Luke Fletcher took a hat trick as 17 wickets fell on the first day of Nottinghamshire’s Second Eleven Championship match against Worcestershire. 

Nottinghamshire won the toss and chose to bat first, opening with Sam Kelsall and Hassan Azad, Worcestershire breaking through in the first over when Azad edged to keeper Alex Mellor off Chris Russell’s bowling without scoring. 

Sam Wood followed soon after, gloving a rising ball to gully, Russell taking the catch off Graeme Cessford in the 6th over, the score 8-2 and Farhaan Behardien joining Kelsall in the middle. In the 14th over Sam Kelsall edged to slip off Nick Harrison for 17, with Adam Tillcock joining the fray. In the next over Behardien chased a leg side ball, Mellor taking his second catch, this time off Graeme Whiles.

Will Root was next to the crease and he made twenty before being caught by Alex Hepburn off Whiles in the 25th over. Matt Cross joined Tillcock and at lunch the score was 84-5, Tillcock 11* and Cross 8*.

Second over after lunch Tillcock was caught behind by Mellor off Russell without adding to his lunch time score and Brett Hutton was next in but he was caught at mid-wicket by James Harris off Russell in the 35th. 

Next over Cross was caught behind by Mellor off Cessford bringing Luke Fletcher and Paul Franks together but in the 41st Franks was bowled by Russell and the innings closed on 117 in the next over when Fletcher was caught by Kohler-Cadmore off Harrison, leaving Luke Wood 2 not out and Chris Russell finishing with 4-35 off 13 overs.

Worcestershire replied with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Alex Hepburn but in the sixth over Brett Hutton bowled Hepburn with the scoreboard showing 6-1, Richard Oliver coming in. A sudden burst from Luke Fletcher in the 7th over had the home side reeling as Oliver went second ball, caught in the gully by Farhaan Behardien. With his next ball Fletcher had Shaaiq Choudhry caught at fourth slip by Behardien then he bowled Brett D’Oliveira with the next. A hat trick for Fletcher and the home side now 7-4. Not to be left out Brett Hutton trapped opener Kohler-Cadmore lbw for three in the 8th over, the score now 7-5, James Harris and Alex Mellor in the middle but rain then intervened to halt play at 3.32pm.

Play restarted at 4.44pm and in the 14th over Fletcher had Mellor caught by keeper Matt Cross, Worcestershire 28-6. Harris was joined by Chris Russell but he was caught in the slips by Hassan Azad off Luke Wood for 8 before bad light brought the game to a stop at 5.46pm, the home side 49-7. At that stage tea was taken, with no further play possible in the day.