v Durham LV= at Trent Bridge

Day 4 Durham Race home despite brave rear-guard Notts batting

Although coming close to miracle; Notts fell to a deserved defeat against Durham in the Trent Bridge sunshine. The inexplicable collapse last night on a featherbed pitch costing the home side the game.

This morning, Luke Fletcher (17) lasted over an hour before falling to catch behind of leg-spinner Borthwick. Lumb and Read saw Notts safely to lunch without further alarms; as Notts hung in gamely.

Durham went for a combination of Gareth Breese off spin (Radcliffe) and Scott Borthwick’s leg spin (Pavilion). The scoring rate slowed and both batsmen seemed becalmed. The canny Collingwood elected not to take the new ball straight away and his decision was rewarded in the 82^nd over when Read (29) edged Borthwick to Collingwood at slip. Lumb’s excellent rearguard came to end seven overs later when he mistimed a drive off Breese; the Jamaican taking the caught and bowled chance diving low to his left; 246 for eight. Lumb had showed a welcome return to form with a 226-ball 123; but it proved not to be quite enough.

Swann and Broad left their natural attacking game in the pavilion, but unfortunately their partnership only lasted five overs before Broad (10) was caught close in as Borthwick claimed his third wicket. The game looked over, but Shahzad and Swann added 75 runs in 23 overs as Durham finally took the new ball. The sheer flatness of the wicket was apparent with both Onions and Wood impotent. Swann was hit on hand, foot and head which led to various stoppages, Collingwood turned to Borthwick this time from the Radcliffe Road End, tea was delayed as there were nine wickets down. If Notts had reached the tea interval then the match would have been surely saved as two overs would have been lost for the innings break. Unfortunately with only 11 balls left before tea, Swann was adjudged leg before to Borthwick who appealed vociferous and long enough for umpire Garrett to raise his finger. Swann out for a fine 57 off 85 balls with 10 fours.  Shahzad who had a good game had resisted stoutly for 66 balls. Borthwick a mixture of good, bad and ugly finished with 24.2-4-87-4, but Collingwood had runs to play with, and his braveness was rewarded. Breese playing a rare championship game was probably given a bit too much respect by Lumb and Read and finished with 32-14-40-2.

Durham needed 183 off what turned out to be 23 overs. In days of yore this target would have seemed unrealistic; but in this Twenty/20 age and heavy bats and a featherbed pitch it was far from impossible. Notts did not help themselves electing not to post a third man initially and bowling Fletcher first up rather Shahzad with Broad. Durham got off to a lightning start, Broad was obsessed with bowling short balls, Fletcher left the field injured after bowling two overs from the Radcliffe Road End. Shahzad replaced him but went for 19 in a single over. Stoneman raced to 50 off 24 balls.  As the final hour commenced Durham had 75 off seven overs; 108 required now off 16 overs with all their wickets intact. Swann and Patel was introduced but the scoring rate was still nine an over. Stoneman holed out to deep square leg for 69 off just 38 balls. Stokes hit Swann for a six, but next ball he was stumped by the fumbling Read. Only 33 were now required off eight overs. Benkenstein (9) fell to a smart catch by Read, the Colonel promoted to open skied one up to juggling Hales he took the catch at the third attempt. Mustard out for a 54-ball 72. Gareth Breese hit the winning runs with 16 balls unused at 1747. Swann finished with 7-0-56-4. The wicket was just too flat which underlined the pathetic batting by the Notts top order last night. Durham though played excellently throughout the whole game and well deserved their victory.

Newell though could not be criticised for his team selection. Mullaney and Shahzad both justified their selections. What is apparent is that too many batsmen are giving their wickets away and that the bowling attack which will be shorn of Swann and Broad looks incapable of taking 20 wickets. The frowned look on DofC‘s post-match interview on the club website, told its own story even on the second day of May its very apparent that Notts are in for a relegation struggle this season. Apart from Derbyshire all the remaining teams appear to have stronger bowling attacks than Notts. Their only hope is for Adams to regain his fitness and Shahzad to bowl like he did in this game. It will be a long summer..... MAG

Wood Hat trick for Notts

Yesterday Notts 2nd XI in their friendly match against Gloucestershire ran out winners by an innings and inside 2 days.  Andy Carter walked away with a 5fer and Sam Wood took a hat trick as the hosts in the game were bowled out for 108 and 87.

Day 3 Mark Wood leads Durham Dominance

An inexplicable collapse on a blameless wicket means that Notts face near certain and deserved defeat against Durham. With Durham scoring slowly in the morning session; Notts lost their way in the afternoon session as the heads clearly dropped with the last 2 wickets adding 115 runs...much worse was to follow. Notts eventually went into their second innings with a deficit of 151 runs but more importantly needing to bat 100 overs to save the game, but they misfired completely. Hales became the first batsman to bowled in the game when he lost his middle stump off the last ball of the second over bowled by Chris Rushworth; the ball keeping low. Ed Cowan played another cameo but was far too loose in a situation that demanded patience and application. Mark Wood came on from the Radcliffe Road and Cowan edged one that left him to caught by wicket-keeper Mustard for 35; 77 for two. Taylor shuffled across his stumps trying to flick the ball to mid-wicket he missed and departed leg before for a single off that man Wood. Worse was to follow when Patel (4) backed away from a short ball, the ball appeared to hit his glove as it dollied to slip. Patel walked and Wood  had picked his third wicket in 22 balls; 91 for 4. Mullaney and Lumb added 43 in 11 overs before Breese got Mullaney edging his arm ball to Collingwood at first slip to depart for 20. Fletcher came in as night watchman and survived to stumps as Notts closed on 145 for five; still trailing by six runs. Lumb stood alone on the burning deck with chanceless 77 off 102 balls. The wicket is playing well and the Notts collapse was down to cavalier batting and good displaced bowling from the visitors on the hottest day of the season (15 degrees). The Director of Cricket will have no hair left soon, the debacle being miuch like a reprise of second innings EFFORT AGAINST Middlesex. Earlier Notts had a good morning session as Durham went to lunch on 364 for eight having been restricted to 67 runs. Mustard was caught behind off Broad for 21; and Smith’s long chanceless vigil ended on 153 as he departed to diving catch at mid on by Fletcher off Patel for 153. His innings lasted 8.5 hours, 131.2 overs and included 18 fours, a monumental effort of concentration which was sadly lacking by the Notts batsman in the second innings. Breese hit 44 before departing to the returning Broad to a leg before decision.  But Wood and Onions added 70 runs in 12 overs as Notts lost their composure totally. Finally Onions  was dismissed to running catch by Patel off Mullaney, but the damage had been done as Durham were all out for 471, Wood having an outstanding match against Notts once again finished with 58 not out. Broad had innings figures of 31-4-88-4; Swann meanwhile was wicketless in 34 overs. He will don his green and gold pyjamas at Northampton this Sunday and the floodlight game against Kent three days later. Notts will have to bat until tea tomorrow to stand a chance of saving the game. People will remember the Headingley game from two years ago, they will need a similar miracle tomorrow. Bright sunshine is forecast tomorrow but latest Met Office forecast does not mention any flying pigs over the West Bridgford area.

Day 2 Attritional Day

 If yesterday was a day of missed opportunities then today can be described as high level attritional cricket with neither side giving much away. Unfortunately for home supporters, after a fine morning bowling effort which did not get the successes it deserved, Durham or Will Smith and Paul Collingwood in particular both played truly outstanding innings which have put Durham in a strong position to win the game.

Night watchman Rushworth (12) lasted three overs until he edged Shahzad to Read, 46 for two. Borthwick who played and missed with alarming regularity and when he connected he either edged just short or above slip managed to somehow to last 44 balls against impressive Notts bowling. He eventually edged Fletcher to Read to depart for 16; 86 for three. Benkenstein started very ominously and got to 27 with five fours and one six until on the stroke of lunch Mullaney picked up his first championship wicket in two seasons as he got one to keep low and trap Benkenstein right in front; 124 for four.

Big hitting Ben Stokes was fooled by a change of pace from Broad and was caught and bowled for 11, 148 for five. The match appeared to very even. But former Notts man Smith (119*) and Collingwood (64) both offered no chances in high calibre innings with their sixth wicket partnership adding 115 runs in 47 overs; taking the game away from the hard working Notts bowlers. It was not pretty stuff but they waited for right ball to hit and ran well between the wickets. Notts for their part dropped no catches and were good in the field, apart from a run out opportunity missed by Ed Cowan during the morning session.

Broad who had recovered from a minor groin injury bowled 18 overs today, not always at his best, but the England bowler should be given five stars for perseverance. Clearly flagging from all his efforts he finally got Collingwood to edge one as Read got his third catch in the final hour. Smith meanwhile batted all day and was irremovable and he has so far faced 308 balls and hit 16 fours. Shahzad was the star of the Notts attack being unrecognizable from the wayward bowler seen against Middlesex and to a lesser extent the Durham students. The extras count of three tells the whole story. On another day he would have taken five wickets; today he just picked up the single wicket of Rushworth. Fletcher who took a bit of hiding from Benkenstein just before lunch was in the main very accurate but still only went for 2.88 RPO. Swann was rusty following his long layoff but there was nothing in the wicket for either him or Patel. Mustard managed to survive 40 balls to finish unbeaten on 15 Durham closed 297 for six, 23 runs in deficit. They have scored 263 runs from 96 overs but had put themselves into a strong position. The pitch meanwhile had deadened slightly compared to day one; with it now having the same bounce or carry. Another battle of wits awaits tomorrow.

Day 1 Well Taylored innings as Notts and Durham Mull over missed chances

A day of missed opportunities for both sides saw the day close with honours even on a day intermittent sunshine and strong westerly winds.

Notts won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket with plenty of carry and bounce. With a strong wind blowing across the pitch it was not ideal conditions for swing bowling.

After hitting the first ball of the day for four; Cowan was dropped on four by Stokes at slip and dominated the opening partnership of 33 in the first nine overs of the day. Onions who took nine wickets in the first innings in the corresponding fixture last season struck first removing Hales to ball that came in. Hales (2) offered no shot to a ball that looked to be going over the stumps. Cowan (40) for the third time this season threw his wicket away when well set this time flashing to gully as Onions picked up his second wicket. Lumb struggling for form in 2013 did not last too long falling leg before to Ben Stokes for 9; 74 for three. Patel was dropped at slip but did not cash in and on the stroke of lunch and with his stomach rumbling he played a quite dreadful shot to be caught at point for 17 off Stokes; Notts a disappointing 98 for four.

Mullaney who replaced Wessels in the starting line up became the next man to be dropped by Stokes when on only six, but played quite superbly in a counter attacking innings. He got to his half ton off 48 balls as Breese was hit for consecutive sixes into the Randall Stand. He was getting good support from Taylor who was playing his most convincing innings for the County. The pair added 111 in 29 overs. Mark Wood after his fine second innings bowling in the visitors narrow win last season, once again impressed with fast skiddy bowling. With his first ball of a new spell from the Radcliffe Road end, he got Mullaney to edge to Breese at slip. Mullaney out for a 100-ball 80 with 12 fours and two sixes; he had fully justified his selection. Read (2) flashed outside off stump off Wood as Stokes finally hung on to one at third slip; 223 for six.

Taylor and Broad the two Nottingham born former Foxes added 84 in only 17 overs in a highly entertaining partnership. Broad hooked Wood for a six into the Fox Road stand and then hit Breese for another maximum. But only three short of a deserved century and just before the new ball was due, Taylor edged Breese to Mustard behind the stumps; his first championship wicket for five seasons. Leg-spinner Borthwick was strangely not given a bowl.  Taylor’s 97 came off 189 balls with 14 fours; a patient innings which was more fluid than his effort at Derby; but equally as valuable. Earlier in the day he had been named in the Lions line up to face the Kiwis at Grace Road he will now miss the comedy games against Kent and Worcester early next month. The very next ball, Stokes who was getting plenty pace and bounce removed Broad for a 49-ball 46; Notts were losing their way on 307 for eight. The new ball was taken; “Number One” did not last long edging Rushworth to Mustard for two. Swann hit a four; but Fletcher did not hang around as skied Rushworth to depart for two; Notts were all out for 320 when really a score of 400 should have been well in their capabilities; but Durham could counter claim that if they would hold their catches, the home sides total would have got considerably less. Very much a innings of ifs and buts.

The home fans were looking to Broad to repeat his Derby heroics, but after just three overs from the Radcliffe Road End, the first going for 12, he left the field early for unknown reasons. Fletcher bowled tidily in his five overs, but it was Shahzad (selected ahead of Gurney) that made the breakthrough. Replacing Broad he removed Stoneman to a plumb leg before decision; the left hander having hit six boundaries in his rapid 30. Notts though had worryingly not got the same life out of the pitch that Durham had obtained as the away side closed on 34 for one off 10 overs.

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Academy watch "winning" position wash away.

from: http://nottinghamshirecbpl.play-cricket.com/content/view.asp?id=10402880&cid=200

....................................................................  The final game was abandoned as the weather got the better of the match between Welbeck and the Notts Academy at Sookholme. The home side batted first and collapsed to 38 for 6 before recovering to end on 163 in 44 overs. Academy debutant Luke Wood made an early impact with 5-41 with George Bacon adding strong support with 4-31 and Jonathan Ball (64) and Olly Pringle (42) rallied the home side with a seventh wicket stand of 109. The Academy ended their 30 over innings on 118 for 6 when the match time expired with Tom Rowe leading from the front with an unbeaten 68 and Notts star Jake Ball enjoying his comeback to his home club with figures of 5-31 from 12 overs.

(The above mentioned Jonathan Ball being Jake's older brother.)

The squad to face Durham tomorrow has been announced as:

Alex Hales
Ed Cowan,
Michael Lumb,
 Samit Patel,
 James Taylor,
 Riki Wessels,
 Chris Read (capt),
 Stuart Broad,
 Graeme Swann,
 Ajmal Shahzad,
 Steven Mullaney,
 Luke Fletcher,
 Harry Gurney