Nottinghamshire CCC - The return of DaveK

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Essex

Squad News:



Unchanged squad again, the majority of the team is in good form. David Payne plays against his former county.

Toss:
Essex win the toss and bat first. Suits me, I wanted to bowl on this track, which looks good for the seamers.

Day 1:
Honours even on day 1, as Essex finished on 287-8. We started brightly, Shone getting Westley for 0. We struggled for a while though, Bopara and Browne finding their grove. March got Browne for 49, and then a couple more quick wickets fell. We finally got the big wicket of Bopara when he was caught behind off Shone’s bowling for 69, but Rashid stepped up. He was still in at the close, but Essex suffered a blow as Payne was injured off of Broad’s bowling when on 17, he will be unable to continue.

Day 2:
We held a slight advantage after Day 2, being ahead by 11. After removing Rashid on the first ball of the day, we then lost Northeast to the 2nd. Our batting wasn’t great, but a good knock from Patel recovered our innings, and put us slightly ahead at the close.

Day 3:
For the 2nd day in a row, a wicket came from the first ball of the day, as we failed to add to our total. Meanwhile, Bopara and Rashid continued to frustrate us as Essex were 308-8 at the close. A win is still possible, but it is going to be hard work now.

Day 4:
After we finally got rid of Essex, we were left with 325 to win. Fortunately Hales was in an aggressive mood, and by lunch he was on 76* as we were 117-2. By tea, Hales was still in magnificent form, reaching 152*. Burridge was the second highest scorer on 21. We were 256-7, still 69 short, and with Hales rapidly running out of partners.
The close of play saw us as victors. A 77 run partnership between Hales and Shone won us the match, and when Hales eventually fell for 172, the damage was done. Jefferson held up one end as Shone played the shots, and with just over an over to go, Shone hit a four to get us victory. A great match for the neutral.



Batting Award:
Alex Hales – World class century

Bowling Award:
Philip March – consistent across both innings

Points:
Essex 5, Notts 20

[lukaz189]

Still following with great interest buddy. Looks like you've got some promising youngsters coming through!!

Need to get Shone up the order by the looks of his batting form, haha.

[DaveK93]

Still following with great interest buddy. Looks like you've got some promising youngsters coming through!!

Need to get Shone up the order by the looks of his batting form, haha.

When Broad joins up with England, I haven't got a quality all-rounder to take his place that bowls pace, so Shone will probably be the number 7 in those instances. Also means I can bring Wyatt or Coles into the squad.

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Kent

Squad News:



We make one change, as Ramshaw comes in for Northeast

Toss:
Kent win the toss and bat

Kent Innings:
Apart from Blake, no-one really stood out in the Kent innings. However, that could be down to the class bowling that we showed. Shone was great, getting 4 wickets, and March showed why he was such a good one day bowler with an economical performance. The only disappointment was Broad, but he is horribly out of form, so he may get a spell in the reserves.

Notts Innings:
A little more troublesome than it should have been, but we got the points. Hales was in great form again, but lacked support from the others. We started to fall behind the run rate, but Ramshaw smashed the bowling around, and we got there with plenty of time to spare.



Batting Award:
Alex Hales – Great performance at the top of the order

Bowling Award:
M Shone – got us off to a great start

Points:
Kent 0, Notts 2

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Somerset

Squad News:



We only make one change, as we restore Northeast to the line-up at the expense of Ramshaw. Burridge goes back to number 6. On a turning pitch, we play three spinners. Toss:
Somerset win the toss and bat first.

Day 1:
Somerset only managed 294 on day 1, as the spinners tied them in knots. March and Kerrigan took the bulk of the wickets, as they took advantage of the pitch. Only Compton really batted well as we have the upper hand

Day 2:
Day 2 saw us get the upper hand as we pushed on past 300. We owe Burridge a lot, his century holding together what had been a previously unremarkable performance. We now need a solid performance from the tail so we have a decent advantage.

Day 3:
We managed 345 in the end, Burridge being the last man out for 120. By this time, the pitch has become more bowler friendly, and we set about destroying Somerset. We bowled them out for 204, with big contributions from Jefferson and Broad, as the spinners got a couple of wickets each. A target of just over 150 to chase, we were 21-0 at the close.

Day 4:
We lost two wickets as we got to the target with ease. A comfortable victory.



Batting Award:
Roy Burridge – Held the first innings together

Bowling Award:
P March – Kept plugging away in the first innings to cause major problems for the batsmen.

Points:
Somerset 5, Notts 22

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Netherlands

Squad News:



Broad joins up with England, so we bring in Wyatt as the 5th bowler, with Shone promoted up the order to 7. He’s been working on his batting in training, so hopefully will have an impact. Ramshaw also replaces Northeast

Toss:
Netherlands win the toss and bowl first

Notts Innings:
On a poor pitch, against a sub-par bowling attack, we decided our gameplan would to be to attack the first 10 overs, and then judge the situation. In Hales and Burridge we have two attacking openers, and they did not disappoint. Hales was on top form again, and despite losing Burridge, Taylor and Patel quickly, we were well on top on 76-3 after 10. Hales and Friend let loose a barrage of shots towards the bowlers, and both reached their milestones quickly. Hales’ 110 came from 74 balls (15 x 4, 3 x 6) and Friend got 52 from 41 (4 x 4, 4 x 6). This, combined with Ramshaw’s 58 from 31 (8 x 4, 1 x 6) put us in a commanding position.

Netherlands Innings:
We probably didn’t need the big total as our bowling tore apart the batting order. Jefferson produced a magnificent display of seam bowling to get 7-46, his best OD figures, and there were wickets for Wyatt, Shone and March. The win of 199 runs reflects our total domination in this match.



Batting Award:
Alex Hales – Probably one of the best short format players on the circuit at the moment.

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – Best OD figures, this guy will be leading the bowling attack for years to come

Points:
Netherlands 0, Notts 2

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Northamptonshire

Squad News:



We only make one change, as Ramshaw again drops out for Northeast. Wyatt is selected ahead of Coles for this one, with Shone playing as a faux all-rounder at 7.

Toss:
Northants win the toss and bat first

Day 1:
We exploited the conditions well against a struggling Northants side. March was the destroyer in chief, getting 5 wickets, ably supported by Wyatt and Shone. Limiting them to 274 was good work, and we could get a real lead here. We managed 40-1 at the close, losing Northeast.

Day 2:
Despite our attempts to bat ourselves out the game, Hales and Burridge were instrumental in getting us to 350-8 at the close. After losing three quick wickets, they settled down, and Burridge was unlucky not to get a century. However, Hales did, and continued on, and we could do with a few more runs before the end of the innings.

Day 3:
We held the advantage at the end of day 3, after some quality pace bowling. Hales survived long enough to get his 150, before Kerrigan and Jefferson pushed us over 400.
Jefferson then proceeded to take 3 quick wickets at the top of the order, in tandem with Wyatt and Shone. We lost Shone to injury, but March and Kerrigan also proved useful. Northants were 6 down when they passed the deficit of 124, and 7 at the close as we scented victory.

Day 4:
We got the new ball and it was game over for Northants. 202 all out, 75 ahead, with Wyatt getting the last 3 men. We lost 3 wickets, but we won comfortably.



Batting Award:
Alex Hales – His century made all the difference, and he has found form after an indifferent start to the season.

Bowling Award:
Philip March – His bowling effort in the first innings was great in good batting conditions.

Points:
Northants 4, Notts 23

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Sussex

Squad News:



Matt Coles earns himself a recall in place of the injured Shone. March will be acting as the false 7 for this match. Ramshaw in for Northeast as well, with Kerrigan dropping out for Swann.

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bowl first

Notts Innings:
Apart from Patel and Friend, our batting line-up didn’t really fire. We lost quick wickets, and Patel and Friend managed to steady the ship. They both fell trying to push the scoring, but 203 on this pitch is a decent total.

Sussex Innings:
Again, we didn’t need to worry about the amount of runs we had. Wyatt got a couple of early wickets, as did Swann, but March did the real damage. He’s picked up 76 OD wickets at 14 a piece, and today showed why. A classy spell of off spin bowling saw him get 5-19, and win us the match.



Batting Award:
Samit Patel – A well thought out, measured innings to get us out of trouble.

Bowling Award:
Philip March – He’s settled down well at Notts, and is proving to be a great acquisition.

Points:
Notts 2, Sussex 0

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Worcestershire

Squad News:



We make one enforced change as March is called up to the England team (where he didn’t play), so Mushfiqur Rahim makes his debut; Patel steps up to be the 5th bowler.

Toss:
Worcs win the toss and bowl first

Notts Innings:
Once again, we attacked from the off. We lost quick wickets at the start, but Taylor performed well. His 77 was quickfire, and just what we needed. Ramshaw also got runs quickly, and there were contributions from both Patel and Coles.

Worcs Innings:
A stunning bowling performance sealed the victory in style for us. Jefferson and Wyatt were particularly impressive, and shared 7 wickets between them. Coles also got a couple of wickets as well, and we won by a massive margin. Our one day game has been devastating this season.



Batting Award:
James Taylor – Quick hitting helped him to stand out.

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – Led from the front, he has become the lynch-pin of our bowling attack. I’m still surprised he hasn’t been called up more often for England

Points:
Notts 2, Worcs 0

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Northamptonshire

Squad News:



Phil March is back with us, and goes straight back into the squad. Coles is replaced, as are Rahim and Swann, with Fletcher and Wallis coming in.

Toss:
Notts win the toss and elect to bat

Notts Innings:
To be honest, we didn’t really do as well as we should have done. Only Friend really performed, as the rest of the batsmen struggled on a seemingly flat track. Credit is deserved by the Northants bowlers though, they caused us problems, and did really well to limit us after our recent form.

Northants Innings:
For a while, we looked to have some problems. Williamson batted well, but Fletcher started to manipulate the ball well, and got 3 wickets. That, combined with an inexpensive performance from March put the pressure on, and we got the rest of the wickets as they holed out searching for runs.



Batting Award:
George Friend – Only batsmen over 50, vital runs

Bowling Award:
Luke Fletcher – His wickets caused a collapse

Points:
Notts 2, Northants 0

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Sussex

Squad News:



We only make one change for this match, Shiv Thakor returning for Wallis

Toss:
Sussex win the toss and bat first

Sussex Innings:
We would have been a lot better off had Patel not been milked for 62 runs from his 8. The other bowlers did well though, all picking up wickets. R Jefferson, and R H-Brown caused problems with big hitting, but they lacked support from the rest of the team. A chaseable target though, I’m not too disappointed.

Notts Innings:
We started pretty brightly, despite losing Hales for a duck. Burridge hit runs quickly, and we were 76-2 from the first 10. Our progress slowed when Burridge fell for 65, but Thakor held the innings together on his return to action, getting 45. However, the pinch hitters, Friend and Ramshaw couldn’t get going, and we were left with a very tight finish. March couldn’t get the single from the last ball, and we had to settle for a tie.



Batting Award:
Roy Burridge – The Notts youth product is having a great season, and finally living up to the potential I saw in him.

Bowling Award:
Luke Fletcher – Bowled well again, and is desperately trying to secure a 1st team place in the absence of Shone and Broad

Points:
Notts 1, Sussex 1

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Surrey

Squad News:



We take a break from the shorter format with a trip to the Brit Oval. Not exactly an easy prospect, but one we should be capable of really. Surrey are also 2nd in the league, behind us at the moment, so there is a lot at stake here.

For our visit, Surrey have prepared a seaming pitch, so there is a need for a rethink in strategy. With it not being feasible to consider 2 spinners, Kerrigan will have to wait his turn. Wyatt keeps his place after some impressive form recently, and will open the bowling with Jefferson. Fletcher also keeps his place ahead of Coles for this match. Samit Patel also pays the price for some indifferent form with both bat and ball, so Steven Mullaney comes in, and will give us an extra pace option.

For the batting, Ramshaw is kept at 7, which means Northeast misses out. Burridge is averaging over 50 at no. 6, so remains there, meaning that Shiv Thakor will open the batting in the first innings. Geoffrey Friend is also under consideration for the position.

Toss:
Nottinghamshire win the toss, and bowl first. Hopefully we can take advantage of the cloud on day 1.

Day 1:
The cloud didn’t help us. Surrey were 349-7 at the close, with Aitkenhead getting his 2nd century against us. It could have been more though, as Davies and Carberry set off like a house on fire. However, Mullaney was our best bowler, and got 2 cheap wickets. March struggled on his old turf, and we aren’t in a great position

Day 2:
After dismissing Surrey for 374, we set about trying to match their total. Naturally, this meant our batsmen should throw their wickets away constantly. We were 40-3 at the start, and it took some rebuilding from Friend and Mullaney. Friend carried on the good work with Burridge, both getting scores in the 70’s, but we were 262-8 at the close, and we are going to struggle to get a win here.

Day 3:
We only managed to get to 280 in the end, the bowlers not really doing much with the bat. However, they finally demonstrated why they are so good in the second innings. They tore the batting to pieces, fizzing it past the edge or rearing it into the batsmen constantly, and they were unplayable. Surrey managed to limp through to lunch on 39-5. There was no respite after lunch, and Surrey finished on 59 all out, setting us a target of 154 to win.
We were in no hurry, having seen the true capabilities of the pitch and were 116-3 at the close. However, Thakor has had to retire with injury, so a batting line up rethink will be needed yet again.

Day 4:
We wrapped up the win for the loss of only two more wickets. A great win after being seemingly out the match.



Batting Award:
G Friend – 73 against his old team, and held our first innings together with two key partnerships.

Bowling Award:
Alex Wyatt – Destructor in chief during that second innings. Easily our best team bowling performance in an innings this season.

Points:
Notts 21, Surrey 7

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Warwickshire

Squad News:



From the Oval to Edgbaston now as we play Warwickshire. We travel without two players though. Thakor is out for 5 weeks, so will miss a few games, and Philip March rejoins Hollins and Broad in the England camp. Northeast comes in for Thakor, whilst March is replaced by Matt Coles. With no spinner selected, it could be risky, and we will have to call on Burridge to turn his arm over if we get desperate. Mullaney retains his place after a great performance against Surrey

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first

Day 1:
We had a good day with the bat, and saw two centuries. Hales and Friend lead the way as we got to 315-4 at the close. There were also welcome contributions from Mullaney and Northeast, Taylor being the only one to struggle. It may be worth resting him for a couple of matches, ready for the T20 campaign.

Day 2:
We decided to push for maximum batting points, and got there with a couple of balls to spare. Rain did delay proceedings a little, but we got to 441, Friend top-scoring on 149. We started brightly with the ball, getting Chopra, but it wasn’t until Coles came on that we had a major impact. He got 2 in 2 overs to rock Warwicks, and they finished the day on 151-4.

Day 3:
We managed to just about enforce the follow on after some good work from Mullaney and Fletcher. Westwood did provide some resistance, but couldn’t quite hold on as they finished on 290.
The 2nd innings started much the same way as the first; with an early wicket. Chopra and Orton were starting to get settled, but Fletcher removed both within 2 overs to peg the innings back. By the close, Warwicks were still 18 behind on 133-3.

Day 4:
Another frantic finish. These are fast becoming my trademark. Warwickshire only added an extra 107 runs, but they took all but an 1hr 20 of the day to do it. I even resorted to Burridge near the end to get wickets (which he did)! After that, we didn’t have long to get 98 runs. Fortunately, my team is very aggressive, and we got there with 5 balls to spare. Credit to Friend, he led from the front yet again.



Batting Award:
Geoffrey Friend – Top scored in both innings, and has proved since his move from Surrey that he is the man to replace Read. An astute purchase.

Bowling Award:
Luke Fletcher – 3rd award in recent games, this one for a consistent display, picking up deserved wickets in the second innings. With Shone back for the next match, he may just have the edge over his rivals for now.

Points:
Notts 24, Warwicks 4

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Warwickshire

Squad News:



Our business at Edgbaston isn’t quite over yet, as we return there for a 40 over match. We’ve had a bit of break in between the matches, a luxury on the county circuit, so our players are fully rested. What’s more, we have the England lads back, and Mitchell Shone is back from injury. However, this does mean that squad selection will be difficult.

The pitch conditions are very bowler friendly here, so with that in mind, I elect to go for 5 mainline bowlers. My thinking is that my bowlers are also capable batsmen, so I could get away with a bowler at 7. Alternatively, I could select Broad, who in theory is a capable batsman, but I have found him to be ineffective in the shorter formats.

After considering all available possibilities, including player form, I select 5 bowlers. Broad misses out, as his bowling average for one day games this season is 184. Instead, Mitchell Shone comes in, as does Philip March. Mullaney and Coles are the unlucky two to miss out, although I would expect to see them return to the team before the season ends.

In terms of batting, there is little to change. Sam Northeast is replaced by Glenn Hollins, which means I can drop James Taylor down the order. Taylor has struggled recently, so this may take a little pressure off of him

Toss:
Warwickshire win the toss and bowl first

Notts Innings:
A superb batting performance saw us put 257 on the board. A lot of the work came from Burridge, and Hollins. Hollins, who was playing his first game for us this season, got 95, while Burridge got 81, alleviating the pressure on the lower order. There was also a welcome 30* for James Taylor.

Warwicks Innings:
Another close encounter with Warwickshire saw us win by 4 runs. The 2nd wicket partnership was key, as it was for our innings, as Chopra and Trott got Warwicks very close to our total. Fortunately, Wyatt and Jefferson kept their heads, and we just about won the match.



Batting Award:
Glenn Hollins – Showed his remarkable development since joining the club

Bowling Award:
Alex Wyatt – Kept his head at the death

Points:
Notts 2, Warwicks 0

Aside:
I’d forgotten that this was the final from last season. This season Warwicks don’t look like qualifying. How times change.

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Worcestershire

Squad News:



No changes for this match, as we look to reach the halfway point of the season with a win.

Toss:
Worcs win the toss and bat first

Worcs Innings:
Apart from Harrison and Carlisle, Worcs didn’t really look like a threat. They got some quick runs at the end, but our bowling was pretty effective. Jefferson was the pick of the bowlers, as he only conceded 25 from his 8. Again, it outstands me that he doesn’t play more for England.

Notts Innings:
We didn’t many issues. All the batsmen scored quickly, and in the end, a great partnership between Friend and Taylor sealed the victory.



Batting Award:
Geoffrey Friend - Would have reached his century had he not run out of runs to chase

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – May have taken less wickets than Wyatt, but bowled a lot better

Points:
Notts 2, Worcs 0