Jack Haynes compiled a sparklingly fluent century as Nottinghamshire fought back with aplomb to end day one of their first home Rothesay County Championship match of 2026 in a good position against Glamorgan.
Haynes’ 100, made from 133 balls with 12 fours in just under four hours at the crease, helped the hosts recover from five morning session wickets to 279 all out at tea.
Newly-promoted Glamorgan were then reduced to 81-4 at stumps, still 198 in arrears, after Fergus O’Neill, who earlier hit 59 and shared a stand worth 111 with Haynes, took 2/6 from six overs in his opening spell.
O’Neill and Haynes’ seventh-wicket partnership was vital in helping the hosts rally from their lunchtime position of 101-5, with the ball displaying seam and swing after the visitors had opted to field first.
Ben Duckett contributed a swift 25 to help the Green and Golds ride out the early storm, before Joe Clarke added 33, but it was Haynes’ resolve to stay unbeaten at the first break that provided the turning point.
Despite the dismissal of Liam Patterson-White shortly after lunch, the returning O’Neill helped 25-year-old right-hander Haynes double the total and more in 86 minutes of fluent striking.
The latter was first to fifty, in 71 balls, via a swept four off Mason Crane’s leg-spin, as the partnership took hold, and O’Neill followed just five overs later.
Facing his 67th delivery, the Australian rocketed Andy Gorvin’s medium pace through extra cover for his 10th four, bringing up his own half-century in the process.
Although he was dismissed for the addition of only nine further runs, his job was done, as he departed with Haynes into the seventies.
By the time Brett Hutton has contributed a further 25 of his own - taking the hosts to a valuable batting bonus point in the process - Haynes was only five shy of three figures.
Having waited for four deliveries on 99 at the non-striker’s end while long-time friend Dillon Pennington blocked out Ryan Hadley, Haynes eventually found the single to mid-on off Zain-ul-Hassan that saw him raise his bat aloft, to the adulation of a purring Trent Bridge crowd.
He became the last man out when Hadley made him a fourth wicket - the Australian joining Timm van der Gugten in taking a quartet for the visitors - as Notts allowed themselves the entire evening to bowl.
A productive session it was too, as O’Neill’s first three overs sent the visitors sprawling to 4-2 thanks to the removals of Asa Tribe, lbw for three, and Eddie Byrom, caught at first slip by Patterson-White for one.
Zain-ul-Hassan resisted alongside his captain Kiran Carlson for 15 overs, but became the victim of the introduction of Josh Tongue, as a vicious yorker crashed into his off stump while he was on 27.
With there being a little under 13 overs remaining at that point, Carlson would then no doubt have preferred to see out the day, but Hutton had other ideas.
The Glamorgan captain was caught behind by Kyle Verreynne for 26 with 13 balls of the day to go, forcing the visitors to send out a nightwatcher in the form of Gorvin, and put Notts firmly in the ascendancy heading into the weekend.
