DAY ONE - CLOSE OF PLAY
MIDDLESEX 9-3
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 241 ALL OUT
A century from Samit Patel, the 24th of his career, helped Nottinghamshire post 241 on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Middlesex at Trent Bridge.
Patel scored his runs from 137 balls, having hit 16 fours and a six, but perished for exactly 100 three deliveries after reaching the landmark. Steven Finn claimed Patel’s wicket, on his way to figures of four for 54.
Middlesex, the league leaders, were left with seven overs in which to bat but their hopes of a smooth ride to closing time were crushed by Jake Ball as he took a hat-trick in the opening over to leave the visitors on nine for three at stumps.
Middlesex were decisive in opting to have a bowl on a cloudy September morning. They made an early breakthrough, with Jake Libby nicking Tim Murtagh to first slip in only the third over of the day. The introduction of Steven Finn had an immediate effect as Tom Moores, was bowled through the gate for 16.
Finn then had Steven Mullaney smartly snaffled up by Ollie Rayner at second slip, leaving Michael Lumb and Brendan Taylor to repair the early damage with a stand of 31 either side of lunch.
Their partnership was broken in fortuitous circumstances by Ollie Rayner as Lumb punched a backfoot drive into the midriff of Nick Gubbins, standing a couple of paces away at silly point. Taylor had played a couple of stylish drives off Toby Roland-Jones on his way to 30 but then fell to the same bowler. Squared up, the ball ballooned off an outside edge to point, where Gubbins slid in to take his second catch of the session.
The sixth wicket pairing put on 49 together, a stand broken when Chris Read chopped Rayner straight to point for 24. Further wickets for Finn and Rayner left the home side eight down but Patel used the second new ball to his advantage, reaching his second hundred of the summer before clipping to deep square leg.
Ball, back on championship duty having not featured in any of the recent ODIs, made the most of his return to county duty. The third ball of the opening Middlesex over saw Mullaney pouch Robson at second slip. Nightwatchman Rayner, whose career best score of 143 came on this ground in a similar role in 2012, perished to a full-pitched delivery which crunched into the front pad. Nick Compton, after a lengthy delay, which saw one or two Notts’ fielders enquiring if he should, perhaps, be timed out, eventually made it to the middle. Ball’s hat-trick delivery was straight and true, giving the 25-year old a place in the county’s record books as the first Nottinghamshire bowler to perform a home championship hat-trick since Paul Franks in 1997.
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TEA
Nottinghamshire 1st Innings: 181 for 6
Middlesex picked up a further three wickets during the opening afternoon of their Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
The home side, put into bat at the start of the day, reached tea on 181 for six, with Samit Patel unbeaten on 55, after reaching his 50 from 74 balls.
Either side of lunch Michael Lumb and Brendan Taylor added 30 for the fourth wicket before their partnership was broken in fortuitous circumstances by Ollie Rayner. Lumb punched a back foot drive against the spinner but stood aghast as the ball lodged in the midriff of Nick Gubbins, standing a couple of paces away at silly point.
Taylor had played a couple of stylish drives off Toby Roland-Jones on his way to 30 but then fell to the same bowler. Squared up, the ball ballooned off an outside edge to point, where Gubbins slid in to take his second catch of the session.
The sixth wicket pairing put on 49 together, a stand broken when Chris Read chopped Rayner straight to point for 24.
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DAY ONE - LUNCH
Nottinghamshire 1st Innings: 74-3
The off-field news was just as dramatic as the action in the middle on the opening morning of Nottinghamshire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Middlesex at Trent Bridge.
Peter Moores, who has been working with Notts in a coaching consultancy role since June 2015, has been appointed as the county’s Head Coach, taking charge of first team affairs on a day to day basis.
The appointment comes into effect from 1st October but in his present role he watched on as Notts reached 74 for three by lunch, having been asked to bat first.
Jake Libby was the first to be dismissed, nicking Tim Murtagh to first slip in only the third over of the day.
The introduction of Steven Finn had an immediate effect as Tom Moores, son of Peter, was bowled through the gate for 16.
Finn then had Steven Mullaney smartly snaffled up by Ollie Rayner at second slip, leaving Michael Lumb and Brendan Taylor to safely guide the home side through to
