Graeme White took five wickets as Nottinghamshire enjoyed the better of the opening day of their match against Yorkshire at Windward CC. Losing wickets at regular intervals throughout the day, the White Rose county batted on for all 90 overs, reaching the close on 223-11 having been dismissed for 168 in 71.2 overs.
Andrew Gale top-scored with 78 but it was Notts’ day, as Mick Newell confirmed, “I’m very pleased with how the day has gone. It’s nice to bowl people out and to bowl out a Yorkshire side that is pretty much as strong as they got here is pleasing.”
He added, “There’s not much in the surface. It swung a little bit this morning with the new ball but we’ve had to work hard for our wickets.”
On White’s performance, the director of cricket was full of praise. “He was a bit down after the other day when Wes Durston went after him but they are small grounds out here and you can play with a bit of freedom when set.
“Graeme wasn’t bowling bad balls at him he was just hitting him out the park. Mentally he has to be strong to cope with days like that but its days like this one that make up for it.”
Adam Lyth and Joe Sayers opened the Yorkshire batting on a very warm morning, with Ben Phillips and Andy Carter sharing the new ball.
Alex Hales had stood patiently at first slip in the match against Derbyshire and pouched two catches right at the end of the 90-over day.
This time his opportunities came early. In the sixth over Lyth (13) edged Carter to him and he made it four catches from as many opportunities when Sayers (5) snicked the same bowler to him four overs later.
Phil Jaques batted for 49 minutes but only made 4 before being adjudged leg before wicket to Luke Fletcher.
Yorkshire’s captain Andrew Gale made a century against Notts on the same ground last year and he came in looking for a repeat, as the fourth left-hander at the top of the order.
Ajmal Shahzad, who played in the corresponding fixture before leaving Yorkshire a year ago, bowled with good pace and energy after replacing Carter. One delivery to Andrew Hodd took off viciously from just short of a length but was well played by the former Sussex wicket-keeper.
Lunch was reached with Yorkshire on 70-3 from 30 overs, with Gale on 32 and Hodd undefeated on 15.
Riki Wessels assumed the gloves for the afternoon session and was soon into the action. Shahzad’s first spell of eight overs had been wicketless but he remedied that with his first delivery, when he was recalled twenty minutes after lunch.
Hodd’s (28) innings came to an abrupt end when he drove and clipped the ball through to the waiting Wessels.
Rich Pyrah (8) took 16 off one Shahzad over in the T20 semi final at the weekend and he pulled the same bowler away for the first six of the match in the 40th over as the total went into three figures.
The batsman didn’t last much longer though, falling to a sharp catch at short leg by Sam Kelsall off Graeme White’s bowling.
Gale reached his half-century (96 balls, 4x4, 1x6) midway through the day but soon lost another partner.
Liam Plunkett (8) tried to hit White over the top but only succeeded in picking out Shahzad at mid on to leave the board reading 128-6 after 50 overs.
Former Outlaw Ryan Sidebottom (11) batted for half an hours before uppishly lifting White to point, where a diving Phillips took a well-judged catch.
Gale had 76 out of the 157-7 at tea but he only added two more before White’s hot streak continued, turning one prodigiously to bowl the Yorkshire skipper.
Fletcher took the ninth wicket, yorking Steve Patterson (2) and the tenth went down on 168 with Moin Ashraf (2) lifting White to Adam Tillcock at mid off.
White’s figures at that stage were 18.2-5-49-5. With overs remaining in the day Yorkshire sent Lyth in again to join last man Jack Brooks for another knock and he again fell quickly, hitting Mullaney to White for an 11-ball nought.
Brooks (47 not out) played an array of shots – some from the coaching manuals and some a touch fortuitously – yet he remained intact at the end, alongside Joe Sayers (11 not out) who also enjoyed a second appearance out in the middle.