April 12-15, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Nottinghamshire 399 (Clarke 105, James 96, Smith 3-67, Finch 2-86, Baker 2-99)
Worcestershire 191-6 (Ali 40, Jones 90, Pennington 2-25, Harrison 3-70)
Toss: Nottinghamshire, who elected to bat. Officials: Alex Wharf, Ben Debenham, Will Smith
CHOOSING TO start a second game on the same pitch they used for their opening match at Trent Bridge last week, Nottinghamshire included two spinners in their line-up and unsurprisingly batted when winning the toss on the first day against Worcestershire.
With Joe Clarke going towards a second hundred in three innings, an increasingly rampant third-wicket stand of 133 included an onslaught of 41 from the first six overs after lunch that seized the afternoon initiative.
Ben Slater fell for 70 before Clarke, one of three home players appearing against his old club, advanced to 105 before being caught behind 25 minutes after tea but Worcestershire could not quite regain the balance by the close, with Nottinghamshire ending the day at 305 for six.
New Zealander Nathan Smith returned three for 62 overall whilst fellow overseas signing, Barbadian Jason Holder, proved tight if wicketless. Pleasingly, it was 20-year-old Josh Baker’s left-arm spin that finally removed Clarke, who had savaged him earlier.
It had been an anxious start for the home side on the surface that had seen them bowled out for 80 and lose to Essex just four days earlier. Both openers were gone by the eighth over as Nathan Smith struck twice in his opening 19 balls.
The Kiwi hit Haseeb Hameed’s middle and leg stumps with a full one when the home captain, beaten on the outside edge but losing balance aiming to leg, fell for 11 and Ben Duckett soon touched a defensive edge to the wicket keeper. Just before lunch, Slater, on 40, survived a sharp low chance to short leg off Baker.
During the onrush of fours and sixes that followed on resumption, Slater edged a drive at the same bowler on 53 that flashed between keeper and slip, neither of them moving. Though four men were placed on the boundary for C
