Somerset Specsavers D1 at Trent Bridge Loss

Day 3

JACK FROST LEACH HAS NOTTS SPIRALLING TO DEFEAT

Inside two and a half days, Notts have been swept away by rampant Cidermen


Somerset completed a one-sided innings and 14 run victory after inept second innings batting performance by Notts who somehow lost their last eight wickets in 27 overs for 60 runs. The batting “performance” was very reminiscent of a Notts “September backs to wall” operation, the match being over by 1450 with little fight shown; this after Slater and Fletcher had batted the first 70 minutes without any undue alarms. Slow left armer Jack Leach who could not get bowl in the first innings got some turn out of the pitch to fillet the fragile Notts batting order and take 6 for 36, starting with the wicket of Slater who had rush of blood to his head and was inexplicitly stumped; something the captain emulated later. Leach was quite simply outstanding. It was Notts’ seventh consecutive defeat against Somerset in the championship. Notts have now gone nine games without a championship win including six hammerings in their last eight championship contests.

The good news is that James Pattinson has arrived in the country and it is on his broad shoulders that Notts championship destination lies. He made an immediate impact for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and Notts will be hoping this genuine match winner stays fit and makes in a similar impact for Notts. The current game proved that Notts batting despite a major overhaul still has much fragility, albeit against probably one of the best two teams in the Division. Worringly they appear to have little aptitude to bat time. The partnership of 223 between two Somerset youngsters Bartlett and Abell was a lesson to how to set a match winning total. The Notts bowling, Broad apart, looked pop gun in comparison to Somerset’s. Jake Ball needs to find his mojo and one of out of two of Coughlin and Chappell with their extra pace need to find a regular place in the line up. Harry Gurney with his ability to bowl genuine wicket-taking balls will prove a big hole to fill in red ball cricket.

Notts added 63 runs and lost three wickets in the morning session all taken by Joe Leach. Slater and Fletcher resisted for 70 minutes this morning. Just after the 50 partnership had been raised and light drizzle started to fall, Slater fell to the last ball of Jack Leach's first over, charging the left arm spinner he was stumped by Davies for 34, 66 for 2. In his third over Leach bowled Clarke with a ball that turned sharply for two, 72 for four. In his fifth over Leach picked up his third wicket. Fletcher (21) mistimed a drive and skied into the covers where Overton took the catch, 82 for five. Notts added another six runs as they went to lunch on 88 for 5 off 41 overs with Mullaney 13 and Patel on 3.

The match was wrapped in the 70 minutes after lunch. Twenty five minutes after the break Mullaney (16) became the second Notts batsman to be stumped off Leach, 97 for 6. Leach picked up his fifth wicket as Moores (8) was caught at short leg by Trescothick for 8, 111 for 7. Wood then perished caught at short mid wicket by Trescothick off Jack Brooks for 14-ball duck, 120 for 8. Patel was then adjudged leg before to Leach for 24. Broad (5) then followed next ball pulling Brooks (4 for 22) to Azhar Ali at short leg. Notts 126 all out which allowed for a 10 minute stroll to the The City Ground. Notts now have a month’s rest from championship cricket resuming at Chelmsford in mid May. After the poor fare seen over the last three days, a much better performance is expected. MAG

To rub salt into the wounds, Notts have been deducted a point for slow over rates during the game.

Day 2

CIDERMEN ABELL TO FREEZE NOTTS OUT OF THE CONTEST

This was a chilling day for any Notts fan in more than one respect. With the thermometer never rising above 8 degrees it was not ideal cricket watching weather but unfortunately the team performance was no better with Notts completely outclassed and they closed the day very much in a losing position still trailing by 125 runs with 8 wickets second innings standing. 

The Somerset heroes were skipper Tom Abell and George Bartlett who shared a fourth wicket stand of 223 runs. After Notts gung-ho batting yesterday, the pair had the mental application to bat time to accumulate the runs to put their team into a very strong position. Somerset captain Abell who took a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season scored 101 (off 198 balls – 10 x 4) and 21-year old Bartlett a career best 133 (223 balls – 17 x 4) to demoralize the home attack. The Notts bowling today Broad apart had no real cutting edge, Ball (25-2-122-1) was worrying off colour and Wood and Fletcher did not have sufficient pace to cause the Somerset batsman any undue concerns. Broad although perhaps overdoing the short ball finished with 5 for 73 and was head and shoulders the Notts best bowler. Broad had last taken five wickets in an innings at Headingley in 2015; in another match that Notts were sadly second best. The Somerset attack soon made incisions into the Notts top order as Duckett and Nash were removed in the first six overs of Notts reply.

Somerset added 100 runs in the morning session off 32 overs as they reached lunch on 174 for 3 off 57 overs with Abell on 59 and Bartlett on 66. Although they were sunny interludes, the session was played mostly in cloudy conditions but as much as Mullaney Notts rotated the bowlers they never really looked like taking a wicket as the fields got more defensive as even Broad in his pre-lunch burst bowled without a slip. Notts were handicapped as Patel was missing; his wife giving birth to a daughter overnight.

Patel returned after lunch but still no wicket was forthcoming. First Bartlett and then Abell got to their tons off 156 and 193 balls respectively. Luke Wood had come on from the Radcliffe Road End and bowled a good spell where the batsman started to play and miss. Finally at 1445 a wicket fell as skipper Abell edged Wood and Moores took his third catch of the innings. Abell 101 off 198 balls with 10 fours, 259 for four. The fourth wicket had added 223 runs in 60 overs. Broad and Ball shared the new ball which was taken after 80 overs but no further breakthrough was forthcoming. Somerset went to tea on 309 for 4 after 91 overs with Bartlett on 128 and Davies on 22.

The final session of the day saw eight wickets fall. Jake Ball bowled the first over after tea from the Pavilion End and after a single for Bartlett off the first ball, he removed Davies for 22, a ball that got up as he edged the ball behind to Moores, 310 for five. Next over Bartlett shouldered arms to Fletcher and lost his off stump for 133, 316 for 6. Craig Overton (6) went for pull shot off Fletcher but was caught off the toe end of his bat as Patel took an easy catch at point, 332 for seven. Broad came on from the Radcliffe Road End and set his field to encourage Gregory to hook, he took on the challenge as Broad conceded 17 off the over including two huge sixes. Broad though picked up a wicket as Davey (25) pulled him straight into the hands of substitute Kamau Leverock on the square leg ropes. Leverock is the nephew of legendary 20 stone Bermudan Dwayne Leverock who took that memorable slip catch against India in a 2007 World Cup match. The batsman crossed and next ball Gregory (50) edged Broad to Duckett at first slip, 400 for nine. Gregory’s run a ball innings contained three sixes and fours boundaries and followed his six wickets in the Notts first innings. Man of the match in the Taunton T20 Quarter-Final match last August, he probably wished he played against Notts every week. Broad took his fifth wicket with the first ball of his next over as Leach lost his off stump for 1, Somerset 403 all out off 108.1 overs. Broad 5 for 73 in a very wholehearted and committed bowling display. Somerset led by 140 runs.

Notts had 12 overs to bat. In the fourth over Duckett (4) drove Brooks to straight to Abell at extra cover 8 for one. Brooks got on rear up in his next over and found the edge of Nash's bat, the right hander out for a 10 ball quack,16 for two. Fletcher came in as night watchman and mercifully umpires Gough and O'Shaughnessy took the players off for bad light with three overs still to be bowled at 1824. Notts 25 for 2 off nine overs with Slater on 13 and Fletcher on 4. The whole day was very reminiscent of a typical Notts September performance; the Notts batting line up must show fight and more application than in the first innings. Somerset as has been the case in their recent match ups with Notts looked a class above in terms of both bat and ball. Can Notts avoid tomorrow a seventh successive defeat championship defeat against the Ciderman? MAG
Day 1

GREGORY SHINES BUT HONOURS ARE SHARED ON DAY 1

Honours were even at sunny Trent Bridge today with Somerset trailing Notts by 189 runs with seven first innings wickets standing. On a wicket with more pace and bounce than the Yorkshire fixture, coupled with a fast outfield and a short boundary on the Fox Road, 337 runs were scored in 93.4 overs with 13 wickets lost. 

Notts who lost Duckett early on, struggled to cope with the outstanding Gregory who finished with 6 for 68 bowling from the Pavilion End. Gregory has started the season well having had match figures of 8 for 44 against Kent earlier this week. Top scorer for Notts was Chris Nash with 58, Luke Wood contributed an attacking 52 and Tom Moores made 47. However Notts innings failed to have substantial partnerships which led to the eventual underwhelming 263. When Somerset batted, Stuart Broad picked up both openers in an impressive nine over spell in which he conceded just 12 runs. Ball carried relatively little threat with a 7 over spell from the Radcliffe Road End. Fletcher was perhaps fortunate to dismiss Hildreth with a first-ball loosener that the experienced right hander leg glanced into Moores gloves, but Notts would probably be happy with three wickets in the session.

Today’s blue skies will be replaced with cloudy dank conditions tomorrow that Notts will hope to capitalise on.

Notts once again were put into bat after an uncontested toss. Luke Wood returned from his loan from Northants to replace Paul Coughlin who had a finger injury. Off the eighth ball of day, Jack Brooks (Radcliffe Road) had Ben Duckett leg before to a ball that swung in, 0 for one. Slater and Nash went on the attack and with the score on 46 for one after nine overs, Josh Davey replaced Jack Brooks who went for 29 off his four overs. Slater hit a leg side four off Davey to bring up the 50 partnership. Next ball, Slater (24) fished outside off stump and edged to keeper Davies, 51 for two off 10 overs. In the next over, Gregory induced Clarke (2) to edge as Davies took his second catch diving to his right, 54 for three. After a six over spell from Davey, Brooks returned and Mullaney hit him for six over mid wicket. A four through the covers off Brooks by Mullaney brought up the Notts 100 in the 24th over. Nash got to his 50 off 60 balls but then Mullaney pinned on his back foot was leg before to Gregory for 26, 106 for 4. A silly shot just before lunch by Nash saw him hole out to the mid wicket boundary where Leach took the catch off Gregory for 58 (72 balls with 10 fours), 119 for five. Nash currently fully justifying his selection ahead of Libby. Notts got to lunch on 125 for five off 30 overs with Patel and Moores both on 6.

Patel and Moores added 58 for the sixth wicket; the highest partnership of day. Then an hour after lunch, Gregory bowling from the Pavilion End bowled Patel neck and crop for 33, 177 for six. Wood drove Davey for two fours, the second which brought up the 200 in the 54th over. Tom Moores edged Craig Overton to the juggling Trescothick at slip who took the catch at the second attempt, Notts 223 for 7. Moores 47 off 98 balls with 8 fours. 

Wood given a life

Wood was dropped on 31 by Bartlett at mid wicket off Brooks, a sitter. Broad (5) these days always on the back foot looked like he was batting too high at nine, played on to a well pitched up ball by Overton backing away to square leg. Tea was then immediately taken with Notts 237 for 8 off 63.1 overs with Luke Wood 36 not out. Brooks often a thorn against Notts 15-1-77-1. Leach never bowled a ball.

Luke Fletcher lasted eight balls before being comprehensively bowled by Gregory for a duck, 246 for nine. A four backward of square by Jake Ball off his first delivery saw Notts to their second batting point. He followed it up with another square driven four off the next ball. Wood got to his 50 with a four off Gregory but perished next ball miscuing to the covers where skipper Tom Abell took a good catch low down. Wood 52 off 64 balls (11 x 4), Notts 263 all out. Gregory 6 for 68.

In the sixth over of the reply, Broad (10) trapped Pakistani import Azhar Ali leg before for 10, 19 for one. In Broad's seventh over he dismissed Trescothick (10), the veteran kissing the ball to Moores behind the wicket, 36 for two. Fletcher replaced Ball from the Radcliffe Road End and with his first ball removed Hildreth who played a poor shot leg glancing to Tom Moores off a Bomber loosener, 36 for three. Abell (22) and Bartlett (9) batted out the remaining 13 overs as stumps were drawn at 1822 with Somerset on 74 for 3 after 27 overs. MAG

Somerset's chief executive Andrew Cornish announced at a forum on Saturday evening that an executive decision had been taken that members would no longer be allowed to consume their own food or wine in the Long Room.

Not surprisingly, this diktat has not gone down well. It would seem that any profit made by the club's catering outlets as a result of the move will not outweigh the ill-feeling caused among loyal members who have already paid top-whack subscriptions.

The club say that the complaint originated from the members themselves, some of whom were unhappy at pack lunches being consumed in a "premium" area of the ground, and it will be put to a vote as to whether food from home can be consumed on the balcony. However, if the ban is enforced, it looks like another example of cricket loading both barrels and taking careful aim at its foot.

The other, more ironic consequence, of course, is that the only pasties available in Somerset's pavilion will have to receive Cornish approval. ESPN

A three day turn around between matches.

Might we get a toss of the coin on Thursday? Will the wicket be another straw-coloured batting track?

Notts have announced a 13 man squad; From the Yorkshire eleven, out goes Paul Coughlin but in comes Luke Wood, Jake Libby and Zak Chappell.

Ben Slater
Ben Duckett
Chris Nash
Joe Clarke
Steven Mullaney
Samit Patel
Tom Moores
Luke Wood
Stuart Broad
Luke Fletcher
Jake Ball
Jake Libby
Zak Chappell