Nottinghamshire’s Second Eleven concluded three days of dominance, securing a maximum-point victory over Warwickshire in the Second Eleven Championship. The victory saw Luke Wood take ten wickets in the match, and Jake Libby carry his bat through the entire match, scoring 264 runs in the process.
Warwickshire, having been forced to follow-on by Nottinghamshire, resumed their second innings still 129 runs behind the visiting total. Tom Milnes and Ateeq Javid were both unbeaten on 29, Warwickshire 104-4. Millnes reached 50 in the 11th over of the day, before the 100 partnership followed on the 43rd, heralded by a six from Javid.
The pair continued to 200, before Luke Wood made the crucial breakthrough. A typically quick delivery caught Javid’s edge, and keeper Tom Keast made no mistake. Javid departed for 76, his partnership with Milnes worth 153. Lunch was taken at that stage, Warwickshire 209-5, still trailing by 24.
Luke Wood continued to cause trouble for the Warwickshire batsmen after the restart, trapping Paul Best LBW without scoring. Milnes continued alongside keeper Pete McKay, and reached his century to give Warwickshire the lead. Two balls later he fell victim to Wood once more, another LBW decision leaving the hosts 234-6. Arron Thomason joined McKay and the pair added 50 for the next wicket, before Sam Wood ended Thomason’s stay for 42.
With the lead now over 80, Jake Ball took the new ball but it was the ever-impressive Luke Wood who continued to take wickets. First he had Phagura caught at slip for 11 for his five-fer, and then trapped Recordo Gordon LBW for his sixth.
Luke Wood finished the innings with 6-75 from 24 overs, and ended with 10-128 in the match.
Requiring 112 to win, Sam Kelsall and Jake Libby, the pair who put Warwickshire to the sword in the first innings, came to the crease with 30 overs left in the day. Their 50 partnership arrived in the 12th, and Kelsall reached 50 in the 21st, the score 95-0.
Kelsall was caught behind next over, which brought James Franklin to the crease. Denied a bat in the first innings, he launched the score past 100 with back-to-back sixes, before pushing a single to secure a nine-wicket victory for Nottinghamshire. Jake Libby ended 39 not out, having carried his bat through the entire match, and Luke Wood closed with his ten wickets.