Picture by Jack Bird. Dan Moriarty struck twice at Trent Bridge today, including removing Ben Slater for 96.
Yorkshire battled back impressively with three wickets in each of the afternoon and evening sessions on day one to stifle a strong Nottinghamshire start at Trent Bridge led by opener Ben Slater’s third successive Rothesay County Championship century against the White Rose this season.
Left-handed Slater posted scores of 52 and 78 in May’s Rothesay County Championship victory at Headingley, and bettered that here with a patient 96 off 224 balls as the Division One leaders closed on 298-6 from 94 overs. Bad light ended play two overs early.
Left-arm spinner Dan Moriarty and seamer George Hill struck twice apiece for Yorkshire, who claimed all of their wickets from just after lunch onwards. Moriarty finished with the pick of the figures, 2-58 from 22 overs.
Ex-Derbyshire man Slater has, in fact, now posted 50 plus totals in each of his last five Championship innings. He was particularly strong off the back foot through the off-side, punching and cutting with success in hitting 12 boundaries.
After the hosts elected to bat first on a used pitch, Slater and opening partner Haseeb Hameed – the Notts’ captain – shared 90 through until the opening over after lunch, the 33rd of the innings.
Picture by John Heald. Matthew Revis held a superb one-handed catch back-peddling from mid-on to help Dan Moriarty remove Joe Clarke during the afternoon session.
Yorkshire started very tidily through White and New Zealand overseas quick Will O’Rourke, but Hameed and Slater saw off the new Kookaburra ball.
Chances didn’t come with regularity for Yorkshire, though Slater was dropped on 11 in the covers.
White broke through two balls into the afternoon, the start of which was delayed by 15 minutes following some light rain.
He had Hameed, for 52, caught behind by captain Jonny Bairstow as the former England opener looked to turn a short ball to leg and could only under-edge behind.
It seemed like Hameed, who had earlier reached his fifty off 93 balls, was undone by a lack of a pace from a sluggish pitch.
Picture by John Heald. Jack White made the initial breakthrough just after lunch to remove Haseeb Hameed.
Yorkshire came into their eighth match of the season bidding for their second win and to end a two-game losing streak. They opted to leave out Ben Coad and play the two spinners in Dom Bess and Moriarty, who was one of three afternoon wicket-takers.
Both sides are playing two spinners in the first of four successive rounds in which the Kookaburra ball will be used.
But it was the pacy O’Rourke who claimed the second wicket to fall when he had left-handed Freddie McCann caught behind on the pull, leaving Notts at 121-2 after 38 overs.
Two balls earlier, McCann, who made 23 off 17 balls, had success with a similar shot against a ball not as short and certainly not as quick.
Slater then shared 65 for the third wicket with Joe Clarke through the heart of the afternoon, the former reaching his latest fifty off 129 balls along the way.
Picture by John Heald. Conditions were warm but blustery in Nottingham today, so much so that umpire Steve O’Shaughnessy couldn’t keep hold of his hat!
Clarke had made his way calmly to 31 when he had a rush of blood and tried to hoist the left-arm spin of Moriarty over mid-on during the latter stages of the afternoon.
Initially it did look like he had got enough of the shot to clear fielder Matthew Revis. However, the tall all-rounder back-peddled and brilliantly held the catch one-handed in his left-hand, reaching over his right shoulder, as Notts fell to 186-3 in the 61st over.
The hosts, bidding for their fifth win in eight four-day matches this season, moved beyond 200 in the early stages of the evening.
But, with Slater one shot away from a century, he drove Moriarty to cover, where Hill took the catch as Notts fell to 225-4 in the 73rd over.
Indian overseas wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, on debut, then took on Hill just before the new ball was taken, hitting three boundaries in the 78th over as Notts moved to 250-4.
Picture by Jack Bird. Nottinghamshire opener Ben Slater pulls en-route to 96.
Hill, however, struck with the first ball of the 80th when, with the score on 253, he trapped Jack Haynes lbw with one angled in.
And his second wicket followed when Lyndon James drove him chest high to cover – 283-6 in the 89th.
Indian Ishan was the most aggressive batter on show today and will hope to reach his fifty in the morning. He reached close on 44 off 53 balls.
Picture by John Heald. Captains Jonny Bairstow and Haseeb Hameed at the toss this morning.
