Nottinghamshire CCC - The return of DaveK

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Lancashire

Squad News:



Murray and Mullaney are in, Broad and Taylor are out

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first

Notts Innings:
Hopefully Burridge has found some form. His 85 in this match was a game changer, especially after we lost 2 wickets in the first over. Apart from Burridge, the 2nd highest score was Mitch batting at 11. Disappointed really, I would have liked a little more from batsmen playing for their future.

Lancs Innings:
Once again Jefferson got wickets and bowled well, he and Mitch make a great team. They got away from us in the middle overs, but Mullaney came on and took quick wickets. A good win for the young team after the disappointment in Yorkshire.



Batting Award:
Roy Burridge – Hopefully he’s turned a corner after some poor form

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – another tidy performance from the youth player.

Points:
Notts 2, Lancs 0

[DaveK93]

The T20 Quarter Finals have been drawn:



We get Sussex, who could be a tough prospect. They have a good squad, thoroughly capable of playing T20 on their day. It's our job to stop them. The other matches look good as well, and the fans are in for a real treat. Glamorgan could be the dark horses here, much as Gloucestershire were last year. I would also expect Yorkshire and Somerset to progress, they both have good teams for this format.

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Glamorgan

Squad News:



All change again, here’s the team list

Toss:
Glamorgan win the toss and bat first

Day 1:
We didn’t really bat that well, and we owe Shahzad and Taylor a lot for getting us a batting point. A stand of over 70 between Coles and Shahzad at the end saw us to an acceptable total, but we’ll have to hope the pitch deteriorates quickly.
Glamorgan got to 18-2 in reply, Coles and Jefferson getting a wicket each.

Day 2:
We struggled to take wickets again, and we eventually removed Glamorgan for 308. Jefferson got 4 wickets, and there was even a wicket for Burridge towards the end of the innings!
We didn’t bat well though and were 26-3 at the close, and staring at defeat.

Day 3:
By lunch we were 134-4. We lost Hollins for 8 early in the day, but Burridge and Taylor stuck around, Taylor getting his half century just before lunch.
At tea, we were 221-6. Taylor got his century, and Burridge his 50, before Taylor ran him out, then got out himself. Shahzad and Read are at the crease going into the final session of the day.
We didn’t add much more after tea, and Glamorgan were left chasing 228 to win.
Glamorgan finished the day on 27-0 as bad light stopped play.

Day 4:
Glamorgan were cruising along at 67-0 before Jefferson sparked a major batting collapse. They lost all 10 wickets for 57 runs, as we pulled off an astonishing victory. Jefferson and Fuller bowling in tandem was a great sight, and we pulled the match out of the fire. A great win.



Batting Award:
Ajmal Shahzad – Pinches it over Taylor for his heroic effort in the first innings

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – 8 wickets in the match, will probably be my first choice opening bowler next season provided England don’t pinch him. Future Jimmy Anderson perhaps?

Points:
Notts 21, Glam 6

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Sussex

Squad News:



All change for us again, the big news is that Narine misses out. Guptill gets chosen for this on a seamers pitch, strengthening my batting line up, and allowing me to play another allrounder. In this case, Mullaney gets the call. Patel also returns, as I expect Jefferson, Coles and Mitch to be my main attacking threat, and Mullaney is the false sense of security.

Toss:
Notts won the toss, and elect to bowl.

Sussex Innings:
Sussex started brightly, taking 11 from the first over. Jefferson and Coles struck back through, and after 6 overs, they were 4 down, including the wickets of Kane Williamson and Luke Wright. Gatting staged a mini revival though, taking 16 from Mullaney’s first over. Between Mitch, Patel and Mullaney though, we slowed the run rate down, and took regular wickets, Patel knocking Gatting’s middle peg out the ground. Jefferson came back to get a 4th wicket as Sussex finished on 152-8.

Notts Innings:
We started poorly, losing Guptill and Lumb in the first over. Burridge tried to settle, before hitting a six, then being bowled the next delivery. Hales and Taylor formed a mini partnership, but both fell quickly, and we were 62-5 when Mullaney joined Patel at the crease. The pair of them knuckled down and got settled for an over, then Mullaney cut loose. He took a Williamson over for 22, including two 6’s in a row, then a 4 from a no ball. Patel departed with the score on 115, bt Read came in, and held up an end, allowing Mullaney to continue the onslaught. He finished on 55* from 32, with 6 fours, and 3 sixes, as we won the match by 4 wickets. We’re off to finals day!



Batting Award:
Steven Mullaney – completely changed the momentum of the game

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – another 4 wickets, at this rate he’ll be in for a shout as leading wicket taker, he has 18 for me currently. Mitch has 22 in 4 more matches, Coles has 18 from 2 more.

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Derbyshire

Squad News:



Hollins and Jefferson both make their OD debut, and Fletcher returns. Guptill and Hales both take a break in this match, Burridge and McGregor will open. Patel will be utilised as the fifth bowler, but Burridge and Taylor are on standby.

Toss:
Derbys win the toss and bat first.

Derbys Innings:
We bowled fairly well, with all the bowlers except Patel being economical. Burridge ended up being the 6th bowler, and was successful, picking up a couple of wickets. If only his batting was up to scratch currently, and he could be the next Joe Root. Coles bowled well, and Jefferson picked up a wicket or two, and there was a successful return to the side for Luke Fletcher.

Notts Innings:
We started poorly again, Burridge and McGregor struggling. Lumb also fell cheaply, but Hollins stood firm. He picked up his first half century, getting 83*. Patel also stuck around, picking up runs, but holed out, so Read picked up the slack and let Hollins play his natural game. We got home comfortably, and pick up 2 more valuable points.



Batting Award:
Glenn Hollins – Finally seems to have got his career under way.

Bowling Award:
Roy Burridge – not expected to bowl, and did better than some full timers

Points:
Notts 2, Derbys 0

Aside:
T20 Cup Semi Final Draw is in, and we meet Surrey in a repeat of last year. Essex and Somerset will battle it out for the other final spot.

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Worcestershire

Squad News:



I keep faith with the same team, Hales is playing for the 2nd XI to find some form

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first

Notts Innings:
Burridge got some more useful runs, but I can’t help but feel we didn’t get enough from this innings. None of the batsmen could push on after making starts, and we couldn’t take advantage of the powerplay either. I’m not particularly confident we have enough to defend.

Worcs Innings:
We started well, removing both openers in the first 10, but we couldn’t shift ex-Outlaw Voges, and his 95, along with the other contributions, gave Worcs an easy win.



Batting Award:
Roy Burridge – A good performance, a shame no-one could stay there with him

Bowling Award:
James Fuller – Only on the basis he took most wickets

Points:
Worcs 2, Notts 0

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Sussex

Squad News:

The only change is Broad for Fletcher as we look for more regular wickets

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first

Notts Innings:
Once again, we didn’t bat particularly well, and only got 220-6. Lumb batted well, and very quickly, but he was the only one. Hollins also batted well, for a run a ball 72, but in the end, we needed our pinch hitters to perform.

Sussex Innings:
Sussex didn’t really have any major problems unfortunately, and we are in real danger of throwing it away for the second season in a row.



Batting Award:
G Hollins – Another half century, he’s starting to find his feet

Bowling Award:
S Broad – Patel would get it but he was far, far too expensive

Points:
Notts 0, Sussex 2

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Surrey

Squad News:



Mitch and Narine are the overseas for this. Also coming in is Hales and Porterfield, who will both open

Toss:
Surrey win the toss and bowl

Notts Innings:
Despite Porterfield getting a goldie, Hales and Lumb brushed this off to get us past the 100 mark before they departed. From there the innings tailed off a little, but 162 is a very good score in the conditions, and I’m more than happy

Surrey Innings:
We were bashed about in the first 4 overs, but then we struck back, and from there it was very simple. Broad caused a major middle order collapse after Coles and Jefferson took 3 each, and Surrey never looked close.



Batting Award:
Alex Hales – Just the start we needed

Bowling Award:
M Coles – had the difficult job of dealing with Pietersen at the top of the order, and did well

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Essex

Squad News:



So we play Essex. The changes are Guptill and Swann for Porterfield and Narine

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bowl first

Essex Innings:
We got a very good start, Coles and Jefferson bowling out after 8 overs, picking up 6 wickets in the process. Swann, Mitch and Broad finished the rest off, and Essex finished way below par.

Notts Innings:
We won it with ease, Guptill and Lumb both getting half centuries. We win our second T20 title in a row, and it is looking like a very bright future for the team at the moment.



Batting Award:
Martin Guptill – by 1 run from Lumb

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – Just gets from Coles on economy rate

Nottinghamshire win the T20 cup!

A side note: Jefferson's 24 wickets from 9 matches placed him 2nd in the highest wicket takers - 1 behind Hogan of Glamorgan. Impressive way to start his career!

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Sussex

Squad News:



Broad and Swann are back with England, and Mitch has now finished his spell at the club, so Fuller, Hollins and Fletcher all return to the squad.

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first

Day 1:
We batted fairly well, given that the pitch conditions weren’t great.Burridge and Lumb formed the first major partnership, before both fell, Burridge for 65 and Lumb for 82. That was Burridge’s 6th half century without converting it so far, hopefully he’ll get there soon. Read and Hollins then formed the next major parternship, Read getting 57, Hollins getting his first half century for 92. Wickets fell with the new ball though, and we were 377-9 at the close.

Day 2:
We just about made it over the 400 mark, then we got to bowling. Sussex started well, but a major batting collapse saw them finish well behind on 277. Wickets for all the bowlers saw us in a good position. We were 15-2 at the close though, losing Guptill and Lumb

Day 3:
So apparently, the pitch is crumbling. 14 wickets fell, as Sussex look down the barrel of defeat. Notts could only make 168, including another half century for Burridge, so we had to put the pressure on early. And we did. Sussex finished the day 150 behind on 144-6, and we look comfortable to take maximum points from this.

Day 4:
We closed out a comfortable win, only hampered by Jefferson going off the field injured. He’ll be out for 6 days.



Batting Award:
Roy Burridge – Two half centuries, he’s showing signs of improvement

Bowling Award:
Paul Jefferson – Most wickets in the match, shame about the injury

Points:
Notts 24, Sussex 5

Aside:
We don’t qualify from our OD group again, finishing 3rd. We really need to improve in this area!

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Derbyshire

Squad News:



We put out a fairly reserve team for this, so it’ll be easier for you to look at the squads rather than me try and list them all! At this stage, we’ve nearly won the title, so I shall try play some younger players and reserves pushing for new contracts

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first

Day 1:
A fairly slow scoring day from the youngsters, made memorable for McGregor by another big century. He was on 130* at the close of play, the recalled Ramshaw on 42*. Earlier there had been a half century for Hollins, and starts for Burridge and Murray. We finished the day on 306-4.

Day 2:
We didn’t really press on with the batting, and finished on 373. In return Derbys were 181-4 at the close, Burridge getting another wicket after Coles was forced to leave the pitch with injury. Still, conditions are expected to worsen, so there may be a twist in the tail yet.

Day 3:
Such a pathetic performance all-round as we lose our unbeaten FC record. They could have batted better with a stick of rhubarb! Needless to say, I will be looking at changing the team for the next match.



Batting Award:
B McGregor – Great century in the first innings

Bowling Award:
R Burridge – stepped up after we lost Coles.

Points:
Notts 6, Derbys 21

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Middlesex

Squad News:



Another weak squad selected, but many are on their final chances now.

Toss:
Middlesex win the toss and bowl

Day 1:
We owe a lot to Sayers and Ramshaw on day 1, as they got us most of the way to an acceptable total. There were contributions from Hammett and Burridge as well, but again there was a disappointing lack of runs from some of the batsmen. We finished the day on 306-9.

Day 2:
Middlesex were 308-8 at the end of play, but they were 46-4 at one point. Stirling rescued them, but yet again Jefferson was picking up wickets. Carver was disappointing, and needs to bowl better in the 2nd innings.

Day 3:
We choked in the 2nd Innings again. Only 219 this time, leaving Middlesex 216 to chase. Hold on folks, this is going to be another close one.

Day 4:
Once again, we ripped through the first 4 wickets, leaving Middlesex 31-4, but this time we actually got Stirling cheaply. Once he and Robson had fallen, it was all straightforward, and we claim an unlikely win!



Batting Award:
J Sayers – led from the front with a century

Bowling Award:
L Fletcher – devastating bowling in the 2nd innings

Points:
Notts 22, Middx 6

[DaveK93]

Notts vs Surrey

Squad News:



All change again! No Jefferson though, he was injured for 4 weeks during the break between matches. Not sure how I’ll cope.

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first.

Day 1:
A combination of Ramshaw, Taylor and Hollins got us a good score, before a last wicket partnership between Broad and Coles pushed us over 300. We started out the blocks quickly with the bowling as well, as Surrey finished the day 2-2.

Day 2:
Apart from Jason Roy and Stuart Meaker, we didn’t face much opposition. Annoyingly, Roy was resolute though, and we finished only 12 ahead in the end. Plenty of time to push for a win though. We finished the day 74-1, 86 ahead.

Day 3:
We pushed on to declare on 257-6, leaving Surrey 270 to win. Good performances by Hales, Burridge, Ramshaw and Hollins put us in a strong position. Surrey then lost early wickets again, but Friend and Smith pushed on, Smith falling just before the end as they were 145-3 at the close, with heavy rain forecast for day 4.

Day 4:
Heavy rain was indeed forecast, and in the first two sessions, only 10-15 overs were bowled, although it was enough to take 3 Surrey wickets. The last session was cut to 22 overs. Surrey put up a strong resistance, but fell short with an over to go. Broad was the hero of the day, bowling through most of the day.



Batting Award:
T Ramshaw – Good across both innings

Bowling Award:
S Broad – Heroic effort in the 2nd innings

Points:
Notts 22, Surrey 6

[DaveK93]

Nottinghamshire vs Essex

Squad News:



Our final game of the season then. James Taylor misses out through injury, so Murray is given another chance to impress.

Toss:
Notts win the toss and bat first

Day 1:
300-8 after day 1, but once again our batsmen kept getting started then getting out. Burridge and McGregor did well, and they have definitely secured their contracts for next season. Swann and Fletcher were at the crease at the close.

Day 2:
Essex batted reasonably well, and the wickets came in two spells for us. It was impressive bowling at times, Coles and Broad combining well to cause the batsmen problems. We lost Hales and McGregor before the close, to put us on 52-2

Day 3:
We put 255 up in the end, Burridge getting another half century. Again there were contributions along the order, but no real major contribution. We pinched the wicket of Westley before the end, as Essex were 62-1 at the close, still 241 behind.

Day 4:
It was a close match, but Essex snuck home at the end. Next up, all your favourite stats, and any new arrivals…



Batting Award:
R Burridge – consistent in both innings

Bowling Award:
M Coles – A good performance to take 9 wickets

Points:
Notts 6, Essex 21

[DaveK93]

First Class Stats: