Centuries for Michael Lumb and James Taylor guided Nottinghamshire into a strong position by the close of the second day of their LV= County Championship match against Sussex at Trent Bridge.
Lumb made 171, the highest of his three tons for his new county, whilst Taylor was undefeated on 106 at the close. The home side reached stumps on 443-4, an overall lead of 272.
It could have been a very different story if Lumb had been caught at point before adding to his overnight 28.
“We have runs on the board so if the guys bowl anything like they did in the first innings we should have a good chance." Michael Lumb
“I was very fortunate that Murray Goodwin put it down,” he said.
“I’d worked hard in the nets this morning with Wayne Noon. We worked on a few things and happily it paid off for me.
“We knew at the start of the day we had to target 400 to get maximum points to keep in the hunt with Warwickshire. We wanted to bat through the day and we’ve managed to do that.”
Lumb feels the game is set up nicely for the Notts bowlers to repeat their first day heroics. “I’d like to think we can win it from here,” he said. “We have runs on the board so if the guys bowl anything like they did in the first innings we should have a good chance. It looks like we’ll get a nice lead and hopefully we’ll have a good crack with the new ball tomorrow.”
The morning session produced 110 runs for the loss of two wickets, with both Riki Wessels and Samit Patel falling for a score of 43.
Lumb was spared early on, as Goodwin put down that chance at point and in the next over Wessels was dropped by Ed Joyce, at a deepish gully position.
It was a temporary reprieve though, as Amjad Khan speared a quick delivery into his off stump.
Goodwin’s miss was beginning to look costly as Lumb began to caress the ball around the Trent Bridge outfield in tandem with Patel.
No-balls continued to disrupt the Sussex effort as the extras total received regular boosts from front foot errors. Patel punched James Anyon away for three consecutive boundaries to take Notts within five of the Sussex total and appropriately, another no-ball gave the home side the overall lead in the match.
After adding 90 with Lumb, Patel fell to Chris Nash’s fifth delivery of the innings as the off spinner found a bit of turn and bounce to pick up a slip catch from Michael Yardy.
Lumb had reached his fifty from 96 balls and was undefeated at lunch on 69, within the board reading 198-3.
James Taylor got his innings ticking over with an elegant drive for four off Chris Nash as the second session began. Keen to add some championship runs to his impressive tally in white ball cricket, the England Lion took whatever was on offer as Nash and Panesar maintained an all-spin threat in the early part of the afternoon.
Lumb repeatedly swept the slow left-armer to good effect as the home side built a commanding lead. The former Hampshire man celebrated enthusiastically as his century came (192 balls 18x4) and his stand with Taylor also moved into three figures.
Taylor’s own fifty (120 balls 7x4 1x6) was reached in style as he pulled Anyon into the New Stand and by tea Notts had already amassed three batting points.
The same batsman might have fallen on 59 but Luke Wright, at deep midwicket, couldn’t cling on to a mighty legside blow off Khan.
Moving through the gears, Lumb hit the same bowler into the Larwood and Voce Stand and followed it up with a straight-driven four. Another six-four salvo came in the next over as well as the 32-year old meted out the same punishment to Panesar.
The pair had added 188, a county record for the fourth wicket against Sussex, when Lumb eventually fell. After picking Magoffin up and depositing him for a one bounce four, he again moved across his stumps to repeat the shot but lost his leg stump.
Coincidentally, Lumb’s 171 exactly matched the efforts of the entire Sussex first innings.
A deserved standing ovation followed and there was more for the home side to enthuse about as Taylor and Adam Voges then steered Notts to maximum points before Khan was punched to cover boundary for the second century of the afternoon.
Taylor, like Lumb, was given a great reception for his efforts (195 balls 15x4 1x6) and helped Voges (32 not out) take Nottinghamshire to their highest score of the season so far.