Scriven Takes Four As Foxes Emphatically Fight Back To Control Day One

Leicestershire fought back to dismiss visitors Nottinghamshire for 263, having been 234/4 at one stage, on day one of the pre-season meeting at Uptonsteel County Ground.

Tom Scriven spearheaded the retaliation, returning figures of 11-3-20-4, as the Foxes took six visiting wickets for just 29 runs in the evening session.

Captain Ben Cox came out on the right side of the toss, with opposing number Haseeb Hameed calling incorrectly. The wicketkeeper-batter elected to field first in conditions far more akin to the early season chill to be reasonably expected in March.

Hameed - opening with one-time Leicestershire loanee Ben Slater “ crunched the first ball of the day through the covers for four, taking eight off Chris Wright’s opening over.

Ben Mike shared the new cherry and yielded just a single from his first two overs. But it was his replacement from the Pavilion End, Scriven, who secured the breakthrough in his first over. Looking to cut, Hameed got a bottom edge onto his stumps and was swiftly on his way for 10.

One brought two, as Slater (23) cut Wright straight to Lewis Hill at cover in the next over. Notts reduced to 37/2, having been 37 without loss seven balls prior.

Freddie McCann and Joe Clarke had added 24 by the time Scriven picked up his second, getting the ball to nip back in and beat the forward defences of the former to disturb the bails.

Clarke and Jack Haynes provided stability for the visitors, adding 124 together either side of lunch. After an attritional start to the afternoon - which saw Wright and Ian Holland string 29 consecutive dot balls together - the Notts pair began to take a liking to spin duo Rehan Ahmed and Liam Trevaskis, who were operating in tandem for 16 overs of the session.

Clarke smashed Trevaskis for two sixes in five balls during the 44^th over, as he began to accelerate towards his century, eventually retiring out on 91 from 135 balls. Hayes carried on in much the same vein, reaching his fifty from 103 balls by driving Trevaskis to the ropes shortly before tea.

But the break galvanised Leicestershire. 234/4 was soon to become 263 all out thanks to an inspired bowling display in the final third of the day.

Scriven led the charge. First, he had Matt Montgomery trapped stone dead for 15, before Haynes (76) got a leading edge and duly saw the chance snaffled by Wright running round from mid-on.

Seven and a half overs later, Olly Stone (13) was the next to go. Roman Walker - introduced to the attack for the first time in the day post-tea “ getting the England international caught at first slip by Rishi Patel.

Walker struck gold again in his next over, trapping Lyndon James in front for nine. Louis Kimber then picked up Conor McKerr’s (4) wicket with his very first ball, as the visiting seamer holed out to Holland at deep mid-wicket.

Leicestershire wrapped up Notts’ innings with a third wicket in as many overs through an unlikely source, Rishi Patel. The opener’s right-arm off-spin taking the outside edge of Josh Tongue (0) through to Cox.

Six wickets for 29 runs reflected a magnificent evening’s work, rewarding the Foxes for their patience across the afternoon. Play will resume for day two at 11am on Thursday.

A full scorecard can be viewed HERE.