v Middlesex LV Championship at Trent Bridge

Day 4

GLOOM AND DRIZZLE LEAVE RESULT AS TAME DRAW

Notts championship game against Middlesex ended in a tame draw as due to bad light and light drizzle only 45 overs were possible.

Play began late at 1105 but after six overs the players came off in light rain with Middlesex 14 for 0. The bad news was that the ball was not swinging, despite both Wood and Ball good attacking lines at times, without much luck and with the pitch flat plus a long stoppage, a draw already seemed inevitable, .

Play recommenced at 1340 but Notts struggled to make a breakthrough. In the 24th over Gurney bowling from the Radcliffe Road End removed night watchman Harris leg before for 44, 83 for one. With bad light never far away Read elected to use Patel and Brendan Taylor's rarely seen off spinners in order to speed up their over rate. Once Hutton returned the players retreated to the dressing room for an early tea.

The players came out for another 30 minutes of play until the players shook hands at 1622 as dark clouds reappeared from the back of the TBI. Middlesex had scored 162 for one with two England discards at the crease with Sam Robson on 77 and Nick Compton on 36.

Both teams took 11 points from a game that will not linger long in the memory. The plus points for Notts being the form of Read, Hutton and Mullaney. Notts return to championship action in 11 days time at Horsham. MAG

Day 3

READ AND HUTTON RESCUE NOTTS

A fine rearguard effort by Chris Read and Brett Hutton got Notts a first innings lead of 45 runs at TB today. Having declared with nine wickets down, Notts had a couple of overs at Middlesex, who closed on seven for nought.

Play commenced on time and in the third over the day Patel shouldered arms to Murtagh and lost his off stump for 14, the fifth wicket partnership with Mullaney had added 39. Mullaney and Read safely went passed the follow on target of 225. With dark clouds overhead Mullaney danced down the pitch to Rayner but only succeeded in scooping the ball up to Murtagh at mid off. Mullaney gone for 76 off 142 balls with 12 fours, a reckless end to an invaluable innings. The players went off immediately at 1202 as rain started to fall with Notts 229 for 6. A couple of heavy showers meant a long stoppage.

The players returned at 1415 with 15 overs lost. The new ball was taken four overs later. Read and Hutton batted excellently as Captain Franklin rotated his bowlers in vain. Read was dropped at 54 by Rayner a hard chance at slip and then was badly dropped by keeper Simpson off Roland-Jones when he had 70. Although Roland-Jones bowled a few testing spells, the pitch was getting flatter and the swing of the previous two days had gone as the sun was now blazing down. Middlesex fielding got decidedly ragged as the runs piled up. Read got to his ton off 190 balls as the Captain celebrated his second ton of the season against the Londoners. Read got to 108 before Roland-Jones bowling from the Radcliffe Road End bowled him. Read had faced 206 balls and hit 14 fours, it is no coincidence that Notts’ championship form has taken an upward rise over the last couple of weeks with his return. The seventh wicket partnership had added 157 in 50 overs to save the game for Notts. Wood was badly dropped at point by Roland-Jones off Malan when on 0 got to 14 before edging Malan's leg spinners to Franklin at slip. Hutton grabbing his belated first team opportunity with both hands got to very composed and mature PB of 72 before falling plumb leg before to Rayner’s off spinners. Hutton had hit nine fours in his 176 ball innings, Notts immediately declared. Notts 419 for 9 off a marathon 136.3 overs having secured three batting points with the 110 over score being 315 for six.. Franklin had figures of three for 41 off 15 overs. Middlesex survived the final two overs with night watchman Harris and Robson at the wicket as stumps were drawn at 1835.


With just 96 overs left, Notts will be hoping that the ball swings once more tomorrow. Middlesex bat deep so Notts will have to bowl extremely well tomorrow to force victory on a slow pitch. But we know from last week that strange things can happen.....MAG

Day 2

NOTTS BATTLING HARD TO KEEP HONOURS EVEN

On a day when 20 overs were lost due to rain and bad light, Notts closed on 180 for 4, still 194 runs behind the Middlesex first innings total. Play was played almost throughout in gloomy and cool conditions with the floodlights on.

The eighth wicket pair added a further 28 runs this morning after Wood and Hutton opened the bowling. Off the last ball of the eighth over Hutton bowling from the Radcliffe Road End removed Harris' middle stump, the Welshman having made 73 off 168 balls with eleven fours. The partnership had added 175 runs in 50 overs. Roland-Jones hit three fours in nine balls before departing for 14 leg before to Hutton, 356 for nine. Gurney replaced Hutton and Murtagh was leg before to the left armer having made 12, Middlesex 374 all out off 108 overs. Gurney and Hutton had both taken three wickets. Malan remained unbeaten on personal best 182 not out an innings which contained 27 fours off 270 balls.

Hales and Brendan Taylor opened the innings and Notts batted for a single over and were 1 for 0 when rain stopped play at 1215.

After an early lunch was taken play resumed at 1325. The opening partnership added 40 when Hales chopped a ball from Harris onto his stumps. Hales gone for 18 and Harris had got his 50th wicket of his championship season.

Batting was never easy in the overcast conditions. Seamus Franklin came on at the Pavilion End and the Middlesex captain had Lumb caught behind for 9, Notts 74 for 2. Brendan Taylor got to a solid 50 then at 1530 the rain returned so an early tea was taken. Play resumed 20 minutes later but with the floodlights casting shadows on the pitch bad light stopped play at 1630 with Notts 120 for two. Play resumed 20 minutes later with four overs lost.

Mullaney batting at four looked in reasonable nick and in partnership with Taylor they added 71 in 20 overs. The Zimbabwean, Notts leading championship scorer in 2015, got to 77 before being bowled off his pads by Franklin. His innings had lasted 148 balls and included 10 fours. Wessels played his second ball back tamely back to Franklin who accepted the caught and bowled chance as Wessels left with a rare blob to his name. Franklin who was hardly bowled by Notts in his brief stay in 2014.had taken two in three balls and three in the innings, all from the Pavilion End..Notts 145 for four.
Mullaney and Patel battened down the hatches and ensured no more wickets fell in the remaining 14 overs whilst added 35 precious runs. Rayner bowled three overs of spin from the Radcliffe Road End. At 1810 with the light closing once more the two novice umpires Ben Debenham and former Notts man Russell Evans having good games decided to take the players off, play was abandoned for the day 25 minutes later. Notts were on 180 for four with Mullaney looking a lot better down the order on 56 and Patel on 12, a further 45 runs are needed tomorrow to avoid the follow-on.


A satisfactory day for Notts with Hutton impressing once more with the ball and fighting knocks from both Taylor and Mullaney. MAG

Day 1

MALAN AND HARRIS FRUSTRATE NOTTS

An unbroken eighth wicket partnership of 148 between Dawid Malan and James Harris turned the opening day of latest championship fixture at Trent Bridge in Middlesex’s favour

Notts made four changes from the defeat of Worcester three days previously out went injured trio James Taylor, Carter and Fletcher and Ben Hilfenhaus was rested. In came Mullaney, Gurney, Ball and Luke Wood.

Notts won the toss and inserted the opponents on a greenish surface with Luke Wood bowling an impressive opening spell from the Pavilion End, constantly swinging the ball into the right hander. With his eighth ball he removed Queenslander Joe Burns (5) middle stump, seven for one. In the eighth over Jake Ball had Robson leg before for 15, 25 for two. Compton and Malan added 38 for the third wicket. Compton was badly dropped at third slip by Brendan Taylor off Brett Hutton. Next ball Hutton got his reward when the former England man edged to Read, Compton out for 19. Middlesex got to lunch at 88 for three.

Wood got his second scalp when Eoin Morgan edged to Read for 15, 105 for 4. The Irishman had previously been caught at slip by Mullaney off a no ball. Former Notts man James Franklin now Middlesex captain via an Irish passport never looked settled. Gurney had him leg before for 4, 122 for five. Simpson (2) often the scourge of Notts was next to go as Hutton who had replaced Taylor at third slip hung on to the catch as Gurney got his second scalp, 132 for six. Rayner scorer of a big ton at TB a few seasons back got to five before driving Mullaney to extra cover where Brendan Taylor took a good catch diving to his right, Middlesex 165 for seven.

Malan had been playing well and he found excellent support in James Harris. With the ball getting older, batting was getting easier and Notts were probably missing Hilfenhaus experience as Wood, Ball and Hutton have a relative lack of championship games between them. Ball in particular had a mixed day not quite getting his length right. Slowly the partnership gathered momentum. Malan got his ton in 226 balls with 16 fours as shortly after Middlesex went to tea on 205 for seven.

Things got much worse for Notts. Harris holder with Robert Croft of the highest ninth wicket partnership against Notts at Swansea of 185 in 2007 got to unbeaten 50 and left hander Malan was closing in on a career best as rain stopped play at 1749 with Middlesex on 277-7 (Malan 143*, Harris 51*).

Play resumed at 1830 with two overs lost, Harris was then put down on 64 at point by Patel off Gurney as Middlesex added a further 35 runs as they closed on 312 for seven. The unbroken partnership is 48 short of the record eight wicket stand against Notts with Malan on a career best 159 and Harris on 68. Malan ironically has missed a large chunk of the season after his breaking his hand in the first game of the season at Lord's against Notts.

The highest 8th wicket partnership for Middlesex incidentally is 182* by Doll and Murrell at Lord’s in 1913 against you guessed it Notts.

With new ball taken and having little effect Middlesex will be looking for further runs in the morning as Roland-Jones and Murtagh are also no mugs with the bat. Wood although expensive later on was the undoubted pick of the Notts bowlers. He will the key man as Notts hope to make early inroads in the morning of day 2.MAG