Nottinghamshire continued to set the pace on the second day of their LV= County Championship match against Somerset at Trent Bridge.
The home side forged a first innings advantage of 293 after being bowled out for 461 in 102.2 overs. Phil Jaques fell early in the day for 113, having added just 2 to his overnight score but a stand of 161 between Samit Patel and Riki Wessels took the game away from the visitors.
Patel eventually fell for 94, the third time this season he has fallen in the 90s, with Wessels making 76. Craig Overton returned the best figures with the ball, ending with four for 102.
Batting again, Somerset reached 106 for three by stumps, still trailing by 187 runs , with Chris Jones undefeated on 59.
Nottinghamshire’s James Taylor paid compliment to the stand between Patel and Wessels.
“Getting runs when you are in good form is the key and that’s what they’re doing at the moment. You’ve really got to make the most of it when you can”
He added, “They’ve set us up, put us in a great position and now it’s down to the bowlers and fielders to restrict them to something we can chase down.”
Clearly a win on the third day will be uppermost in the minds of the home side.
“We’ve had a good start with the ball, Harry Gurney has been exceptional. We’ve got them three down on a pretty good deck so hopefully we can push on for the win tomorrow.”
Nottinghamshire began the day with a 40-run lead, on 208 for one, with Ajmal Shahzad resuming as nightwatchman alongside the centurion, Phil Jaques (113).
The Australian wasn’t able to build on his success and fell at the start of the fourth over, cutting Craig Meschede powerfully to point, where Nick Compton took an excellent low catch.
Alex Hales began in confident fashion, accumulating his first 12 runs from three Meschede boundaries, one through extra cover, one straight and one tickled to fine leg.
Somerset struck again, getting their first bonus point of the match, as Shahzad (8) drove Craig Overton into the hands of Chris Jones at cover.
Notts were rocked further as the visitors managed to dry up the runs and then claimed two further scalps in the session.
James Taylor (7), was given out to a leg side delivery from Peter Trego, that brushed something on its way through to ‘keeper Craig Kieswetter.
Alex Hales (41) was targeted by a leg side barrage from Jamie Overton – Marcus Trescothick stationing a short leg and put himself at leg slip.
Hales was unable to resist and went for a pull and picked out the safe hands of Craig Overton at fine leg.
Before Samit Patel and Riki Wessels could get into the stride a sharp shower wiped out the final fifteen minutes and sent the players for an early lunch.
The return saw the bat begin to dominate the ball. Both batsmen played some imperious shots, each repeatedly clattering the ball into the boundary boards.
Wessels lofted George Dockrell over long on for a six to move from 16 to 22, and soon moved to 49 after taking 3 elegant fours in a row off Craig Overton and the second new ball.
His fifth half century (72 balls 9x4 1x6) in 8 days duly arrived, with a clip through midwicket, also off C Overton – and he celebrated by punching the next ball straight past the bowler for four more.
Patel square cut Craig Meschede to bring up the century stand and then reached his own 50 (105 balls 14x4 1x6).Wessels had begun the match having hit 18 first class sixes this season, more than anyone else and he soon brought that figure to 20 when he levered his second maximum into the New Stand, again off Dockrell and punched the next one for four more to bring up the 150 stand.
The sixth wicket stand had materialised 161 when Wessels (76) drove Dockrell down the ground and into the waiting hands of Craig Overton.
From 427-5 Notts suddenly went into decline, losing their remaining 5 wickets for only 34 runs in 5.5 overs.
Patel pushed on, in search of his third century of the campaign. Having gone past 58 he had overtaken Chris Rogers as the leading run scorer in Division One this season.
He pulled C Overton for 6 to move to 94 but then edged the same bowler behind to fall in the nineties for the third time this season.
In all – on 9 occasions Notts batsmen have fallen in the 90s in this season.
Craig Overton gained deserved reward for his stint with the ball by getting the next two wickets in the same over, to finish with four for 102. He bowled Chris Read (2) and then had Andre Adams (2) caught at short midwicket by Trescothick.
Harry Gurney (7 not out) played some bright and breezy shots but lost his partner Peter Siddle (0) to a catch at mid off.
Beginning for a second time, after tea, Somerset set about closing down their huge deficit. The openers added 41 in 12 overs before Notts struck.
Trescothick (22) had been dropped on 22 by Patel in the first innings, this time lightning didn’t strike twice for the Somerset captain, after he’d nicked Gurney at waist-height.
Nick Compton (12) avoided making a pair but didn’t add further to his impressive tally of runs at Trent Bridge as he pushed down the wrong line to Adams and lost his off stump.
Jones moved to a well-deserved 50 (80 balls 7x4) but will need support on the final day if his side are to have a chance of maintaining their unbeaten start to the campaign.