Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 205 on the first day of their LV= County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley.
Batting first, after winning the toss, Notts were undone by a combination of good bowling, poor shot selection and a spot of sheer bad luck as they perished in only 56 overs.
The total could have been much worse but for a ninth-wicket stand of 65 between Peter Siddle, who finished unbeaten on 39, and Luke Fletcher, who made 29. Earlier, Michael Lumb top-scored against the county where he began his playing career, in making 45.
Siddle’s fine day continued as he dismissed both openers, as Yorkshire reached 52-2 before heavy showers and deteriorating light wiped out the final 23 overs of the day.
Mick Newell admitted that it wasn’t part of the game-plan to be bowled out inside two sessions. “No, you look at scores at Headingley this year – certainly in the first innings of matches - there have been more runs scored than were scored by us today but we’re not sure yet how competitive a total that is.”
“We think we are still potentially in the game but it depends how we bowl tomorrow.”
The Notts starting eleven showed one change from the previous match, with Luke Fletcher returning to the side, in place of Stuart Broad.
Alex Hales and Phil Jaques opened under cloudy skies and got the innings away to a bit of a flyer with 20 runs coming from the first three overs, although Jaques nearly fell to a slip catch in the first over.
32 were put on for the first wicket but the rest of the morning session belonged to Yorkshire, with four wickets going down in two clusters of two.
Hales (12) fell in Steven Patterson’s first over, the tenth of the day and six balls later Jaques (20) edged Tim Bresnan to Adam Lyth at second slip.
Michael Lumb and James Taylor had to withstand a torrid, accurate burst that included four consecutive maidens. They added 10 in 8 overs before the heart was ripped out of the top order with a couple more vital strikes.
Jack Brooks switched to the Kirkstall Lane End and was immediately rewarded with two important wickets of his own. James Taylor (3) fell leg before wicket, for the seventh time in ten first class innings, as he tried to clip away on the leg side.
Three balls later Yorkshire struck again. Samit Patel (0), after the blow of missing out on England Test selection, went without scoring as he cut Brooks low to Adil Rashid at point.
Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels battled through the rest of the session to reach lunch on 86-4.
Wessels (24) became Brooks third victim, early in the afternoon, also clipping firmly to Lyth at second slip. Chris Read began positively, scoring 27 of the next 29 runs but then lost the experienced left-hander at the other end.
Lumb (45) was put down by Rich Pyrah but didn’t cash in on his fortune, snicking Bresnan down the leg side to Jonny Bairstow in the subsequent over.
Peter Siddle got off the mark first ball – and turned it into a double as a wild shy gifted an overthrow.
The running of Siddle and Read was then tested again – and, according to umpire Saggers, found wanting. A firm push and run from the Notts captain was deflected by sub fielder Josh Shaw into the path of Jack Leaning at mid on, who threw the stumps down.
Read (30) was clearly unhappy at the verdict – he appeared to have been obstructed as he neared the crease and looked to have been extremely close to making his ground.
Worse was to follow in the next over, as Ajmal Shahzad (0) fell to his fourth ball, lbw to Tim Bresnan.
In the 2010 match on the same ground David Hussey repeatedly peppered the Football Stand on his way to making his unbeaten 251.
Siddle, a fellow Victorian, took the same aerial route to move from 6 to 12 and then clipped Patterson over square leg for a four from the next ball.
Luke Fletcher took his lead from the Australian and also opened his shoulders, propelling Rashid for a maximum high over midwicket then following it with a one-bounce four from the next delivery.
Siddle hit another 6 and the partnership, eventually worth 65, realised an unexpected batting point but the end then came swiftly.
Rashid floated up another delivery to Fletcher (29), who got more vertical than horizontal and was taken at long on by Bresnan, who judged the swirling catch to perfection.
Having crossed, Siddle pushed a single to reach 39 not out. Now facing his first ball Andre Adams (0) also went c Bresnan b Rashid – but it couldn’t have been more different. Adams creamed the ball powerfully – it didn’t get more than five feet above the ground and was travelling like a rapier when the fielder intercepted it.
Notts needed a response and got it from Siddle. Adam Lyth (0), whose previous innings had realised 230, was undone by a brute of a ball that he could only kiss through to Read, from just the second ball of the innings.
Siddle’s fine day experienced a slight hiccup as Alex Lees had a reprieve on nine, Hales spilling a difficult opportunity at third slip and inadvertently deflecting the ball into the shins of Patel next to him.
The drop wasn’t costly, as in the next over Lees (9) did feather another Siddle delivery through to the safe gloves of Read.
Jack Leaning (23 not out) and Andrew Gale (16 not out) steadied the ship for the White Rose, adding 31 together before the wet weather set in.