Second XI v Leicestershire friendly at Notts Sports Ground, Lady Bay

PETER'S SON CENTURY

Yesterday I found that I had the opportunity to pop down to a sunny Lady Bay and watch a couple of hours of the Second Eleven Friendly between Notts and Leicestershire (Day 2). I arrived after noon but still hoped to see one of the over night pair, of Sam Kelsall and Jake Libby, at least still batting but alas not. 

Four wickets had been lost in the morning and bowling, on my arrival, were Ollie Freckingham and Atif Sheikh (of initial 2 for 11 Sunday notoriety), both were getting some bounce and were beating the bat with regularity.

Soon after sitting myself down on a rickety weathered park bench, Adam Tillcock (at least I think it was Tillcock) was adjudged leg before wicket to the aforementioned Sheikh, Tillcock had scored the only runs to that point since my arrival. More wickets to follow I thought, but after a period of playing and missing and some mis-timed swings of the bat, the new batsman, a young compact left hander began to find his touch. Runs flowed from the young left handers bat as the bowling became increasingly ragged and with far too many balls wasted down the leg side. At the other end another left hander, Hasan Azad, remained, as he had when I had arrived, blocking the ball and taking just the occasional single.

After lunch the two left handers saw off the opening barrage of short bowling and the young unnamed left hander who I later discovered was named Tom Moores began to dominate the bowlers as well as Nottinghamshire's scoring and it wasn't long before Moores had reached his fifty. A procession of bowlers turned their arms over -some of which I recognised; Jamie Sykes, Alex Wyatt, Michael Thornely and Shiv Thakor et al.

Not more than an hour after the interval, the bowling side had some difficulty with the ball, perhaps it had gone soft in the blistering heat of the afternoon and scoring also had slowed too, the match was going no where. The ball was changed after 53 overs which triggered the pacier bowlers of Sheikh and Freckingham to return; Hasan Azad at this point accelerated his scoring as the tiring Moores took it a little slower, hitting only the occasional boundary. At tea both Hasan Azad and Tom Moores had passed fifty, their partnership was in excess of 150 when I had to leave.

No scorecard was available at the ground so at this point I didn't know the identity of the young left hander. Once home in the evening I discovered Tom Moores had made 119 and Hasan Azad was 100 not out when Notts declared.

Via Harry, Nottinghamshire and Paul Franks tell me that TJ Moores is the son of England coach Peter and after a quick Google it appears he represents u17 Leicestershire and Rutland and once played for Radcliffe on Trent IV at the age of 14  DDG