Cambridge MCCU at Fenner's, Cambridge Draw

This month, Nottsview has exceeded its previous best viewed monthly figures ever (started in 2011); so thank-you for reading and welcome to you newbies; fingers crossed we're going to have a smilely 2019 season (if you're a Notts fan) with some silverware at the end of it.

As old regulars to this blog will already know, a staple feature on Nottsview through-out the season is Mike's (aka MAG) match / day close of play report; scrupulously accurate, Notts biased through and through but with often a touch of realistic balance added-in but hardly ever sycophantic, and so we hope this feature continues in 2019. Come-on Notts, pile 'em up and continued good health to our intrepid man on the road, our reporter, MAG. 


Day 3

THIRD DAY WASHED OUT

Day 2

NOTTS CONTINUE TO FINE-TUNE AS THE STUDENTS SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES


On another beautiful day of continuous sunshine at Fenner's, Notts closed with a lead of 648 with 5 second innings wickets standing. Today proved a good work out for the bowlers with Ball, Wood and Patel all picking up three wickets in front of a crowd just over three figures . Jake Ball after looking slightly rusty last week, bowled well and was too hot for the students to handle. With the bat Duckett (298 runs in the match) and Mullaney tore into the student attack once more. Unfortunately Clarke, Moores and Nash could not cash in on the run fest. With heavy rain forecast tomorrow, a draw seems the likely outcome.

Notts batted for 35 minutes this morning. Coughlin hit a breezy 29 before mistiming Rippington to mid off where Guest took the catch. Next over, Ball was caught at mid wicket by Park-Johnson off Guest for a three ball duck. With Fletcher absent back home awaiting the birth of his second child, Notts 565 all out.

Ball (Gresham) and Wood (Pavilion) opened the bowling. Ball picked up the first two wickets in a seven over spell. Vansh Bajaj (2) skied him into the covers where Patel took a running catch, 10 for one. Thirteen runs later James Park-Johnson (12) edged him to Duckett low at first slip. Wood picked up the third wicket as Mullaney held a regulation catch at second slip, Akil Greenidge out for 4, 37 for three. Rishi Patel fell to Mullaney 's second ball leg before for 4, 56 for four. Cambridge got to lunch on 75 for 4 with Seabrook on 16 and Guest on 9.

The fifth wicket had added 52 when Seabrook was caught by Moores down the leg side for 35 off Jake Ball from the Pavilion End. Josh Cantrell lasted 28 balls before falling leg before to Patel for 10, 129 for six. Skipper Callum Guest fell in Patel's next over leg before for 34, 134 for seven. Luke Wood returned from the Pavilion End and Jack Keeping gloved a short ball from the left armer to Tom Moores who took the catch down the leg side, 144 for eight. Patel picked up his third wicket as Luke Chapman was bowled for a duck, 145 for nine. Last man Sam Rippington was yorked by Wood for a single. Cambridge 148 all out. Hyde 8 not out. Jake Ball with his rhythm returning 3 for 26, Wood 3 for 31 and Patel 3 for 26.

Tea was taken between the innings as Notts dId not enforce the follow on. Clarke and Moores opened and in the eighth over Clarke was bowled by Guest for 20, 44 for one. A poor shot from Moores (19) saw him caught on the point boundary by Ben Seabrook off Rippington, 45 for two. Nash (1) played on for the second time in the game to left armer Rippington, 50 for three. Mullaney was dropped at second slip by Greenidge when on 19, Park-Johnson the unlucky bowler. Next over, Duckett got to an entertaining 50 off 35 balls. Duckett and Mullaney were smashing the ball to all parts, Mullaney bringing up his half ton with a huge six over mid wicket off Chapman. Duckett played across the line and spooned the ball in the covers where Chapman took the catch, Keeping the bowler. Duckett out for 82 off 52 balls with 13 fours and one six. The fourth wicket had added 136 runs in 17 overs. Mullaney hit Chapman for two more leg side sixes but going for another big hit off Chapman, was well caught by Patel at long on for 79 off 65 balls (12 x 4, 3 x 6), 218 for five. Notts added a further 13 runs as they closed on 231 for five with Patel on 15 and Coughlin on 4.

Having spoken to Paul Franks, the news on the Zak Chappell front is good with his injury not likely to keep him out for much longer and is only minor in nature. MAG

Day 1

DUCKETT AND SLATER GIVE STUDENTS A LESSON

Notts had a fun in the sun at Fenner's today scoring 527 for seven in the 108 overs bowled by the students. The highlight of the day was an opening partnership of 325 runs in 58 overs between Ben Duckett (216) and Ben Slater (130) who murdered the Cambridge bowling as they achieved the third highest opening stand in Notts first class history. The students struggled all day with the pick of the attack being skipper Callum Guest who took 2 for 100 off his 30 overs.

In front of a crowd of around 200, with a sizeable away following, Notts won the toss and elected to bat as Coughlin and Clarke made their Nottinghamshire first-class debuts.

Slater and Duckett opened up against the left armer Sam Rippington (Pavilion End) and James Park-Johnson (Gresham End). Park-Johnson bowled four overs for 28 and was replaced by skipper Callum Guest. Duckett got to his 50 off 62 balls with a four off Chapman, the off spinner being taken for 18 off the over. The Notts 100 came up in the 19th over. Duckett was the more aggressive of the two openers. Duckett slog swept a six. Then the 150 was achieved via a four for Duckett off Guest in the 28th over. Next over a single off Chapman saw Duckett to his first Notts ton, off 95 balls. Chapman who took six wickets in the equivalent fixture two years ago, went for 42 off his first four overs. Ben Slater got to his 50 in the 32nd over with a single off Rippington. Duckett had a life on 136 when he mistimed a pull off Rippington and the ball skied up but keeper Hyde running from behind the stumps could not claim the catch. Next over a four by Slater through midwicket saw Notts to 200 in the 36th over. Notts got to lunch on 222 for 0 off 38 overs with Duckett on 148 and Slater on 64.

The runfest continued after lunch as Duckett reached his 150 off 132 balls and to his 200 off a further 36 balls. He peppered the walls of Hughes Hall with two enormous sixes. His double ton was only the second by a Notts player at Fenner's, Walter Keeton scoring 200 not out in 1932. Finally at 1505 Duckett was bowled by Guest for 216 off 180 balls with 34 fours and four sixes, Notts 325 for one. Slater got his ton off 187 balls, with the crowd and the player equally confused as the scoreboard recorded his ton after the actual event. The scoreboard having him on 95 when the milestone was achieved.A further 56 runs were added prior to tea as Notts got to the interval on 381 for one off 75 overs with Slater on 126 and Nash on 11. Slater had beaten his previous highest first-class score of 119 against Leicestershire in 2014.

In the third over after tea, Slater was caught at mid on by Bajaj off Guest for 130, 393 for two. The left hander had faced 239 balls and hit 20 fours. Another impressive effort following his big century in the 50 over match against Northants on Thursday. Next over Joe Clarke was unluckily adjudged leg before to Rippington for a six ball two, 393 for three. Chris Nash's scratchy innings ended as he played on to Rippington for 25 off 64 balls with 1 four and a bonus of five via four overthrows, 414 for four. Mullaney and Patel added 84 in 14 overs before Mullaney (51) mistimed Chapman, being caught by Rishi Patel at mid wicket. Samit skied to mid off where he was caught by Guest off leg spinner Josh Cantrell for 46. Next ball Moores(5) edged Chapman to Greenidge at first slip, 517 for seven. Coughlin and Wood both unbeaten on five saw Notts through to the close on a day where the sun shone for long periods. MAG
Last season's corresponding game was washed out during one of the wettest springs since Noah built his boat, so any play will represent an improvement. The weather forecast predicts cooling temperatures, yet remaining sunny until  possible showers on day 3 The match starts on Sunday, as does BST!

The Girdler has provided these landmarks that are on the near horizon:

• Samit Patel 36 runs shy of 11,000 runs for Notts
• Joe Clarke (3,943) is closing in on 4000 first class runs and is just 4000 runs short of that landmark for Notts.
• Luke Wood (989) needs 11 more runs to reach 1,000.
• Luke Fletcher (296) needs four more wickets to become the 45th player to take 300 in first-class cricket for Notts
• Steven Mullaney is 6 wickets away from 100 wickets for Notts

Notts have announced a 13 man squad.

Jake Libby
Ben Duckett
Joe Clarke
Ben Slater
Samit Patel
Tom Moores
Steven Mullaney
Paul Coughlin
Chris Nash
Luke Wood
Luke Fletcher
Jake Ball
Mark Footitt

No Zak Chappell?????

No Stuart Broad either. In 2017 Stuart Broad did play in the coresponding fixture - good ole ECB.