Taylor and Mike impress on Day One
Sat 22 Aug 2020
DAY ONE | Leicestershire CCC 222 v Nottinghamshire CCC 48 without loss
SCORECARD | Available from Cricinfo HERE.
REPORT | Tom Taylor’s first half-century of the season improved Leicestershire’s score on day one after Nottinghamshire dominated the morning session.
Ben Mike followed up with a first-class best for Leicestershire of 51no as he built on the foundations laid earlier in the day, earning his maiden first-class half-century in the process.
The final home Bob Willis Trophy fixture of 2020 got underway on time at a blustery Fischer County Ground despite a light drizzle minutes before the toss.
Nottinghamshire captain Steven Mullaney won the toss in the middle and opted for a bowl, meaning Hassan Azad and Sam Evans would open the batting on day one.
The duo were put under some early pressure from the opening attack of Peter Trego and former-Fox Zak Chappell with both surviving numerous lbw calls, from the bowling of Trego in-particular.
It took 21 balls before the Foxes had posted anything on the scoreboard, with the Sam Evans (4) driving Chappell back down the wicket for two – surpassing his previous total posted against Nottinghamshire in the pre-season friendly in build up to the Bob Willis Trophy.
However, the academy graduate could only post a further two runs before falling victim to an out-swinger from Trego which he nicked through to Lyndon James at third slip.
The Foxes were soon two down. Dearden (7) came out and attacked the bowling which saw him earn the first boundary of the day, driving Chappell through the off side for four. Though, his stay at the crease was short-lived after flicking another out-swinging Trego delivery straight to the hands of Samit Patel at mid-wicket.
Captain Colin Ackermann (4) emerged to form a crucial wicket alongside Hassan Azad as Leicestershire looked to stem the Nottinghamshire tide.
He hit Trego for four off his first ball but failed to past any more runs from the further 11 balls he faced before clipping a Trego delivery to Steven Mullaney at second slip.
Leicestershire were 21 for three, and their plight continued.
George Rhodes was the man who came in to replace the captain, but his partnership with Azad lasted only seven deliveries before Azad (4) drove a Lyndon James delivery to Ben Slater at backward point who dove superbly to take the catch.
Leicestershire were now 25 for four as Harry Swindells joined Rhodes in the middle.
Rhodes (7) and Swindells (9) managed to fight off an inspired looking attack of Trego and James as they battled their way to an early lunch after a brief downpour at the Fischer County Ground, with the Foxes sitting on 37 for four.
The duo came back out following the early lunch break and looked to continue their hard work from the morning session.
The partnership looked to kick on with both batsmen earning boundaries early in the afternoon session, but Chappell broke the partnership just as it looked to build up a head of steam.
Rhodes (19) finely clipped Chappell’s delivery through to Tom Moores who took the grab. The duo’s hard work before the break ended in vain as the Notts onslaught continued with Tom Taylor joining Swindells at the crease with Leicestershire on 54 for five.
Taylor came out with impetus as he looked to drag Leicestershire back into this tie following Nottinghamshire’s dominant morning.
He took two overs to get in and then began finding the boundaries with some well-placed shots. With thanks to Taylor’s vigour, the Foxes saw themselves over the 100-run mark which was followed up by a sublime six from the Leicestershire allrounder as he hit James back over his head for the first six of the game.
Soon after, the 50 partnership of Swindells 9(29) and Taylor 37(40) was brought up as the partnership began to compete with the Nottinghamshire attack.
Taylor was close to posting his first half-century of the season as he sat on 47 and was lucky not to have been dismissed.
Swindells defended a ball into the leg side which was collected by Ben Duckett in the field. Taylor was on his way to run a single as Duckett aimed for his stumps from the opposite side of the wicket, and if James was more attentive it would have been an easy run out for Notts with what would have been a crucial wicket.
A few balls later and Taylor seemed have been run out after a brilliant piece of Samit Patel fielding saw him hit the stumps directly as the partnership scampered for a quick single, though, the umpire didn’t raise his finger.
Taylor made sure that that decision wasn’t made in vain as soon after he crashed James through the off-side to bring up his first half century of the season. The fifty came in 60 balls and included six fours and one six.
The sixth wicket partnership came to an end after Nottinghamshire introduced spin into their attack through the form of Samit Patel.
It took Patel 10 deliveries before claiming a wicket as he pinned Swindells (33) lbw and the 81-run sixth wicket partnership came to an end.
Swindells, though, as he did in the fixture against Derbyshire, stemmed the onslaught from the opposition and was half of the partnership that hugely improved Leicestershire’s position in the first innings.
The Notts field were buoyant following the sixth wicket and really put the Foxes under the cosh with the mixture of seam and spin in the attack.
Soon, the pressure told as Taylor (57) cut a Barber delivery down to third man only to be caught by Chappell. Taylor made way as James Weighell became the 487th player to represent the Running Foxes.
The Running Foxes made it through to the tea break sitting on 154 for seven with Mike hitting multiple fours in the overs building up to the break.
The partnership of Mike and Weighell put on a resolute defence from the Nottinghamshire attack that had now re-introduced Peter Trego.
However, it was the former-Leicestershire man, Chappell who claimed the eighth wicket as Weighell (23) chopped the leg side delivery on to his own stumps.
The ninth wicket partnership proved a useful one as Griffiths partnered Ben Mike with the latter nearing his maiden half-century for the Running Foxes in first-class cricket.
Griffiths (8) got Mike as far as 45 before he nicked a Tom Barber delivery through to the Moores at wicketkeeper who took the catch.
Mike was now partnered by Alex Evans as Leicestershire sat on 215 for nine.
Mike managed to get over the line and claim his maiden half-century for Leicestershire with a huge six after hooking Barber into the pavilion car park. His fifty came in 83 balls including six fours and one six.
The ball after though, and his partner at the crease, Alex Evans, was bowled by Patel, bringing Leicestershire’s innings to an end leaving Mike not out on 51 – a first-class best for the young allrounder in Leicestershire colours.
There were still 13 overs left to play in the day Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater made their way to the wicket to get Nottinghamshire’s first innings underway.
The opening attack of Taylor and Evans tried to contain the dangerous duo of Hameed and Slater, but the batsmen remained composed and picked off any loose deliveries coming from the bowlers.
Leicestershire had a glorious chance to take an early wicket as Slater nicked a wicked Taylor delivery through to Geroge Rhodes at third slip. However, the chance was spilled with Slater still in single figures.
Nottinghamshire then saw off overs from Griffiths and Mike as they batted their way to the end of day one without losing a wicket, and earning 48 runs.
Figures (1st inns) | Trego 22-9-46-3, Chappell 20-5-54-2, James 9-0-43-1, Barber 12-1-48-2, Patel 11.1-3-25-2
Taylor 6-1-13-0, Evans 4-0-21-0, Griffiths 2-1-9-0, Mike 1-0-5-0
TEAM | Hassan Azad, Sam Evans, Harry Dearden, Colin Ackermann (c), George Rhodes, Harry Swindells (wk), Tom Taylor, Ben Mike, James Weighell, Gavin Griffiths.
Nottinghamshire CCC | Haseeb Hameed, Ben Slater, Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke, Steven Mullaney (c), Peter Trego, Tom Moors (wk), Samit Patel, Zak Chappell, Lyndon James, Tom Barber
IMAGES | Thanks to John Mallett of Outside Off for providing the images throughout the game.
