Nottinghamshire were 97-2, an overall lead of 135, with Phil Jaques unbeaten on 55 when rain wiped out the final 15 overs of the third day of their latest LV= County Championship match, against Somerset at Taunton.
The home side had followed Notts’ lead in securing maximum batting points earlier in the day, by reaching 402-9 declared with Alviro Petersen making 94 and Peter Trego a quickfire 86.
Andy Carter returned the best bowling analysis for Notts, finishing with three wickets for 90.
Steven Mullaney had an eventful day, involved with bat and ball and in the field and admits Notts were hoping to be in a stronger position.
“If we’re being hyper-critical we would have liked to bowl them out for 350 or 360 and had a decent lead of 80 or so but it wasn’t to be,” he said.
“Peter Trego played beautifully, he chanced his arm, it came off for him and they ended up with maximum batting points.”
Mullaney’s overall analysis was 21-2-49-1, very respectful against a good batting side on a typical Taunton flat track.
“It’s the first time that I’ve bowled that many overs,” he revealed.
“It was unfortunate on Jake (Ball) that he is down with an injury. I was asked to do a job and hopefully I did it and would be happy to do if asked again but my main focus is to score good runs for Nottinghamshire and hopefully I can start doing that against Northants on Sunday.”
With the wicket not offering much for the bowlers a positive result seems unlikely with only one day remaining.
“It’s difficult to know what sort of score would be unchaseable on there,” said Mullaney. “But we’re got all but one of the bonus points so if it is a draw we’re just got to take that and move on.”
Somerset had begun the day on 237-4, with Alviro Petersen and Craig Kieswetter together at the crease. The pair’s fifth wicket partnership had already realised 57 on the second evening and they extended that to 84 before Notts struck again.
The breakthrough should have come sooner, Kieswetter (39) being dropped in the slips off Carter when on 33. Unable to capitalise, the batsman gave Samit Patel a return catch from a leading edge just a couple of overs later.
An elegant offside boundary from Petersen (94) took his side to 291, thereby saving the follow-on but the next delivery, from Ajmal Shahzad, was feathered through to Chris Read.
Shahzad’s success was long overdue, as he’d impressed without reward throughout his first 22 overs.
Carter had Johann Myburgh (12) given out lbw and the final ball of the morning session saw Lewis Gregory rashly attempt to hit Patel over the top but he failed to clear Mullaney, who took an excellent catch at mid on.
Trego set about the bowling in early afternoon, blazing his way to reach the seventh fifty of the match (49 balls 9x4), and also the quickest. With Alfonso Thomas offering stoic support at the other end Trego was given license to propel Somerset towards their fifth batting point and did so in style.
Twice he hit Samit Patel for maximums, the second lifted out of the ground in the direction of the river.
With both sides chasing an extra point, the score after 109.5 overs was 398-8 but it was Somerset who got their bonus, with Thomas lifting Patel over long off for a one-bounce four.
Typically, one ball, later, Notts broke the ninth wicket stand of 66 as Trego (86) holed out to sub fielder Luke Wood, giving Carter his third wicket.
Mullaney (5) fell early in Nottinghamshire’s second innings, given out lbw not playing at a ball from Thomas that nipped back and trapped him in front of all three stumps.
Left-handers Phil Jaques and Michael Lumb had to be at their best to keep out an attack that was far more disciplined than in the first innings. Jaques had one close call when Jamie Overton appeared to have had a justifiable lbw shout but umpire O’Shaughnessy waved away the appeals.
Either side of tea the stand was stretched to 79, with Jaques reaching his third consecutive half century in Nottinghamshire colours (101 balls 6x4).
Myburgh’s off spinners created the breakthrough as Lumb (28) was adjudged to have tickled one into the ‘keeper’s gloves.
After the briefest of stoppages the players returned for one more delivery but further rain wiped out the remainder of the session.