Match report day 1: Notts v Lancs in Championship 2003 by Neil Adams

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Scorecard:

Nottinghamshire v Lancashire

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Summary for Day 1

Lets get the rant and rave out of the way first - The sky was cloudless and the sun was beating down. The pitch was flat with a lovely golden colour. Your opponents have Stuart MacGill in their side. The best weather for the match is forecasted for the first day. The pitch is unlikely to play any better as the game progresses. You required maximum bonus points to stand half a chance of winning the title - No problem - You are fortunate enough to win the toss, but then decide to insert your opponents!! - Nightmare! Yes, there might have been just a hint of moisture, but with four batsmen in your team past a thousand runs for the season, surely you back them to post a decent score. Rant over!

 

Nottinghamshire scored freely during the first session reaching 148 without loss by lunch (Admittedly the boundary to the Fox Road side of the ground was exceptionally short). Lancashire did not bowl well during this session - far too wide and far too full. After the interval, 3 wickets fell in the first 10 overs to offer a route back into the game. Then Warren and Pietersen added 87 for the fourth wicket to leave the hosts on 297 for 4 at tea. The last 5 wickets added 106, but Harris was unable to bat as he was not present at the ground (His son was not feeling well) - thus a declaration with 9 wickets down. Chilton and Sutcliffe played through 2 overs without any scares to leave Warren Hegg a very relieved man in the dressing room

 

Bowling Performance of the Day

Once again, John Wood bowled the best for Lancashire. Not for the first time this season, Wood removed only top order batsmen (Bicknell 75, Read 9, and Warren 75). He finished the innings with 3 for 80 from 19 overs. Although every bowler captured at least one wicket, the standard of bowling was generally below the usual high standard

 

Batting Performance of the Day

4 home batsmen passed 50 - Gallian 83, Warren 75, Bicknell 75 and Pietersen 52. The opening partnership realized 165 runs from 38 overs before Bicknell dragged a wide ball from Wood into his stumps. Gallian struck a number of excellent straight drives. After reaching 50, Warren struggled to score (25 runs from 23 overs). It came as no surprise when he lost his middle stump

 

Fielding Performance of the Day

Kyle Hogg suffered a personal nightmare in the field and the ball seemed to follow him around! - endless misfields and poor throwing. Gary Keedy held a spectacular catch fielding at point to dismiss Gallian. Substitute fielder Chris Schofield also held a fine catch running in from the deep mid-wicket boundary. The catch was made all the more remarkable due to the fact that the sun was low in the sky and Schofield was not wearing a hat or any sunglasses (Tell a lie - the sunglasses were on top of his head at the time!)

 

Highlights of the Day

• Securing all 3 bowling points despite the poor start
• The late summer sunshine!

 

Lowlights of the Day

• Winning the toss but electing to bowl first
• Conceding 5 penalty runs when the ball slipped through Hegg's hands and struck the helmet
• Too much loose bowling
• A lot of sub-standard fielding
• Watching Bicknell and Gallian score 165 for the first wicket
• Stuart Law dropped Paul Franks (0) at first slip with the score on 344 for 6 - please can someone explain why Lancashire persist with Law at first slip considering the number of missed chances this season (Especially in the last 3 or 4 games)?
• Why did Nottinghamshire's stewards (Or lack of stewards) allow spectators to walk all over the square and the wicket during the intervals??

 

Discussion Points of the Day

• AJ Harris was unable to bat at the fall of the ninth wicket. He was not present at the ground due to his son suffering from an illness. This absence forced Nottinghamshire to declare with 2 overs remaining of the days play
• Another very short boundary for a first class game of cricket. Trent Bridge has 21 wickets across the square - surely a more central wicket could have been used

 

Key Notes of the Day

• Lancashire won the toss and elected to bowl
• 50 for 0 in the 15th over - Gallian 26* Bicknell 22*
• 52 Bicknell - 87 for 0 in the 20th over - Gallian 33*
• 100 for 0 in the 22nd over - Gallian 39* Bicknell 57*
• 53 Gallian (9 x 4) - 114 for 0 in the 24th over - Bicknell 57*
• Lunch - 148 for 0 from 33 overs - Gallian 70* Bicknell 70*
• 150 for 0 in the 34th over (No ball!) - Gallian 70* Bicknell 70*
• Bicknell bowled Wood 75 (Played-on) - 165 for 1 in the 38th over - Gallian 78*
• Gallian caught Keedy bowled Hogg 83 - 175 for 2 in the 42nd over - Read 5*
• Read caught Hegg bowled Wood 9 - 183 for 3 in the 43rd over - Warren 4*
• 202 for 3 in the 49th over - Pietersen 11* Warren 12*
• 50 partnership - 233 for 3 in the 57th over - Pietersen 29* Warren 22*
• 250 for 3 in the 60th over - Pietersen 36* Warren 32*
• 50 Pietersen - 266 for 3 in the 62nd over - Warren 34*
• Pietersen caught Hegg bowled Hooper 52 - 270 for 4 in the 64th over - Warren 36*
• 51 Warren - 296 for 4 in the 71st over - Shafayat 11*
• Tea - 297 for 4 from 72 overs - Warren 51* Shafayat 12*
• 301 for 4 in the 73rd over - Warren 51* Shafayat 16*
• Shafayat lbw bowled Martin 22 - 318 for 5 in the 79th over - Warren 62*
• 5 runs conceded when the ball hits the helmet behind Hegg - 326 for 5 in the 84th over
• Patel caught sub (Schofield) bowled Keedy 9 - 342 for 6 in the 85th over - Warren 69*
• Franks 0 dropped by Law at first slip - 344 for 6 in the 86th over - Warren 71*
• 351 for 6 in the 89th over - Franks 5* Warren 73*
• New ball taken for the start of the 92nd over - 354 for 6 - Franks 8* Warren 73*
• Warren bowled Wood 75 - 360 for 7 in the 95th over - Franks 12*
• Franks bowled Chapple 14 - 362 for 8 in the 98th over - Smith 0*
• MacGill bowled Chapple 4 - 376 for 9 from 100 - Smith 8*
• Harris unavailable to bat - 376 for 9 declared - 2 overs remaining

• 3 for 0 from 2 overs - Chilton 3* Sutcliffe 0* - Close of play
• Nottinghamshire 4 points, Lancashire 3 points

 

(Article: Copyright © 2004 Neil Adams http://www.cricketimages.co.uk/adams-report/intro.html)