Steven Mullaney and Riki Wessels began the 2016 domestic season in style by both scoring centuries on the opening day of Nottinghamshire’s first class fixture against Cambridge MCCU at Fenner’s.
Mullaney scored 139 and Wessels posted 143 as the pair added 153 for the fourth wicket in a Nottinghamshire total of 530-8.
Both players passed 4,000 first class runs for the county within the space of a few minutes of each other, with the opener scoring his runs from 164 deliveries, hitting 24 fours and a six.
After runs in Barbados and again last week Mullaney feels he’s ready for the new campaign. “I made 96 in the 50 over game against Leicester last week and now this,” he said. “So it’s lovely to go into the season in a bit of form.
“It’s a very good wicket out there, so it’s nice to spend some time at the crease and I feel I’m in a good place going into the weekend.”
Beating the 125 he scored against Middlesex in 2013, Mullaney’s innings was his highest for Nottinghamshire. “I’m pleased about that and want to go on and beat it again, if I can. We had a team meeting and we have been set some game by game goals.
“There’s stuff I’ve been working hard on and I don’t want to go away from that. I want to keep it simple and hopefully the stuff I’ve worked on will continue to bring me runs.”
Dropped on nought, Wessels scored 143 before retiring out at tea, having faced 125 balls with 21 fours and two maximums.
Chris Read’s 80 ensured that Nottinghamshire’s momentum continued throughout the evening session. His side’s run-rate throughout the day was just shy of five and a half runs per over.
A push into the off side from Mullaney got his, and Nottinghamshire’s, account underway from just the second ball of the morning after the students had won the toss and elected to field.
He looked to have found his touch instantly, caressing the ball away on either side of the wicket but his partner, Brendan Taylor, was more conservative. The former Zimbabwe international was watchful, looking to set his stall out to play a long innings.
Taylor eventually got off the mark to the 22nd ball he’d faced but had only reached three when edging Alistair Allchin to Harrison Palmer at third slip. The opening partnership had been worth 43, with Mullaney making the majority of the runs and his seventh boundary then took the total to 50 in the 15th over.
The Light Blues made their first bowling changes after an hour of play but the introduction of Connor Emerton was delayed slightly.
Running in from the Gresham Road End the medium pacer slipped over quite dramatically in his delivery stride and had to be helped, gingerly, back to his feet, after a couple of minutes.
Michael Lumb moved sweetly to 13 but fell lbw in Emerton’s second over, despite thrusting his pad a long way down the track.
Mullaney’s fifty arrived, a fluent effort made from just 69 deliveries, with 11 boundaries. He raced into the 60s but then lost another partner as James Taylor (10) pushed firmly at Emerton but only succeeded in nicking to Tom Colverd at second slip.
Wessels had an early scare in his innings, put down in the covers before getting off the mark. He drove the left arm spin of Josh Arksey towards Bryant but was relieved to see the fielder unable to hold on.
Ending the morning session in spectacular fashion, Mullaney hit the penultimate ball straight back over Arksey’s head for six to reach the interval on 88 not out, with Notts on 143 for three.
In the early part of the afternoon Wessels inside-edged past his leg stump to move the total past 150 but the focus then shifted back on the opener, who certainly didn’t suffer in the nervous nineties. From 90 he hit a three then two boundaries, reaching the landmark with a guide down to third man off Adam Barton.
Fed a diet of short, wide deliveries Wessels peppered the third man fence to accelerate to his own half century, made from 59 balls (9x4).
Under clear blue skies both batsmen increased the tempo significantly, bludgeoning the ball repeatedly to distant boundaries. The stand had reached 153 when the students gained their long-needed breakthrough.
Mullaney’s towering straight drive hung in the air long enough for Bryant to partly atone for his earlier drop by running round the boundary edge and diving full length to take the catch off Arksey’s bowling.
Wessels moved past the 97 he’d scored on this ground for Northants a decade ago to reach his 18th career first class hundred, getting to the milestone from 104 balls, with 18 of them going to the fence. He then added a couple of huge sixes to his collection, hoisting Arksey high over wide midwicket and then repeating the dose off Barton at the other end. On 127 he gave his second chance, but was spilled in the deep.
With Samit Patel at the crease, there was no respite for the students’ attack as the session produced 219 runs in 34 overs.
Wessels’ retirement was swiftly followed by the fall of Patel’s wicket, hitting the spin of Arksey crisply to midwicket for 39.
Chris Read, at his impish best, put the fielders under pressure with an array of well-placed pushes, deflections and drives. The placement gave way to sheer brilliance as he launched Arksey high into the seating area in front of the pavilion.
The captain went on to score 80, adding 104 in a seventh wicket partnership with Brett Hutton, who made 30.
And, with the lower order duo of Luke Wood (25*) and Jake Ball (18*) enjoying their opportunity to wield the willow late in the day, Nottinghamshire’s batting order from top to bottom could be pleased with their workout as preparations for the Specsavers County Championship fixture against Surrey continue.
The 2015 season saw dramatic last-gasp four day victories, thrilling limited-overs contests and an historic Investec Ashes Test, all in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.
This season, we’d wager, will be no less enthralling and frankly we’d hate for you to miss out.