Leicestershire Friendly Loss (or Was it?)

 

Scoreboard says Notts lost. 

Not that it means much, apart from certain individuals still need some more time in the middle against Oxford UCCE

Pravda focus

FIFTY FOR JAMES

Lyndon James struck fifty as Nottinghamshire garnered a final day of valuable practice in their drawn pre-season friendly against Leicestershire at Grace Road.


Matt Montgomery added 48 not out to James’ unbeaten 52 as the Green and Golds declared a swift 41-over second innings on 152-4, giving them a nominal advantage of 146.


Ben Slater also made a fluent 26 to add to the unbroken partnership of 103 for the fifth wicket between Montgomery and James.


In response, Rishi Patel struck 51 from 56 balls as Leicestershire’s second innings played out amid lengthening shadows, with the Foxes eventually concluding on 158-2.


Early on, the visitors did, in particular, have to stand firm against the probing test they were receiving from veteran Foxes seamer Chris Wright, who returned figures of 2/18.


Montgomery and James had to apply themselves after Wright had played a hand in reducing Notts to 49-4, but they did so with great effectiveness, with James reaching fifty in 86 balls.


Josh Tongue claimed his first senior wicket in Nottinghamshire colours when he removed Sol Budinger for 20 via a catch behind the stumps from Dane Schadendorf.


Opener Rishi Patel struck his swift fifty before retiring at tea, after which the game was brought to a conclusion following Farhan Ahmed’s first senior bowling spell at his brother Rehan.



Farhan was not, though, able to dismiss his elder sibling, and Rehan and Ian Holland’s partnership helped Leicestershire through to the end.

Fox News

Leicestershire Round Off Pre-Season With Nottinghamshire Win

28 March 2025

Leicestershire signed off their pre-season preparations in perfect fashion, beating Nottinghamshire by eight wickets on the final day at Uptonsteel County Ground.

Rishi Patel and Rehan Ahmed both made half-centuries as the Foxes reached their target of 147 inside 32 overs.

Taking a six-run lead into day three, Leicestershire were back out with ball in hand at the start of proceedings. The visitors made a fast start, taking 16 from the opening two overs before Chris Wright intervened.

The 39-year-old struck twice in as many overs. First, he had away captain Haseeb Hameed caught by Louis Kimber at second slip for 13, before Freddie McCann (1) had his off stump uprooted shortly after.

Leicestershire’s attack bossed the opening hour’s exchange, with Ian Holland getting Ben Slater (26) caught at cover by Ahmed and Ben Green trapping Joe Clarke (4) in front with his very first delivery – following on from his magnificent 83 not out on Thursday afternoon.

Coming together at 49/4, Matthew Montgomery and Lyndon James responded strongly. The pair repelled the home onslaught to take lunch 93/4, leading by 87.

For the second time in the match, it was trial by spin in the afternoon, as Patel, Ahmed, and Liam Trevaskis bowled all 13 overs before Nottinghamshire declared 41 overs into their innings on 152/4. Montgomery (48*) and James (52*) adding 103 together.

Leicestershire made a healthy start to their second dig, with two glorious off-drives from Patel setting the tone during Josh Tongue’s opening over.

Sol Budinger repeated the feat in the next Tongue over, picking off the England international for boundaries either side of the wicket with immaculate timing.

Two further aesthetic straight drives followed before the opener edged Tongue behind to ‘keeper Dane Schadendorf for 20, leaving the Foxes 47/1.

Patel continued to accelerate the scoring, reaching his half-century from 54 deliveries, including ten fours. He retired out on 51 during the tea interval, bringing Ahmed to join all-rounder Ian Holland.

The pair made steady progress throughout the early part of the evening, as they chipped away at the target before an Ahmed offensive made the result sure.

Taking 20 runs off a McCann over, including two monstrous sixes, the exuberant all-rounder looked in excellent order given it was his first knock since mid-January.

With victory already secured, the nature of pre-season allowed for an extra over, during which Ahmed whacked younger brother – and fellow spinner – Farhan for a huge six to reach his half-century. No brotherly love lost there.

Dovetailing perfectly with Ahmed, Holland finished an assured innings unbeaten on 35 from 63 deliveries at the other end in his new role at number three.

For Leicestershire, it concludes a productive pre-season, with the Foxes ready to kick off their 2025 campaign away at Glamorgan next Friday.

Fox News

Hill and Green Stage Superb Recovery To Hand Leicestershire Lead

27 March 2025

Lewis Hill (88) and the returning Ben Green (83*) led a superb recovery effort to help Leicestershire gain a slender advantage heading into the third and final day of their meeting with Nottinghamshire at Uptonsteel County Ground.

The Foxes’ ninth-wicket duo added 125 together either side of tea to recover from 122/8 to 269 all out, a lead of six runs after first innings.

Rishi Patel scored the first runs of the day, crashing a full and wide delivery outside off from Josh Tongue to the cover boundary.

At the other end, Sol Budinger made a typically speedy start, racing to 14 with a trio of fours before Dillon Pennington dislodged his off stump.

Patel pulled England international Olly Stone mightily for six to bring up Leicestershire’s fifty midway through the 14th over, but he lost partner Ian Holland (6) to Pennington four balls later.

It sparked a flurry of wickets, as Patel himself went for 30 in the same vein– caught by wicketkeeper Dane Schadendorf off Pennington – before Rehan Ahmed (8) and Louis Kimber (0) both fell victim to Lyndon James to leave Leicestershire 75/5.

Captain Ben Cox helped steady the ship pre-lunch - taking the Foxes into the break alongside Hill on 95/5 - but he lasted just four balls after the restart, falling in highly unfortunate fashion.

Looking to glance spinner Farhan Ahmed into the leg side, Cox (11) hit the ball onto his hip before it perilously spun backwards onto his stumps.

Liam Trevaskis (19) and Ben Mike (0) both perished leg-before to Stone within the space of four balls, leaving Leicestershire tottering on 122/8 forty minutes into the afternoon.

Hill continued his defiant innings, however, passing fifty for the second consecutive pre-season match with a swift flick to the mid-wicket boundary ropes off James.

At the other end, Green went about his business in confident touch. Linking up with the group before play on Thursday morning following Somerset’s tour of Abu Dhabi, the all-rounder began to collect boundaries with increased frequency as the overs ticked by before tea.

He reached a wonderfully judged half-century off 81 balls seven overs after the restart, crisply cutting Pennington to the vacant third man boundary for four.

Seven deliveries later, Hill picked off the same bowler to bring up the 100 partnership from 151 balls. It was made almost in equal measure, with Hill contributing 51 and Green adding 52.

Hill then departed 12 runs shy of his century following a barrage of short-pitched Conor McKerr bowling from round the wicket. Moving across his stumps, Hill misjudged one that crashed into his off peg, ending a 125-run alliance with Green.

Having got Leicestershire to parity alongside Tom Scriven, Green demonstrated the most eye-catching of his 16 boundaries, whacking Ahmed - brother of Foxes all-rounder Rehan - over The Meet with a forceful blow for six.

Continuing his short-pitched ploy, McKerr then dismissed Scriven (5), who gloved one to Jack Haynes at leg slip, to wrap up the innings. Leicestershire all out for 269, leading by six, heading into the final day.

Of course Pravda read the day differently

Nottinghamshire’s seam battery were put through their paces on Day Two of their pre-season friendly against Leicestershire.
Dillon Pennington led the way with three wickets, while Olly Stone and Lyndon James returned two apiece, as the Foxes were bowled out for 269.
Lewis Hill battled hard for 88, while Ben Green made 83 not out down the order as the hosts fought back, before the final wicket fell with their lead worth six runs.
With conditions on the second morning similarly grey and cold to the first, Pennington found early joy in the first hour as he bowled Sol Budinger and saw Ian Holland caught behind.
Dane Schadendorf was the man behind the stumps, and he aided Pennington again just two overs after Holland’s fall, snaffling Rishi Patel to give the seamer his third scalp.
Within the next ten overs either side of lunch, three further wickets went down, those of Rehan Ahmed, Louis Kimber, and captain Ben Cox, to leave Leicestershire reeling at 97-6.
Stone’s persistence was then rewarded midway through the afternoon, as he pinned both Liam Trevaskis and Ben Mike lbw in quick succession.
Hill and the on-loan Green did put on a resistant partnership of 125 for the ninth wicket, before the former was bowled by Conor McKerr with the Foxes just short of parity.
The hosts did achieve a small lead late on, before McKerr claimed his second scalp by removing Tom Scriven in what turned out to be the final act of the day.

Meanwhile in Cape Town, Notts players past, present  and never was (because Newell missed his appointment with optician again) are all playing for Western Province, Messrs Paterson, Verreynne and Bedingham, against Boland

Fox News

Scriven Takes Four As Foxes Emphatically Fight Back To Control Day One

26 March 2025

Leicestershire fought back to dismiss visitors Nottinghamshire for 263, having been 234/4 at one stage, on day one of the pre-season meeting at Uptonsteel County Ground.

Tom Scriven spearheaded the retaliation, returning figures of 11-3-20-4, as the Foxes took six visiting wickets for just 29 runs in the evening session.

Captain Ben Cox came out on the right side of the toss, with opposing number Haseeb Hameed calling incorrectly. The wicketkeeper-batter elected to field first in conditions far more akin to the early season chill to be reasonably expected in March.

Hameed - opening with one-time Leicestershire loanee Ben Slater – crunched the first ball of the day through the covers for four, taking eight off Chris Wright’s opening over.

Ben Mike shared the new cherry and yielded just a single from his first two overs. But it was his replacement from the Pavilion End, Scriven, who secured the breakthrough in his first over. Looking to cut, Hameed got a bottom edge onto his stumps and was swiftly on his way for 10.

One brought two, as Slater (23) cut Wright straight to Lewis Hill at cover in the next over. Notts reduced to 37/2, having been 37 without loss seven balls prior.

Freddie McCann and Joe Clarke had added 24 by the time Scriven picked up his second, getting the ball to nip back in and beat the forward defences of the former to disturb the bails.

Clarke and Jack Haynes provided stability for the visitors, adding 124 together either side of lunch. After an attritional start to the afternoon - which saw Wright and Ian Holland string 29 consecutive dot balls together - the Notts pair began to take a liking to spin duo Rehan Ahmed and Liam Trevaskis, who were operating in tandem for 16 overs of the session.

Clarke smashed Trevaskis for two sixes in five balls during the 44th over, as he began to accelerate towards his century, eventually retiring out on 91 from 135 balls. Hayes carried on in much the same vein, reaching his fifty from 103 balls by driving Trevaskis to the ropes shortly before tea.

But the break galvanised Leicestershire. 234/4 was soon to become 263 all out thanks to an inspired bowling display in the final third of the day.

Scriven led the charge. First, he had Matt Montgomery trapped stone dead for 15, before Haynes (76) got a leading edge and duly saw the chance snaffled by Wright running round from mid-on.

Seven and a half overs later, Olly Stone (13) was the next to go. Roman Walker - introduced to the attack for the first time in the day post-tea – getting the England international caught at first slip by Rishi Patel.

Walker struck gold again in his next over, trapping Lyndon James in front for nine. Louis Kimber then picked up Conor McKerr’s (4) wicket with his very first ball, as the visiting seamer holed out to Holland at deep mid-wicket.

Leicestershire wrapped up Notts’ innings with a third wicket in as many overs through an unlikely source, Rishi Patel. The opener’s right-arm off-spin taking the outside edge of Josh Tongue (0) through to Cox.

Six wickets for 29 runs reflected a magnificent evening’s work, rewarding the Foxes for their patience across the afternoon. Play will resume for day two at 11am on Thursday

Pravda saw it differently

Jack Haynes and Joe Clarke struck half-centuries as Nottinghamshire’s batters gained valuable time in the middle on Day One of their pre-season friendly against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Clarke made a fluent 91 before retiring, while Haynes added 76, with the duo sharing a stand of 123 for the fourth wicket on a day when the Green and Golds totalled 263.

Put in to bat on a cold morning beneath grey skies, openers Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater were initially strong against the moving ball, before both were parted within five balls of one another.

With Freddie McCann’s promising innings also cut short by Tom Scriven, who claimed figures of 4/20, it fell to Clarke and Haynes to recover the innings either side of lunch.

They did so effectively, trebling the score and hitting out when necessary, combining for 25 boundaries - of which two were sixes, hit by Clarke off the same Liam Trevaskis over.

Clarke opted to retire out while nine short of his century, while Haynes was removed by Scriven, but by that time, the score had passed 200 and the visitors were in a far healthier position.

Olly Stone helped the tail wag a little, before the introduction of Rishi Patel to the attack saw the final wicket, that of Josh Tongue, fall, thus bringing an end to the first day.

Match Preview | Nottinghamshire | 25-27 March 2025

25 March 2025

Rehan Ahmed and Ben Green have joined Leicestershire’s squad ahead of the Foxes’ final pre-season friendly, starting on Wednesday at Uptonsteel County Ground (11am).

East Midlands counterparts Nottinghamshire will make the short trip to Aylestone for the three-day fixture, which will act as Leicestershire’s last dress-rehearsal before the 2025 County Championship opener away at Glamorgan on 4 April.

SQUAD:

Wicketkeeper Ben Cox once again captains the 13-strong squad, with all-rounders Ahmed and Green replacing namesake Alex Green and Harry Swindells in the matchday party.

Ben Green will link up with Alfonso Thomas’ side on day two, having recently returned from Somerset’s tour of Abu Dhabi. The 27-year-old will remain on loan with the Foxes for the opening seven rounds of the Rothesay County Championship.

Leicestershire: Ahmed, Budinger, Cox*+, B Green, Hill, Holland, Kimber, Mike, Patel, Scriven, Trevaskis, Walker, Wright.

HOW CAN I FOLLOW?

As per the Leeds/Bradford UCCE fixture last week, all three days will be open to the public, free of charge, with entry to be granted via the Curzon Road gate. Please note, limited facilities will be open.

The Club plan to provide a restricted live stream via Foxes TV for all three days. You can subscribe to the channel HERE.

Updates will also be provided across Leicestershire’s portfolio of social media channels, including X, Facebook and Instagram, while a post-day match report will be available on the Club website each day. Full Foxes Preview

Pravda Preview

Notts have named the following squad. Hameed, Ahmed, Clarke, Haynes, McCann, McKerr, Montgomery, James, Pennington, Schadendorf, Slater, Stone, Tongue

So a potential brother v brother situation