylor struck a magnificent unbeaten 115, a record for a Nottinghamshire batsmen against Hampshire in List A cricket. Patel, meanwhile, scored 66, his first one-day half-century of the season, and took three crucial Royals wickets.

It was the diminutive Taylor who really caught the eye, though, with a scintillating career-best innings that came off just 77 balls and included seven sixes and seven fours.

With Nottinghamshire having meandered along to 147 for 4 off 30 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat, Taylor, the England Lions captain, sparked his side's innings into life as he smashed 90 runs in his final 32 balls. He shared an unbeaten 143-run stand for the fifth wicket with Adam Voges.

No-one in the crowd was safe as Taylor unfurled some inventive strokes with Sean Ervine, Danny Briggs and Chris Wood taking the brunt of the punishment.

Earlier things had looked much rosier for the home side after Michael Lumb (0) and Rikki Wessels (18) were dismissed cheaply before Patel, whose 66 came off 75 balls, and Taylor smashed Notts to their final total.

Hampshire, though, were never out of the contest as skipper Jimmy Adams (51) and Michael Carberry (54), the competition's top runs scorer, got the home side off to a flyer scoring 88 inside the first 10 overs.

Patel's introduction swung the game back in the visitors favour. In three consecutive overs he removed Adams, caught well by Taylor at mid-wicket, James Vince, caught by Voges, and Simon Katich, leg before for five.

But Hampshire refused to throw in the towel, thanks to excellent innings from Ervine and Dimitri Mascarenhas. Ervine, seemingly looking to atone for his earlier bowling spell, kept the run rate at a manageable level with a run-a-ball 60, that included six fours.

Again Hampshire cause looked lost when Ervine was caught by Andy Carter at short fine-leg off Paul Franks but Mascarenhas reignited the contest striking two sixes off Carter in the 37th over.

Requiring 15 off the final over, however, Hampshire's luck ran out as Pattinson (3 for 66) mopped up the final two wickets with Mascarenhas the last to fall for 48.