A superb 106 from wicketkeeper Tom Moores has put Yorkshire under pressure at the halfway stage of their Bob Willis Trophy clash with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
The White Rose’s hopes of securing a second successive North Group win are not over, but Notts claimed a first-innings lead of 91 in reply to 264.
The first two sessions of the day were very even before wicketkeeper Moores – with the help of all-rounder Samit Patel and then the tail – turned the tide in favour of a side who have not won a first-class fixture since June 2018.
Moores and Patel shared 99 for the seventh wicket either side of tea as Notts were bowled out for 355 to signal close.
They advanced from 187-6 shortly before tea to 286-7 inside the day’s final hour when Dawid Malan’s leg-spin had Patel caught at short-leg for 38.
Steve Patterson wrapped up the innings when he bowled Moores for 106 off 140 balls, a knock which started watchfully and then mixed brute power with innovation.
Both sides battled hard for their rewards.
Yorkshire took wickets at regular intervals during the morning and afternoon, including debutant seamer Dom Leech striking with only his 11th ball in first-team cricket before lunch.
Moores was supplemented by a number of useful contributions for Notts, including captain Steven Mullaney’s 50.
Yorkshire claimed two wickets before lunch, three in the afternoon and the remaining four in the evening as the hosts advanced from 13-1 overnight.
Nineteen-year-old Leech struck towards the end of his second over when he had Haseeb Hameed caught at second slip.
Unfortunately, off-spinner Jack Shutt was the only bowler unable to build pressure on a used pitch lacking pace but displaying signs of turn and uneven bounce.
Duanne Olivier claimed the day’s first wicket.
After five successive maidens between himself and captain Patterson, the South African quick had Ben Duckett caught at second slip for four, leaving Notts at 30-2 in the 17th over.
Adam Lyth was the catcher, as he was for Leech’s dismissal of another former England batsman Hameed for 21.
Hameed, trying to defend to leg, got a leading edge and Lyth held on – Notts 55-3 in the 23rd over at this stage.
Mullaney and Joe Clarke, who scored 112 and 97 in last season’s County Championship draw here, then set about a fourth-wicket partnership of 70 either side of lunch.
Mullaney pulled Olivier for six shortly before lunch, only to play a part in Clarke’s dismissal afterwards as Notts fell to 115-4 in the 37th.
Having driven Patterson forwards of point, he called for a single, only to see Jordan Thompson brilliantly pick up and throw the stumps down at the striker’s end with Clarke (35) well short of his ground.
Thompson, having hit 98 on day one, was particularly miserly with the ball. In Patterson-esque fashion, you might say as he returned figures of 1-37 from 16 overs.
Mullaney then reached 50 off 79 balls before falling shortly afterwards, lbw sweeping at Lyth’s off-spin – 163-5 in the 52nd.
Lyth had initially been employed to replace fellow off-spinner Shutt from the Radcliffe Road End of the ground.
Mullaney had shared 48 with Peter Trego, who was later the last of the trio of afternoon departures – for 39 – when he edged a drive at Olivier to gully, where Harry Brook held on. That left Notts at 187-6 in the 57th.
Unfortunately, then came the damaging Moores and Patel alliance which pushed the game Notts’ way.
They watchfully shared 99 in 37 overs, although Moores did ensure Notts took the lead by reverse sweeping Lyth for six. He then brought up 50 off 99 balls.
After Malan got Patel, he also had Jake Ball caught at slip by Lyth before Moores took the majority of the strike from last man Matt Carter and hit two further sixes.
He reached his second first-class hundred off 137 balls and went on to post a career best score.