A stand of 178 between Samit Patel and Riki Wessels was the highlight of a rain-interrupted final day of Nottinghamshire’s LV= County Championship match against Somerset at Taunton.
Patel made 128, his third first class century of the summer, and Wessels reached 82, his highest score since moving to Trent Bridge.
Their partnership helped propel the visitors to maximum batting points as the game petered out into an inevitable draw.
“The mindset changed early on because we began to score runs quite quickly from the start,” said Wessels.
“It was disappointing to miss out on three figures but I’d have been quite happy at the start of the day if you’d offered me eighty-odd and it gives me something to build on now for the rest of the season.”
Mick Newell, Notts director of cricket, said:“To get maximum bonus points having lost so much time due to the weather was very pleasing.
“If the morning hadn’t been lost we’d have hoped to score as many as we could and then put then in again but once we saw the rain we knew we had to get as much out of the day as we could.”
On Wessels’ return to form, Newell added: “We’ve perhaps found his preferred position at five although we might have to bat him at four next week with Samit away with England but he seems more comfortable in the middle order.”
Morning drizzle wiped out the first session but improved conditions enabled a start to be made at 2.15pm. Immediately both Patel and Wessels picked up from their form of the previous day as the first batting point materialised inside three overs.
Patel looked assured as he brought up three figures with his 17th boundary but Wessels went on the offensive with a steam of powerful shots – he lofted George Dockrell out of the ground and into the nearby River Tone – to reach his own fifty. He then celebrated by pulling Kirby behind square from the other end, high over the fence and into the same watery grave.
They powered Notts to three batting points and beyond, whereupon the complexion of the day changed as three wickets fell with the score on 318.
Having also hit Dockrell into the river Patel skied to Buttler attempting a repeat to fall for 128.
As so often happens after a long partnership, the next batsman usually fails. This time it was Steven Mullaney whose long wait for a knock ended abruptly when he feathered his first delivery down the legside to Keiswetter.
Wessels then holed out off Willoughby, Kirby taking a well-judged catch running back.
Either side of tea Chris Read (36) and Paul Franks (39 not out) cemented Notts’ position – combining in a stand of 74 for the seventh wicket. They were parted when the visitors’ captain nicked Willoughby behind.
Andre Adams (0) was bowled by the same bowler, leaving it down to Luke Fletcher (4) to hit the boundary which took Notts to 400 and maximum points.
When Willoughby had Fletcher caught at slip by Trego it meant that Somerset had their share of bowling points so the two sides ended the hostilities and shook hands on a draw