Nottinghamshire proved defiant with the bat and persistent with the ball on the final day of their fixture against Derbyshire at The Incora County Ground, bringing their pre-season campaign to a close with a draw, but important time spent on the field.
The case was particularly true for Notts’ top five who all retired not out, including Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater who added 67 for the first wicket having started the match afresh, each side afforded the opportunity to bat for 44 overs.
In the field, Steven Mullaney offered overs to eight bowlers including himself, and it was James Hayes and Calvin Harrison who earned Notts’ return for the day.
Having amassed 234-7 from their 50 overs on Day One, Notts looked on course to tally an equally imposing score at their second attempt, as Hameed, in particular, rocked onto the back foot and punched through the covers with regularity before he retired on 33.
Slater (43), meanwhile, gritted his way through a challenging opening spell to find fluency, with particular success against the short ball and tucking off his hips.
Ben Duckett (28), Joe Clarke (16) and Lyndon James (13) all joined the openers with unbeaten contributions, before Steven Mullaney became the first wicket of the day, skying Mattie McKiernan to long-on.
Liam Patterson-White followed three balls later, to give McKiernan his second, with his third the stumping of Tom Moores after the wicket-batter had blasted the leg-spinner for three sixes.
Tasked with defending 204, Brett Hutton and Luke Fletcher toiled with typically accuracy, each going at fewer than two runs per over, before Lyndon James and Joey Evison took up the mantle.
On an increasingly docile picture, wickets proved hard to come by, though, and it wasn’t until after tea that Hayes broke the deadlock, by which time Harry Came and Billy Godleman had retired for the hosts.
The wicket was a pearler, though. Derbyshire veteran Wayne Madsen left flummoxed by a quick yorker from the young paceman.
As the inclement weather closed in, there was just enough time for Harrison to claim a scalp of his own, Leus Du Plooy edging through to Tom Moores behind the stumps, before the umpires called the players off, and hands were duly shaken.
The result marks the conclusion of Notts' pre-season campaign, with their County Championship season set to begin in earnest on the 7 April against Sussex.
A full scorecard and highlights clips are available to view here…
*******
Notts Outlaws, the 2017 and 2020 Vitality Blast winners, are in T20 action at Trent Bridge from May-July. Pin your green and gold colours to the mast by securing an Outlaws Season Ticket for 2022.