The game is petering out. Yorkshire were set 320 to win, and Jake Ball, as in the first innings, made an immediate impact by removing Adam Lyth in his first over. And as with the first innings there was an element of good fortune in that the batsman got a touch down the leg side and Chris Read completed a sprawling catch. Since then though Alex Lees and Gary Ballance have managed to survive and in the final session Yorkshire require a further 256 in 35 overs, albeit with nine wickets in hand. Hands will be shaken at the earliest opportunity.
Earlier, Read’s 25th hundred was the glue that held the Nottinghamshire innings together, dragging them first of all from a situation where they were only 122 ahead with four wickets left, (he had only 13 at the time) to 348, the point at which he was last out for 101, caught on the fence. It was a brilliant innings although the Yorkshire bowling was poor at times. But he attacked at the right time, found allies in Stuart Broad, and later Ball, and Jackson Bird, and in all, over 179 balls he hit 14 fours and three sixes.
Two ancient left-handers are holding up Lancashire. Between them Marcus Trescothick and Chris Rogers have mustered more than 48,000 runs between them and they carefully gleaned a few more under the cloudless skies of Taunton.
Somerset are not yet safe. Bear in mind that they contrived to lose three wickets in one over just after lunch yesterday. So there is work to be done by both sides. Somerset with eight wickets remaining are still 83 runs behind.
Trescothick has done the bulk of the scoring, more often with cut shots against the seamers and a few sweeps against Simon Kerrigan. There have not been many quick singles. Trescothick already has one century to his name this summer – against Surrey at the Oval. He has not been at his most fluent here but is battling away expertly. I’m not sure I’ve encountered anyone who likes playing cricket more.
Early on he lost Tim Groenewald, makeshift opener, bowled by Kyle Jarvis; then Tom Abell was caught and bowled off the leading edge by Kerrigan. The left arm-spinner has bowled impeccably, occasionally turning the ball but the surface remains infuriatingly slow. Before lunch there were two impressive overs of wrist-spin from Liam Livingstone, who is enjoying life with a red ball. Clearly he is an exciting cricketer.
Before long he will be taking more responsibility than batting seven and bowling a few wrist-spinners. Now leaving stage left in pursuit of a pasty.
An excellent morning’s cricket has seen Nottinghamshire turn the game on its head. The lead of 122 was slender at the start of play but by the interval, thanks to Chris Read and Stuart Broad, it had been extended to 270, with 66 overs of the match remaining.
Read is still there on 78, a typically determined backs to the wall innings from him, while Broad was eventually well taken by Adam Lyth at second slip having a swish Jack Brooks and the second new ball. But he had made 55 of a seventh wicket stand of 104 in 20 overs. There was some neat hitting from Jake Ball too, who looks to be another of those down the order batsmen who actually has some proper ability. There are fewer bonuses to be picked up by the bowlers these days.
The Yorkshire bowling has been very ordinary though, particularly that of Liam Plunkett who may not be as quick as he seems to think he is. Broad in particular gave him some harsh treatment. It will be interesting to see how Ball bowls later this afternoon, but anything like a showing and any hope Plunkett may have of making the squad for the first Test will have gone. It probably already has.
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Good morning from sunny Taunton, where we wait to see whether we have a taut last night day struggle as Lancashire tenaciously pursue victory or whether Somerset can bat out sedately, shake hands early and escape with another losing draw.
Marcus Trescothick is out there with Tim Groenewald, a new opening partner for him. Groenewald, quite logically, was sent out last night since there was just one over to bowl when Somerset, 180 behind, followed on. He was, no doubt, “volunteered”. In fact he is at his most dangerous when playing his shots. So we will wait and see. Anderson has the new ball and has looked in pretty good rhythm throughout. But he will be hoping for a bit more life in the wicket when he turns up for the Test at Headingley in two weeks’ time. The likeliest venues to produce a victory are currently Canterbury and Trent Bridge … though Lancashire may have other ideas.
It is a glorious warm Trent Bridge morning. Sitting in the press box, early in order to secure a parking spot, I can see contrails criss crossing the sky and the players of both teams warming up in the two nets that stand alongside one another. It is hard to imagine that in any other sport. But cricket, in my experience, has always seemed to transcend the idea that you cannot have interaction. Indeed it has always been an important part of the learning process.
I recall vividly a Middlesex match against Kent at Dover. I was struggling a bit for rhythm. It just wasn’t right. Then, at the end of an over, as I was pulling on my sweater, the Kent non-striker, John Shepherd, suggested I shorten my delivery stride a fraction to stand taller. He was spot on. I took five in the second innings, including, of course, Shep. The other week, I went and had a beer in the Tavern with the Middlesex lads. I like to hear how they do things, what they think of players, and they like the tales of how it was. I saw Alan Richardson with them too, the Warwickshire bowling coach, but there were no Warwickshire players in the group. Times have changed, but there is a lot to be learned from talking.
We have the makings of a good game here. Notts managed to get themselves back into it with Samit Patel’s batting and Chris Read’s resistance although they will need to crack on way beyond their 122 run lead. If Yorkshire can rattle through the last five wickets then the game is their’s if the weather stays clear.
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