Samit Patel was the pick of the Nottinghamshire bowlers on the second day of the county’s first class fixture against Cambridge MCCU at Fenner’s.
The left-arm spinner took five for 43 to help knock the students over for just 123 in their first innings. Harry Gurney also returned excellent figures, snaring four for 19.
Nottinghamshire elected to build upon their first innings advantage of 216 and were on 46 for two, an overall lead of 262, when play was called off early due to bad light.
Closing in on 300 first class wickets, and often left frustrated with just a four-fer to his name, this was Patel’s first five-wicket haul since 2011 and only the fourth of his career, so he was happy to celebrate the fact.
“It’s quite nice to get a five-fer,” he exclaimed. “I’ve done quite a bit of work on my bowling and it seems to have a nice flow to it, at the moment.
“I’m not just bowling it, I’m putting a bit more body into it and getting quite a bit out of it.”
Following Luke Chambers’ six-wicket haul on the opening day, this has been quite a match for the spinners.
“It’s a good surface for a spinner to bowl one but it’s unrealistic for what we’d normally get in March. Not many spinners get five or six wickets in an innings in March but I thought he bowled well yesterday.”
Patel admitted that he was helped by the pressure being put on at the other end, especially by the pace of Stuart Broad and Harry Gurney.
“If you look at our attack next week it could be quite scary, so we’ve got to keep on top of our game and just gear up ready for the Leicestershire match.”
Later in the day Patel missed out with the bat, bowled for 12 by a beautiful delivery that nipped back. “It was a decent nut, that can happen in March but mentally I feel in a good place at the minute and I’m ready to go now. Leicester tomorrow would suit me, I’m ready.”
Overnight drizzle had soaked the outfield, causing the start of play to be put back by thirty minutes. When they did get underway Stuart Broad and Luke Wood put the opening pair under pressure but were unable to extract a breakthrough during their initial burst.
Luke Fletcher, replacing Broad after 40 minutes of action, forged the breakthrough as he found his way through Harry Palmer’s defences to knock back the off peg for 19.
New Batsman Akil Greenidge, son of former West Indies’ opener Alvin, played a couple of delightful leg side flicks to score early boundaries off Fletcher and Gurney.
Gurney had his first success of the new season when Tom Colverd flashed outside off and presented Greg Smith with a chance to pouch a sharp catch at third slip. The opener had made 12 and his departure left the home side on 51 for two.
In the corresponding match a year ago, Notts ran through the MCCU batting to dismiss them for just 52 in their first innings. There were still eight wickets in hand when that total was eased past but it was soon 54 for three as Greenidge also fell to a slip catch off Gurney. This time it was Samit Patel at second slip taking a lively catch in the cold conditions.
The wicket was the left-arm quick’s 200th in first class cricket for the county.
Six wickets had fallen to spin on the opening day and Patel added to that tally with a strike in his first over. His fifth delivery popped on Callum Guest and produced a chase back from first slip by Riki Wessels which resulted in a spectacular diving catch.
The hosts lost their fifth wicket of the session just before lunch. Joe Tetley tried to take Patel on but couldn’t clear midwicket, where sub fielder Connor Marshall pouched the catch to leave the score on 69 for five at the interval.
Adil Arif made 9 at the start of the afternoon but then pushed at Patel to provide Jake Libby with a bat pad catch at silly point.
Tim Moses swung his arms to good effect in hitting Patel down the ground for six and followed it in the next over with a four and a three to take the total past 100.
Another maximum lifted the left-hander to a flamboyant 25 but the fun stopped there as a thin tickle was eagerly gobbled up by Chris Read.
Misem Zaidi was pinned lbw on the back foot by Gurney for just three and last man Adam Barton went the same way for nought.
In between, Patel had taken the ninth wicket to secure his first five-wicket haul since 2011, with Marshall taking his second catch of the day as Luke Chapman hit to cover for 13.
Patel’s work was far from over as he was sent out to open Nottinghamshire’s second innings with Libby. He made 12 but was then bowled by a lovely delivery from Sam Rippington that nipped back sharply and took out his leg pole.
Alex Hales fell at the start of the final session, nicking behind for four and Riki Wessels could have followed, dropped at slip when on 3.
The final session was then punctuated by a couple of stoppages before bad light and light rain brought the day to a premature conclusion.
..........................
It’s jolly convenient to receive latest news, ticket information and behind the scenes exploits direct to your inbox - and rest assured we’ll never pass on your information to others.