Nottinghamshire Story

[DaveK93]

Notts Vs Derbys T20

Sam Kelsall returned from injury for the hosts, who fielded an unchanged side again. Hopefully Notts would be able to continue a winning streak, against a Derbyshire team who were starting to suggest that they were on the up.

Notts won the toss, and elected to bowl. In hindsight, this was a bad decision, as Derbyshire’s openers launch a heavy assault on the Notts bowlers. Khawaja reached a half century, as Derbyshire made 199-7, a scoreline which would have looked a lot worse had it not been for Andy Carter taking 3 wickets in his final over, leaving him with figures of 4-24. However, this total was still going to be tough for Nottinghamshire to beat.

Nottinghamshire never really looked as if they were challenging in this match, only managing to get to 156-7 in reply. When Michael Lumb went first ball, it was a sign of things to come, as only two batsmen, Elstone and Voges, managed to get past 30. It was disappointing in the way that Nottinghamshire didn’t really challenge, however, as there are a lot of games to play, I’m not excessively concerned, but I would have liked to win, and continue the good form.



Nottinghamshire will be looking to recover from this blip against Durham, once again in the T20 competition.

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Durham

Notts once again played an unchanged team for this match, in poor conditions, and on a pitch that looked likely to swing.

Notts won the toss and decided to bowl. Some good tight bowling at the start restricted Durham, and they were only able to start a partnership once the two spinners, Dalrymple and Patel came on. Stokes and Blackwell put on some valuable runs on during their partnership, and due to them, Durham reached a respectable total of 168-9, one which could be difficult to chase in bowler friendly conditions.

Notts replied slowly and never really looked as if they would post a decent challenge to this total. It was only down to some quick hitting by Franks and Voges at the end that Notts got anywhere the Durham total and finished on 161-7. It was evident that Notts were doomed to fail, after they only managed 24 from the first 4 overs, of which only 3 came in the first over.



The next match is against Lancashire in the T20 cup.

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Lancs T20

S Wood returned from injury in time for this match, but disaster struck as Adam Voges was injured, and is out for 2 weeks, which will hamper the t20 campaign. Edwards, Kelsall and Read come into the squad to try and shore up the batting, with the injured Voges, Mullaney and Casey. Andre Adams and Luke Fletcher come in as well, for Pattinson and Dalrymple.

Notts won the toss and batted first. The new opening partnership of Edwards and Wessels started well, and showed a much needed urgency about the innings. Lumb also regained form to hit 37, and Elstone (34) played a sensible innings down the order to help the total to 167-7, which, once again on a bowlers pitch, could provide a good match.

Lancs started by losing a couple of early wickets, but after Moore attacked an over by Carter at the end of the powerplay, Lancs got on top of the run rate, and never looked like losing. Plus points from this are that Elstone appears to be in good form, and Andre Adams appears to be as well, but the Nottinghamshire T20 campaign lies in tatters.



Next up, a testing trip to Yorks.

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Yorks T20

James Taylor returns for this match, so Chris Read drops out, as he isn’t the best T20 player.

Notts won the toss and bat first. Kelsall was promoted to the top of the order alongside Edwards, to accommodate Taylor. Nottinghamshire posted their biggest total of the season, getting to 200-8, with vital performances from Taylor, Edwards and Adams late on. Nottinghamshire looked comfortable throughout the innings thanks to Taylor, who showed Nottinghamshire what they had been missing in the middle order.

Yorkshire started well, and made the match much more of a game than it should have been. Root, Miller and Jaques were instrumental in getting runs at the beginning of the innings, before Franks and Patel took some key wickets to limit the Yorkshire innings, as they dropped 10 runs short. It’s worth noting that Patel was excessively expensive, conceding 16 off his first, however, he did pick up key wickets, so they cancel each other out.

The win doubles Nottinghamshire’s points tally this season, and hopefully puts the team back into the running to get to the next round.



The next match is one against Durham in the T20 cup.

[DaveK93]

Notts Vs Durham

James Taylor has once again been stolen by England, so Karl Taylor will be given a game, to try and assess his abilities.

Notts won the toss again, and elected to bat. This initially looked like a poor choice as the Nottinghamshire top order collapsed, but spirited performances from Elstone and Patel proved key as Notts limped to 156-9.

Durham looked to chase this seemingly easy total down, and they looked as if they would up until the last couple of overs. With 14 required from the last 12, Durham collapsed. Some tight bowling by Carter and Adams saw 4 wickets fall in the last 2 overs, and a Nottinghamshire victory, which was completely undeserved. Still, the result helped propel Nottinghamshire towards the top of a tight group, and nearer to the next round.



The next match is against Lancashire, and a must win match if Nottinghamshire want to win the title.

[DaveK93]

Notts Vs Lancs T20

Nottinghamshire drop Karl Turner for this match, and bring back Mullaney into the line-up, with Kelsall opening again.

Nottinghamshire won the toss and decided to bat first, and try and post a formidable total. The move to put Kelsall up the order worked, as he hit a fine 69 to anchor the Nottinghamshire innings of 173-8. Some hard hitting from Paul Franks helped the run rate to pick up towards the end, but once again, key players failed with the bat. Hopefully, when the internationals finish, Hales and Taylor will return, but there is definitely the need to strengthen the batting line up with a T20 specialist for next season.

The bowling department let the team down in the Lancashire innings, with Lancashire reaching the target for the loss of only two wickets. That’s about all I can say for that really, it was a shocking bowling performance.

It’s now looking extremely unlikely that Notts will qualify for the next round; they need to win all their games, and hope that Lancashire and Durham don’t win. However, win all my matches, and I may sneak through as one of the best 3rd place teams.



The next must-win match is against Yorkshire, who I have beaten this season.

[DaveK93]

Notts Vs Yorkshire

For this important match, Albert Ellis, who had just come through the mid-season youth intake, comes straight into the squad for the out of sorts Lumb. He’s an opener in all formats, which is something the team has been lacking. Gurney also comes in as a replacement for Fletcher, as does Wood in for Mullaney.

Notts lost the toss, but were placed into bat anyway, which was going to be the original decision. Nottinghamshire lost wickets at regular intervals, but quick-fire innings by Edwards, Patel and Franks made sure that they reached a respectable total of 189 before losing their last wicket.

Yorkshire, having conceded another high score against Nottinghamshire, put up a spirited fight, but once again they came up short, losing by 30 runs, after Samit Patel took some quick wickets to halt any resistance. Andre Adams also took 3 important wickets to limit the innings as well, and gives Nottinghamshire a fighting chance of the next round.

As it stands, Nottinghamshire need two big victories to guarantee 3rd place, as they are level on points with Derbyshire, but lack the net run-rate to compete.



The next match is against Derbyshire, and will decide who takes 3rd place.

[DaveK93]

Notts Vs Derbyshire

The key match saw Lumb in for Woods, in a bid to try and post a big total.

Notts won the toss, and elected to bat. Ellis and Lumb both hit scores of over 60, as Notts reached 174-3, Ellis carrying his bat in only his 2nd T20 and Nottinghamshire appearance. The pitch showed little signs of supporting the bowlers, as some fluent stroke play allowed a target that could be defended.

Derbyshire battled valiantly, but to no avail. Despite starting strongly, the batsman had no answer to the spin of Samit Patel as he took 5-33 to stop the middle order in its tracks, ably supported by Gurney who took 3-30.

The result puts Nottinghamshire ahead of Derbyshire in the table, and as it stands, Nottinghamshire qualify despite the run rate, as they have more points than Glamorgan do in their group.



However, a win against bottom of the table and current holders Leicestershire would make the quarter finals a certainty.

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Leicestershire T20

The final game of the group stages saw more injuries for Notts, this time Andy Carter. This was a blow as he had been the first bowler of the innings, so Wayne Osmond, the other youth player from this year’s intake, was drafted in. Adam Voges returned though, and replaced Edwards, with Lumb and Ellis opening the batting.

The toss went Leicestershire’s way, and they put Nottinghamshire into bat. The openers Ellis and Lumb went on strongly, putting on 42 before Lumb went, and a mini collapse followed, Notts finding themselves at 94-4. Elstone(46) and Patel (40) took control though, and helped take Nottinghamshire to a commanding 187-8, Paul Franks once again chipping in with some useful runs.

The Leicestershire reply saw some controlled pace bowling throughout by Nottinghamshire as they kept the run-rate down from the start and added pressure to the batsmen. Only Osmond suffered, as once again Patel proved his worth with figures of 4-35, breaking a strong opening partnership between Sarwan and Jefferson. The win sees Nottinghamshire qualify for the next round of the cup as one of the best 3rd places, where they will play Warwickshire in the next round.



For now though, a game against Middlesex in the County Championship beckons.

[DaveK93]

Notts Vs Middlesex

The internationals were over (for now) so Broad, Swann, Hales and Taylor all returned, and went immediately into the squad at the expense of Ellis, Kelsall, Osmond and Gurney. Ellis will get his chance in a first class game this season, but for now Elstone gets the nod as he can double as a part time off spinner if required.

Having won the toss and batting first, Nottinghamshire put together a strong first innings of 316, with Hales and Taylor both getting half centuries on their return. Finn was the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets, but Nottinghamshire were consistent throughout, and whilst they did lose wickets steadily, they gained enough runs that they were able to cope, and have left the bowlers a strong platform.

The Middlesex reply began with the loss of Andrew Strauss before the close of play on day 1. However, that wasn’t the sign of things to come, as Eoin Morgan, Sam Robson and Dawid Malan helped Middlesex to 502-5 before declaring, Malan finishing on 162*. The bowlers couldn’t break through, as Nottinghamshire face an uphill struggle to save the match.

Nottinghamshire managed to reach 382, but if it hadn’t been for the tail enders, the score would have been a lot worse. Franks (70),Adams (63), Broad(58) and Swann (35) managed to put Nottinghamshire in the lead by 196, when at one point, it looked highly unlikely there would be a Middlesex innings. Middlesex are still in pole position, but Nottinghamshire have dragged themselves back in this.

Once again, the Notts bowling attack looked inept as Middlesex knocked off the runs with ease. Strauss hit a confident century as only Graeme Swann took wickets; Middlesex reaching 197-2. That’s about as much as I can say really, it was an inept performance really from the team, even with the international players back, and I’m hoping that there will be significant improvements in the future. Alex Hales was the only real performer in the match, getting into the 70s twice in the match, and it is becoming increasingly more evident that he will be a star of the team to come on both county and international level.



For now though, Nottinghamshire have the chance to redeem themselves in the Challenge Trophy, a strong competition for them, with a match against Surrey.

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Surrey

The only major news is that Jake Ball is out for 3 weeks, and that Swann and Broad have returned to the England camp, so with that in mind, Graeme White and Ben Phillips come in to try and shore up a very expensive bowling line up. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that I need to bring in two or three good bowlers during the transfer window, but for now, these guys should be capable.

Surrey won the toss, and elected to bat first, in conditions that looked favourable for the bowlers. This initially proved to be a good decision, with James Roy getting off to a good start. However, when Paul Franks came on to bowl, everything changed. A devastating spell saw Franks take 2 wickets in his second over, followed by another 2, to remove the majority of the middle order, and leave Surrey struggling on 111-7. Only a determined partnership by Meaker and Tremlett rescued the innings, and gave Surrey a slightly more respectable innings of 179. Paul Franks finished with impressive figures of 8-3-26-4, a great response to being carted all over the ground by Middlesex.

Nottinghamshire have a strong batting line up, and a target like this should be an easy prospect. Hales and Lumb opened, and provided a steady opening partnership of 44, before Lumb departed. Elstone came in to replace him, and soon found himself batting with James Taylor, as Hales departed. Patel came in for Elstone, when he departed for 11, and picked the scoring rate up before departing, bringing in the experienced Adam Voges, with the score on 100-4 after 20.3 overs. Taylor went 9 runs later, and Wessels came in, hitting 11 from the rest of the over. With 10 overs left, only 35 were needed, so the result looked safe. Wessels and Voges looked comfortable, and saw Notts through to a 4 wicket win, Voges departing just before the end. Wessels finished on 42 from 43, and gave the innings a bit of flair, and hopefully helped to increase the net run-rate in the process. It was nice to be able to take the match slowly, a luxury we’ve not always been able to afford, and a comfortable victory was nice to see.



For us next, we have Hampshire, who are second in the group, and level on points with us, but have played 7 games to our 5, so we should finish above them this season. Also, we have an advantage over 3rd place Somerset, who have played one more game than us, and are 2 points behind us. So one day success is looking promising this season.

[cricfan1]

Good going ..

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Hampshire

Graeme White picked up a minor knock during training, leaving him unavailable for 6 days, which includes this match. Jamie Dalrymple is the man to stand in, as he provides an extra batting option, but he does worry me as a fourth or fifth bowler, as he’s not quite as good as he used to be. Hopefully batting first, on a batting pitch, may give us the extra edge.

Naturally, the toss didn’t go our way, and out into the field we went. The batting pitch held true as Hampshire got off to a good start, despite losing an early wicket, with a second wicket partnership of 134 by Carberry (82) and McKenzie (70). The bowlers looked helpless, with the ball even being thrown to Scott Elstone, who bowled 3 overs to try break the partnership. In the end, it was the ever dependable Samit Patel who did the damage, removing McKenzie. From there, wickets were taken consistently, to limit Hampshire to 231-9, but they should have done a lot better with their start, and on a favourable batting pitch.

Nottinghamshire looked to take advantage of the pitch, and sent Hales and Lumb, a trusted opening partnership to face the new ball. However, Nottinghamshire got off to the worst possible start, going down to 10-3 early on, and when James Taylor went for 43 at 94-5, the match looked over, even more so when Wessels went, with the score at 117-6. However, Adam Voges played his most important innings this season to see Nottinghamshire through to the target, reaching 103* from 76 deliveries. He was ably supported by the tail end, of Franks, Dalrymple, and Adams, who hit quick runs, and also made sure Voges got as much of the strike as possible. It was another close match for Nottinghamshire, too close for comfort sometimes. It certainly felt as if this match would finish in defeat throughout the early stages, but the experienced head of Voges proved too much to handle.



This leaves us clear by 2 points, and shows that we have a good one day team; it’s just a shame that we keep faltering in the four day game, which we return to with a game against Surrey.

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Surrey

The only change for Surrey’s visit to Trent Bridge is that A Ellis comes in for Scott Elstone. Elstone could do with a rest, and Ellis looks a good prospect, so I want to test him when possible. With it looking unlikely there will be a title challenge, the County Championship looks like the perfect opportunity to bring players through.

Notts won the toss, and elected to field. The reasoning was that we were hoping to capitalise on the fact that there is rain on the first day, and hoping to exploit some swing. As it turned out, there wasn’t much swing to be had until the final session of the first day, after a small rain delay, when Phillips and Franks bowled some tight overs to expose the tail-enders. Surrey got to 274-7 by the end of the first day, so the honours were even. When the second day started, the weather was bright, and Surrey looked to push on. They only managed to add 39 runs to their overnight total, in an uneventful end, both sides on 3 points after the first innings.

Nottinghamshire lost their openers early on, but sensible batting from Taylor, Lumb and Patel saw Notts ahead by the end of the second day. However, Nottinghamshire collapsed on the third morning, falling to 336 all out, after being 319-4 the previous night. It was a disappointing collapse, but it doesn’t take anything away from the good batting on day 2, and left the points equal at the midway point.

Surrey were 24 behind, which they knocked off easily. They continued solidly through the day and declared early on day 4, 335 ahead. No real bowling performances of note, the bowlers struggled on the pitch, and this game now looks as it is just going to fall away into a draw.

The original prognosis was that this would finish a draw after the third innings, but Nottinghamshire had other ideas. Some quick hitting from Patel and Lumb was supported throughout by a superb century from Alex Hales. Wickets did fall consistently though, and with 15 minutes left, 13 runs were required, and the last wicket pairing of Dalrymple and Phillips, playing his first FC game this season, were going strongly. A 4 from Ben Phillips, who got 31 from 22, finished the game off, Notts chasing 321 on the final day, with one wicket left, and 2 overs left in the day. Another breath-taking finish for Nottinghamshire, and another one that shredded my nerves! Special mention to Alex Hales though, who showed experience beyond his years to get his first century of the season, and hold together the innings.

The result puts Notts back with an outside chance of the CC title, but we need to win every game to do that, and I can’t honestly see that happening, so I am still content to blood my youngsters for now.



The next match for me is the game against Scotland in the Challenge Trophy.

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Scotland

An unchanged line up for this match was decided, despite Graeme White returning from injury for what looked like an easy match.

Nottinghamshire fielded first, after losing the toss yet again. The Scotland innings was fairly dull, with wickets lost regularly, and only Berrington and Haq providing opposition as Scotland managed to make it to 185-9 from their 40 overs.

I decided that once again, I could take this match slowly and get the result, rather than risk it for a quick victory. In the end it was a comfortable victory, James Taylor making 79* in a routine victory.

Sorry for the short report, it was an incredibly dull match and not that eventful. Hopefully the next match, one against Warwickshire in the T20 quarter finals, will be more entertaining.