Nottinghamshire continued to dominate in their LV= County Championship match against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge. At the close of the second day, the visitors were on 100 for four, replying to the home side’s colossal total of 600 all out.

Solid contributions from Chris Read (69), Jake Ball (49 not out), Samit Patel (46) and Brett Hutton (37) lifted Notts to their highest Championship score since 2007. The home attack then made steady inroads before bad light ended play four overs early.

Resuming from their overnight position of 404 for five, Notts began quietly, with Samit Patel and Luke Wood at the crease.

Rikki Clarke took the first wicket of the morning, having Wood caught in the gully. The left-hander, sent in as nightwatchman, made 12 but was unlucky to pick out Laurie Evans, who did well to cling on to the sharp offering.

Patel advanced his own score to 46 before losing his off stump to Chris Wright but that was the last success of the morning for the visitors, with Chris Read and Brett Hutton putting together an unbroken partnership of 69 before lunch.

The stand had been extended to 91 when Hutton fell for 37. Attempting to lift Jeetan Patel over mid on, the strike just failed to clear Evans, who took his second good catch of the day.

Read’s 50 had come from 74 balls, with seven fours. In reaching 52 he brought up the milestone of 15,000 first class runs and the news was greeted by a standing ovation from large parts of an appreciative crowd, many of whom had taken advantage of the generous £1.00 admission offer.

The Notts’ captain moved to 69 before flicking Rankin off his legs but straight into the waiting hands of Jonathan Trott on the deep square leg fence.

Chris Read’s last six scores in the Championship have been: 73, 108, 121, 90, 19* and now 69.

An astonishing cameo from Ball then materialised as he blazed his way to a career-high score of 49 not out, which came from only 20 balls with six fours and four maximums.

His ball striking was extraordinary. Power produced sixes over midwicket, extra cover and straight and he even reverse swept Patel for four.

Ball had scored all of the 40 runs added for the final wicket, from only 16 balls, before Harry Gurney was bowled by Chris Wright for nought.

On a high from their batting performance, Notts struck two early blows as both Warwickshire openers disappeared for a single, Ian Westwood nicked Wood behind and William Porterfield did the same, off Ball’s bowling.

Trott was given out lbw to Ball to leave the Bears on 10 for three. Sam Hain was fourth to go. Having survived a drop in the gully, he then nicked Gurney for a second time and Steven Mullaney pouched the low offering at second slip.

Tim Ambrose took 40 balls to get off the mark and raised his bat to acknowledge the applause when he did so.

With Evans for company, the pair nudged the total to three figures but poor light brought disruption and an early finish.

Warwickshire ended the day still 500 runs adrift and requiring a further 351 to avoid the follow on.

 

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