Somerset make Notts pay as Leach turns the game

There aren’t many days where spin bowlers take wickets at regular intervals as Jack Leach did here today. This was far from an unplayable turner that Taunton has been accused of producing of late.

Notts weren’t beaten by sharp turn but a bowler who knows what he is doing and some bizarre decisions by batsmen and depending on where your loyalties fall one umpiring call.

The first hour of play was fairly mundane. Ben Slater and Luke Fletcher the night-watchman went calmly about their business. A fifty partnership and Somerset turned to Leach. Instantly he made the breakthrough as Slater looking to dominate the spinner early on advanced down the track and changed his mind through the shot tried to block it and Steve Davies wasn’t going to miss the stumping.

After the fine game earlier in the week Joe Clarke’s fortunes could not have been more different this week. He was three short of a second innings hundred when Steve Mullaney declared on his against Yorkshire. In this game, Clarke only scored 4 runs. His two in the second innings saw him misjudge the line of Leach and his off-stump was flattened.

Fletcher had batted most of the morning and played well for 21 before he looked to clear cover off Leach only for it to fly in between extra cover and cover and two fielders converged. Craig Overton took the catch and Notts poor morning continued.

Notts were always behind the game after Tom Abell and George Bartlett added over 200 to the Somerset score of 408. They still had two of their most experienced batsman Mullaney and Samit Patel at the crease at lunch.

Leach continued his spell after the break, and he bowled tight lines that the Notts batsman could not disrupt.

Mullaney was the next to fall he prodded at a Leach delivery and while it looked like his feet had not moved Davies had whipped off the bails and the umpire agreed that Mullaney was stumped. The Notts captain took an age to leave his crease and was far from happy with the call.

Notts capitulated after that and with the tail offering little resistance. Any chance they had of making Somerset bat again went with Patel who was lbw to Leach for 24.

Leach finished with figures of 6 for 36 from a spell of 17 overs each side of lunch. All 10-second innings were taken by bowlers called Jack as Brooks mopped up the last two wickets with Stuart Broad the last man to go.

This result will start to make those down in Taunton and the surrounding area think that this could just be their year. There is, of course, a long way to go by things are looking rosy for Somerset.

Somerset build lead on the back of Abell and Bartlett

When play started at 11 this morning it was honours even, just about. Nottinghamshire knew that early wickets in the first session would put them in charge. Somerset knew if they could see out the first session, they would be firmly in the driving seat.

The assistance for the bowlers yesterday fell away completely as Tom Abell and George Bartlett went about accumulating a mammoth fourth wicket partnership. The started the day as watchful as they had the previous evening. The first hour passed without and any drama.

74 for 3 at the start of the day became 174 for 3 at Lunch. Abell and Bartlett continued past as Steve Mullaney rotated his bowlers.

The Notts captain was without Samit Patel for the first session as Patel was celebrating the birth of a baby daughter. It was the only good news for Notts in those first two sessions until Luke Wood finally made the breakthrough.

The partnership of 223 was the highest for Somerset against Nottinghamshire for the fourth wicket beating the previous of 206 by Graham Burgess and Ian Botham on this ground in 1976.

Abell snicked off to Luke Wood shortly after he had past his century. It ended an innings of 101 from 198 balls. Bartlett was joined by Steve Davies and normal service was resumed and the two took Somerset into tea on 309 for 4.

If the first two sessions had gone Somerset’s way, then the last session was to belong to Nottinghamshire as they fought back to take 6 wickets after tea.

Somerset were on the hunt for bonus points before the cut-off point and wickets were there for the taking as the batting side looked to accelerate.

Bartlett was out shortly after tea shouldering arms to Luke Fletcher. Having been a last-minute choice before the first game of the season Bartlett had certainly taken his chance to cement a place in the Somerset side and his 133 from 223 balls with 17 fours was scored with the confidence of a first-team regular.

Josh Davey with 25 from 28 balls and Lewis Gregory 50 from 50 balls ensured that Somerset got to 400 and the full set of bonus points but they both fell in consecutive balls to Broad. Stuart Broad finished with figures of 5 for 73.

Somerset were bowled out for 403 and a lead of 140. Their bowlers had 13 overs to make early inroads to the Notts top order. Ben Duckett was on a pair when he burst a potential catch through the hands of Bartlett.

The young fielder was upset with himself, but he needn’t have been as the other century-maker Abell made amends taking a low catch to dismiss Duckett for 4.

Brooks finally had some luck go his way. It continued when he then got the wicket of Notts highest scorer Chris Nash for a duck.

Nottinghamshire finished the day on 25 for 2 trailing by 115 runs as Somerset take a grip of the game with two days left to go.

Notts and Somerset battle out enjoyable days play

In a competition between in form batsman and an inform bowler, it was the latter that took the honours today at Trent Bridge.

Lewis Gregory who helped turn Somerset fortunes in the first round of the Specsavers County Championship was at it again returning figures of 6 for 68.

Somerset liked the look of a pitch with a healthy helping of green grass on the surface. It was more for decoration than anything that would cause batsmen any real trouble. Tom Abell the Somerset captain was happy enough to have a bowl first up and the was no toss.

Abell’s decision was looking a great one when Jack Brooks saw off Ben Duckett on of Notts inform batsman. Duckett was heavy footed to a ball that straightened and had nowhere to go but the pavilion.

It wasn’t a happy time after that for Brooks, his first spell would see his four overs dispatched for 29 runs as Chris Nash and Ben Slater tucked into the shorter of the two boundaries.

Notts were plundering on a pitch that offered assistance to the bowler who got it in the right areas but anything slightly offline was going to the fence.

The Notts second wicket partnership soon passed 50 from only 51 balls before Slater edged one behind off Josh Davey and Steve Davies taking a comfortable catch behind.

Joe Clarke who started the season with 112 and 97 not out against Yorkshire soon followed for 2.

Nash who has a very good record at Trent Bridge and that form looked set to continue. He has always been good on the drive and when Brooks fed him early on, he was intent on getting his teeth into the Somerset attack.

For the fourth wicket, Nash again shared a fifty partnership with Steve Mullaney. 52 were added before Mullaney was lbw to Gregory for 26.

The Notts middle order all made starts without going on Samit Patel was bowled for 33 again by Gregory who removed two of Patel’s stumps to opposite sides on the pitch.

Patel along with Tom Moores were looking comfortable in their 58-run partnership.

Once Patel was gone Moores started to play and miss and a number of deliveries before Craig Overton and Marcus Trescothick combined to send Moores back for 47.

Luck Wood who last week had been on loan at Northamptonshire and he ensured the lower order didn’t crumble with a 64 ball 52 before being the last man out as Notts finished on 263 just after tea.

It was an interesting innings by Nottinghamshire. They maybe lack a batsman that can slow things down a bit in the middle order. The batsman dominated in spells but lost their wickets at times where they should have just hung in the game for another half hour. Nash being the perfect case of this as he pulled Gregory straight to Jack Leach at deep mid-wicket for 58.

Notts have the type of bowling attack to pull things around on this ground and Stuart Broad did just that. Alongside Jake Ball, neither bowler tried too hard and bowled good lines and lengths to make the openers think about what was to come.

Each of Somerset’s top three were dismissed for 10. First to go was Azhar Ali lbw to Broad. Trescothick who had batted for the best part of an hour was to be Broad’s second victim in a spell of 2 for 19 from 9 overs.

James Hildreth who has moved up to third in the order was caught behind off Luke Fletcher’s first ball to one down the leg-side. Captain Tom Abell and George Bartlett saw Somerset to 74 for 3 at the close. 189 runs behind Notts.

Reflecting on the day’s play Nash summed up the day perfectly when he said, “It has been a really good days cricket on a good cricket wicket and a quick outfield.”

Day two promises to be more of the same.