Nottinghamshire 440/9dec & 54/1 v Loughborough University 238 (Friendly) 23.03.22

*day two (of three)

As the mid-morning haze slowly merged into clear blue skies with a turf temperature touching twenty degrees and more, it was Loughborough defending their stumps on a short sleeve wearing day two of our friendly match against the students blazoned in the Rushcliffe sun as Brett Hutton landed the first ball of the day at Trent Bridge.

It didn’t take long with the University youngsters who started the mornings session on 16/1, to quickly double their score, but the Bulwell Bomber soon hit home, Luckett caught Duckett off the bowling of Luke Fletcher for fifteen, a first scalp of many more to come we hope and expect, for the finest red ball bowler in the country last year.

It wasn’t long before Fletcher had two front end scalps. MacGregor (27) this time caught behind by Moores with Loughborough four short of fifty for three.

Montgomery (4) didn’t last long as he was bowled by yesterday’s star of the show, Joey Evison, equally as devastating with the ball as he was in reaching his Tuesday afternoon century with the bat.

But Loughborough dug in and reached their own milestone ton, a hundred up as the two teams broke for lunch, a well-earned feet up and recoup from a hard earned morning of fending off the Notts pace attack.

Fend off they did, in skipper Butchart and middle-order man Nightingale, they frustrated until a fifth breakthrough came when the former nicked to Duckett in the slips for a hard earned 33 off the bowling of Hutton.

Nightingale in good form reached his fifty, but Rizvi bowled out for four by Chappell saw his side six down and when Nightingale did eventually go, at the hands of Lyndon James for 67 caught leg side by Calvin Harrison, it looked to be a formality fall from grace after a stern effort from the students.

But battle they did, continue ongoing, with Miller & Frost at the crease they saw past 200 and got to tea with three intact.

Post vol-au-vents, isotonic juice and those inevitable mobile phone sociable check-ins, it was back to business for the final session of the day as Notts aimed to find the last three wickets of the innings, whilst their opponent’s job was to frustrate a little longer… A 48 run partnership however would come to an end as Ben Slater got in on the act, just two balls into his first over of the match, he pinned Frost LBW for 22.

King soon followed for just eight, flicking to Harrison off Fletcher before Hutton wrapped up the innings and a three wicket haul, bowling Rogers LBW for naught. Miller left standing on 45 just a big hit away from his half century with Loughborough all out for 238.

In reply, Notts managed just six before losing Slater for two off the bowling of Luckett, caught at backward square point, but Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett raced the score along towards and over the half century before close of play due to bad light.

Tomorrow Notts will look to add more to the board in the morning session before offering Loughborough the chance to chase something relatively improbable down, the weather again looking good so a full days play should be most possible for a final days cricket in the sun.

Nottinghamshire XI: Hameed (c), Slater, Duckett, Clarke, James, Moores, Evison, Harrison, Hutton, Chappell, Fletcher.

Loughborough University XII: Butchart (c), MacGregor, Rizvi, Frost, Chapman-Lilley, Nightingale, Miller, Montgomery, King, Galley, Rogers, Luckett.

Venue: Trent Bridge

*Article provided by Daniel Peacock (Editor).

*Main image @TrentBridge Lyndon James took the big wicket of Nightingale for 67.