Nottinghamshire have given themselves a great chance of beginning the LV= County Championship season with a victory after another day of dominance against Middlesex at Lord’s.
Chris Read scored an unbeaten 101, his 22nd first class century, as the visitors posted 401 for eight before declaring their second innings closed.
Set to score an improbable 519 for the win, Middlesex closed on 57 for one, with Jake Ball having picked up the wicket of Sam Robson.
The quality of Nottinghamshire’s performance over the first three days has delighted first team coach, Wayne Noon.
“The lads have been excellent throughout, apart from a bit of a wobble with the bat on the first day, but they’ve had another good day today and we got even more runs than we wanted due to the captain’s brilliance after tea.”
Read endured a sticky time with the bat in 2013 but showed signs of recovery last year. Noon says he’s now back to his best.
“This is the old Chris Read we’ve got back here and fair play to him, he always works hard at his game and it was an absolute pleasure to see.
Despite dominating the opening three days of the match, Noon admits there’s still some hard work ahead.
“It’s not going to be easy. There are some good players in that Middlesex team and we see Adam Voges and Nick Compton as being the key wickets.”
Resuming from their overnight score of 101 for two, Alex Hales and Will Gidman were watchful over the first hour, leaving anything they didn’t have to play at.
Hales punished successive deliveries from James Harris to keep the board moving but after the pair had added 51 Middlesex made their breakthrough.
Gidman, who had come to the crease as nightwatchman, made 18 before edging Adam Voges’ third ball of the innings to Sam Robson at slip.
Hales followed soon afterwards, for 37, with a touch of extra bounce from Tim Murtagh catching the top of the bat on its way through to John Simpson.
Samit Patel was put down by Robson on 8 but played some delightful shots in the pre-lunch period to reach the interval on 28 not out as the lead stretched beyond 300.
Voges’ kept himself in the attack upon the resumption and was rewarded with a second wicket, somewhat fortuitously. Patel swept the spinner powerfully – but hit it straight into the hands of James Harris at short fine leg to depart for 33.
Meanwhile, James Taylor had manoeuvred the fielders all around St John’s Wood to record a half century in his 200th first class innings. His 50 came from 69 balls, with 8 fours.
He’d advanced to 61 when given out lbw attempting to sweep Paul Stirling, but Riki Wessels and Chris Read continued to apply pressure and sent the lead over 400.
Murtagh’s third wicket of the innings came in the first over with the second new ball, as he managed to get one full, straight and into the pads of Wessels for 38.
Read decided to bat on after tea, reaching his own 50 from 57 balls with 8 fours. That was just a prelude of what was to come as the Notts' skipper went into over-drive to record his second century at the home of cricket, reaching the landmark in just 76 balls, with 2 sixes and 14 fours.
Jake Ball had another moment to enjoy, hitting Voges into the Grandstand for six, at which point the declaration came.
Ball was soon celebrating again as his third delivery trapped Robson for a duck, leaving Middlesex at 0-1 and with Malan injured and not able to bat.
Nick Gubbins and Nick Compton avoided any further alarms but they – and the rest of the batting line-up – face a stern test to keep out Notts on the final day.
The excitement of the NatWest T20 Blast returns to Trent Bridge in May as Notts Outlaws hope to break the 10,000 barrier for the arrival of reigning champions Birmingham Bears on Friday 15 May.
Adult tickets are available at a special price of £10 and further discounts in place for under 16s (£5), under21s (£7) and senior citizens (£7) when buying in advance. Make Trent Bridge a firm fixture for your Friday nights and secure your seats now.