Thoroughly miserable conditions ensured that only 34.3 overs of play were possible on the opening day of Nottinghamshire’s LV= County Championship match against Somerset at Trent Bridge.
In that time the home side, put in to bat, reached 93-6, with captain Chris Read undefeated on 52, an innings that had begun with his side on 20-4.
Read admitted that it’s time he won the toss in one of these early season matches. “It would be nice, yes!”
He continued, “It was all tails last year and it seems to be all heads this and they’re not coming down in my favour. That was a tough day’s work out there and we battled hard to get ourselves back into the game but ultimately we’re up against the wall a little bit.”
“It was all tails last year and it seems to be all heads this and they’re not coming down in my favour." - Chris Read
Despite Wednesday’s heavy rainfall, a dry start to the morning allowed several players to enter the nets and begin their warm-ups around 9am but they were soon forced to return to the changing rooms as the next wave of bad weather blew over the city.
An improvement allowed the mopping up operation to begin in earnest and the toss took place at 11.30 with Marcus Trescothick calling correctly and inviting Notts to bat first.
Both counties had named a provisional twelve for this fixture but the eventual starting elevens included a couple of major surprises though, with two big stars being ruled unavailable.
Andre Adams missed out for Notts through illness, and Vernon Philander wasn’t included for the visitors. Notts also left out Andy Carter, with Steven Mullaney getting his first game of the season alongside Harry Gurney – who came in for his Notts debut.
All went well for the opening 7.5 overs as Edwards and Hales put 14 runs on the board. The left-hander was then struck on the pads by Trego and was given out lbw, Edwards’ (3) fifth such dismissal already this season.
Worse was to follow. Without any addition to the score Trego made it two wickets in five balls as he sent back last week’s centurion, Michael Lumb (0) in exactly the same fashion.
Hales (9) nibbled at one in Meschede’s first over, giving Kieswetter a routine catch and then just before lunch Samit Patel (4) drove at one outside his off stump and fell to a flying catch by Suppiah in the gully. 20-4 at lunch – how Notts and their supporters must have wished it had carried on raining!
In the third over after the restart Read punched Meschede to the cover ropes, the first boundary off the bat. He and James Taylor (2) added 14 before the returning Kirby broke the fledgling stand, with a delivery which kissed the edge of the former Fox’s bat on it’s way through to Kieswetter.
Read was helped on his way by a five, courtesy of a fine pick-up but wild throw from Compton before rain interrupted proceeding with the score on 48-5.
Upon the resumption the Notts skipper wasted little time in settling back in, pulling Trego into the Larwood and Voce Stand for six.
The pair advanced their stand beyond fifty (74 balls) but then Somerset were gifted a second bonus point. Mullaney (10) had played with great judgement, leaving well and accumulating steadily, until getting his angles all wrong and allowing a full length delivery from Gregory to clatter into his unprotected off stump.
Before Paul Franks could take guard the heaven’s opened, heralding the start of a 2-hour delay. The resumption was for the briefest of periods but long enough for the skipper to caress Kirby to the Fox Road boundary to bring up his fifty (60 balls, 7x4, 1x5, 1x6)