With NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day still a week away, Nottinghamshire’s cricketers now turn their attentions back to red ball action. This weekend, beginning on Saturday 13 August 2016 (start time 11am), the county face Hampshire at Trent Bridge.
This promises to be a pivotal fixture as the two teams currently occupy the relegation places in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.
Notts haven’t tasted victory since defeating Surrey in the opening week of the season and have 99 points from 11 matches played. Hampshire’s only victory was in the reverse fixture at the Ageas Bowl in May, and they now have 95 points from 11.
Head To Head
Nottinghamshire and Hampshire have met on 138 previous occasions in first class cricket. Notts have slightly the better record, winning 39 of the matches, to Hampshire’s 36, with a further 63 contests having been drawn.
There have been 70 occasions when Nottinghamshire has hosted the contest, with all but two of them (Worksop in 1964 and 1968) being staged at Trent Bridge.
Home wins have numbered 19, with the last three Nottinghamshire successes spreading over 33 years, in 1982, 1999 and 2011.
Hampshire have won 15 matches on the road and the remaining 36 contests have been drawn.
Last Time
Last season’s Trent Bridge fixture will be fondly remembered by the visitors. After being in the drop zone for most of the campaign, Hampshire snatched a dramatic win to preserve their top flight status.
Notts had won five and drawn two of their previous seven matches going into the clash and knew that they could move up from third to second with a win. Hampshire had other ideas though, despite squandering the opening day advantage.
Put in, Notts made 340, with Riki Wessels hitting 104. West Indian pace ace Fidel Edwards took six for 88 with the ball for the south coast team.
There was time for Hampshire to begin their second innings but the notion of putting in a nightwatchman backfired spectacularly as Stuart Broad had Ryan Stevenson caught behind, first ball, to leave the visitors on nought for one overnight.
Harry Gurney took four wickets on the second day and when Steven Mullaney removed Liam Dawson, Hants were 203 for eight and a long way adrift.
Stevenson’s promotion had meant that Ryan McLaren and Gareth Berg had dropped to nine and ten, respectively, in the order. The pair put on 123 together before falling in quick succession. Berg made 72 and the South African scored 52.
Batting for a second time, with a slender 14 run advantage, Notts were blown away for just 185 as Hampshire rose to the challenge. Brendan Taylor made 90 but Notts again struggled against Edwards.
Will Root, on his championship debut, made 15 to add to his opening day score of 37, but Edwards’ four for 57 gave him 10 wickets in the match and left Hampshire needing exactly 200.
Their task was eased by an opening stand of 129 and even after Jake Ball removed Jimmy Adams and James Vince there were no further alarms as Michael Carberry and Will Smith clinched the eight-wicket victory.
News filtered through from Headingley that Yorkshire had defeated Sussex, so Hampshire stayed up and Notts remained third.
History
Highlights from previous first class meetings between Nottinghamshire and Hampshire include:
1930 at Southampton:
The final day was never going to give much value for the admission price as the home side needed just one more run for victory. Notts took to the field in lounge suits, rather than in traditional whites, Fred Barratt and Bill Voce even wearing their overcoats. The second delivery, bowled by Arthur Carr, was hit away for four by Alex Kennedy, enabling the visitors to make a speedy getaway for their long journey home.
1966 at Trent Bridge:
Nottinghamshire’s first championship match to include Sunday play also produced one of the most bizarre endings. Chasing 238 on the final day, Hampshire were 236-5 with one ball remaining. Henry Horton played the ball forward and set off for the run but appeared to deliberately kick the ball away from the fielders as he completed the single. Reports indicated it was a clear case of obstructing the field. After half an hour of deliberations, Notts captain Brian Bolus confirmed that his side had not made an appeal for such a dismissal. Hampshire, having ended the match with the scores level, were thereby awarded five extra points. Sunday’s play – day two of the match – saw spectators admitted to the ground without charge provided a scorecard was bought at the increased price of one shilling.
1981 at Bournemouth:
Gaining experience of English conditions, one of the umpires appointed was Shakoor Rana, the Pakistan official who became embroiled in a finger-wagging row with Mike Gatting, the England captain, six years later.
1996 at Southampton
In 371 first class matches Paul Johnson rarely turned his arm over. He did manage to pick up six wickets in his career though, the final one coming in a drawn contest against Hampshire.
After scoring a century in Notts first innings, skipper Johnson tried to set a game up by sending down a few overs and managed to snare the wicket of Hampshire’s current director of cricket Giles White, who obligingly offered up a return catch.
Wicketkeeper Wayne Noon removed his pads to send down four overs in a match that also saw Paul Franks make his first class debut for Notts and Liam Botham, son of Ian, make his third and final appearance for Hants.
1999 at Trent Bridge
Nottinghamshire were dismissed for 324 on the first day of their PPP Healthcare County Championship match against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. Nothing particularly unusual about that – except the top scorer in the innings was extras with 73. Made up of 25 byes, 18 leg-byes, six no-balls and 24 wides, the contribution was the most ever recorded in a single innings against Notts.
2004 at Trent Bridge
For the first time, a championship match at Trent Bridge saw both teams pass 600 in their first innings. Hampshire made 641-4 declared, thanks to an unbeaten 301 from John Crawley and a century from Australia’s Michael Clarke. Nottinghamshire’s response was equally emphatic with David Hussey (170), Mark Ealham (113 not out) and Darren Bicknell (103) scoring tons of their own in a total of 612. Needless to say, the match was drawn.
2010 at Southampton:
Steve Mullaney scored a century on his Nottinghamshire debut, scoring an unbeaten 100 in his side’s victory.
2011 at Trent Bridge
Notts made the most sporting of gestures when visiting wicketkeeper Nic
Pothas had injured himself and was unfit for the second day of the match. The home side offered and allowed their academy keeper Adeel Shafique to keep for the opposition. With approval by both umpires and the ECB, the 17-year-old kept impeccably for Hampshire for the entire morning session until replacement Michael Bates arrived.
Played For Them Both
Michael Lumb joined Hampshire in 2007, after beginning his career at Yorkshire. The left-hander played in 54 first class, 53 one-day and 47 T20 matches for the Southampton-based county.
His highest score for them, 219, ironically came against Notts in a 2009 championship match at Trent Bridge.
He moved to Notts ahead of the 2012 season and has so far played in 62 first class, 43 one-day and 45 T20 matches for his third county.
Others to have represented both counties include Andre Adams, Jackson Bird, Dan Christian, Simon Francis, Richard Logan, Kevin Pietersen, Darren Sammy, Bilal Shafayat, Will Smith, Imran Tahir, Mike Taylor, and Adam Voges.
One further name may be added to that list this week, with former Outlaws’ pace bowler Andy Carter having recently joined Hampshire. Carter had played for Derbyshire for the first half of this season but has now returned to the top flight and will be hoping to make his Hants debut on his old stomping ground.
Stats (for all first class matches between Notts & Hampshire)
Highest Team Total
Notts: 612 (Trent Bridge 2004)
Hants: 714-5 dec (Southampton 2005)
Highest Individual Score
Notts: 239* CB Harris (Trent Bridge 1950)
Hants: 311* JP Crawley (Southampton 2005)
Best Bowling
Notts: 9-21 TL Richmond (Trent Bridge 1922)
Hants: 8-36 CJ Knott (Bournemouth 1953)
Hat-Tricks
Notts: HJ Butler (Trent Bridge 1939)
Hants: CT Tremlett (Trent Bridge 2005)
Chris Tremlett’s hat-trick was the last to be taken against Nottinghamshire and included the wickets of Mark Ealham, Graeme Swann and Greg Smith.
Milestones
Nottinghamshire players approaching milestones this week are:
Michael Lumb (10,914) needs 86 runs to reach 11,000 in first class cricket.
Steven Mullaney (4,985) needs 15 runs to reach 5,000 in first class cricket.
Jake Libby (889) needs 11 runs to reach 1,000 in first class cricket.
Jake Ball (496) needs 4 runs to reach 500 in first class cricket.
Luke Wood (484) needs 16 runs to reach 500 in first class cricket.
Chris Read (498) is approaching the 500th first class innings of his career, He has scored 25 hundreds in the first 498.
Brendan Taylor (49) is approaching his 50th first class innings for Nottinghamshire. He has scored 6 centuries in his 49 innings.
Samit Patel (244) needs 6 wickets to reach 250 in first class cricket for Nottinghamshire.
Samit Patel (96) needs 4 wickets to reach 100 in first class cricket at Trent Bridge.
Chris Read (994) is only six away from scoring 1,000 first class runs against Hampshire. He currently has 994 runs from 35 innings at an average of 36, with two hundreds.
Chris Read (493) is only seven away from completing 500 first class dismissals at Trent Bridge. He has taken 470 catches and made 23 stumpings on the ground.
Riki Wessels (96) needs 4 dismissals to reach 100 in first class cricket for Nottinghamshire. He has taken 92 catches and 4 stumpings.
Jake Ball (97) needs 3 wickets to reach 100 in first class cricket.
Harry Gurney (98) is only 2 wickets away from taking his 100th first class wicket at Trent Bridge.
Steven Mullaney (841) and Samit Patel (823) are the closest Nottinghamshire batsmen towards scoring 1,000 first class runs this season in England. Patel also scored 27 for the MCC in their pre-season match in Abu Dhabi against the county champions.
All four days of Nottinghamshire's Specsavers County Championship fixture against Hampshire will be stremed live, in HD, with integrated commentary via Trent Bridge Live...