Essex v Nottinghamshire
Specsavers County Championship
Tuesday 14 May – Friday 17 May
The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford
Essex Team: Nick Browne, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Dan Lawrence, Rishi Patel, Ryan ten Doeschate (c), Simon Harmer, Robbie White (wk), Peter Siddle, Jamie Porter, Sam Cook.
Nottinghamshire Team: Ben Slater, Ben Duckett, Chris Nash, Joe Clarke, Steven Mullaney (c), Samit Patel, Tom Moores (wk), Zak Chappell, Stuart Broad, Luke Fletcher, Matthew Carter.
Toss: Nottinghamshire won the toss and elected to bat.
Umpires: Jeremy Lloyds & Neil Mallender.
Result: Essex won by 8 wickets.
Day Three: Match Highlights
Day Three Reaction: Peter Siddle
Day Three: Close of Play Report
Alastair Cook underlined his patience and discipline as he guided Essex to an 8-wicket victory over Nottinghamshire in their County Championship clash at The Cloudfm County Ground.
After they had been left a target of 105, Cook refused to take any risks in his innings that spanned 109 balls and left him unbeaten on 40 when Dan Lawrence, who was 7 not out at the end, struck the winning run.
The former England captain’s cautious approach saw him only find the boundary on two occasions as he anchored the home side’s victory quest and he never looked in the slightest difficulty.
With the more aggressive Tom Westley, he shared in a stand of 85 before Westley pulled a ball from Samit Patel into the hands of Joe Clarke at mid-wicket, one short of his first half-century of the Championship season.
Westley had struck five boundaries after his partnership with Cook began when Nick Browne was run out for a single from the third ball of the innings. Browne failed to beat the throw by Luke Fletcher from backward square leg. The dismissal was celebrated wildly by the Nottinghamshire fielders but it was to be the only success until Essex were on the cusp of victory.
Any hope that they may have harboured of making a real fight of it quickly evaporated once Cook and Westley came together and they were in no mood to undermine the good work of their bowlers who were able to dismiss the visitors for 158 in their second innings.
Nottinghamshire had resumed on 90 for 6 but were soon plunged into further trouble as spinner Simon Harmer removed the overnight pair of Chris Nash and Tom Moores within the first hour of play to leave the visiting side 143 for 8.
The off-spinner also figured in the dismissal of Fletcher for 15 when he held a slip catch off the bowling of Jamie Porter.
Harmer finished with 6 for 60 from his 22 overs, his ninth five-wickets haul or more in an innings since he joined Essex in 2017.
It gave him match figures of 8 for 80 and took his haul of victims to 18 from the first three Championship games of the season.
Porter’s dismissal of Fletcher and Zak Chappell brought the Nottinghamshire innings to a close with the pace man ending with figures of 3 for 41 and match figures of 7 for 116.
Their efforts helped Essex collect 20 points from the game and their first Championship win of the summer as they achieved their success with more than four sessions to spare. It also enabled the hosts to redress the heavy 301-run defeat when the two teams met at Chelmsford a little under 12 months ago.
Day Three: Lunch Report
ESSEX were left a victory target of 105 to inflict defeat on Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground and claim their first win of the County Championship season. At lunch, Essex had reached 18 for 1 with Alastair Cook on 10 and Tom Westley 6 not out.
After the visitors resumed on 90 for 6, the hosts claimed the remaining wickets for 68 runs with spinner Simon Harmer again playing a leading role in the opposition’s demise.
He removed the overnight pair of Chris Nash and Tom Moores to take his tally of wickets in the innings to six. Nash was caught in the leg trap for 32 before Moores was drawn forward and stumped for 22.
Harmer then held a smart slip catch to get rid of Luke Fletcher off Jamie Porter who brought the innings to a close at 158 by bowling Stuart Broad.
Harmer finished with 6 for 60 from 22 overs to take his haul of wickets to 18 in the first three Championship games.
Essex got off to a disastrous start in their pursuit of victory, losing Nick Browne to the third ball of the innings when he was run out by Fletcher’s throw from backward square leg for a single.
But Cook and Westley steered clear of further trouble before lunch which arrived with the home side requiring a further 87 runs for victory.
Day Two: Match Highlights
Day Two Reaction: Simon Harmer
Day Two: Close of Play Report
Essex were left contemplating their first County Championship Division One victory of the season after dominating the final hour on the second day of their clash with Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground.
After they established a first innings lead of 54, they reduced the visitors to 90 for 6 at the close, a mere 36 runs ahead.
Their commanding position looked a distant dream when they lost their eighth wicket for 158 in response to a Notts total of 187.
But then they lost three wickets for a single run as Harmer spun them into dire straits.
He began his course of destruction by tempting Ben Duckett to drive into the hands of Jamie Porter before he found enough turn to have Joe Clarke taken at slip by Alastair Cook.
Then, with the total of 79, Harmer got rid of Steven Mullaney and Samit Patel with successive deliveries, both with the help of Ryan ten Doeschate catches at short leg.
Those four wickets came in the space of 21 deliveries at a cost of only three runs. He was to end the day with figures 4 for 32 from 12 overs and leave Essex contemplating an easy triumph.
Porter, who picked up the wicket of opener Ben Slater with an lbw decision, and Peter Siddle picked up the other wickets to leave the visitors in utter disarray.
Amazingly it was Notts who were in the driving seat early on. After Essex had resumed their first innings at 68 without loss, they lost Alastair Cook, a victim of Stuart Broad for 31 and then struggled to come to terms with the Nottinghmshire bowling.
At one stage they lost five wickets in the space of 46 deliveries for 22 runs, including that of Nick Browne who made 67, containing seven fours, before he was caught at backward point attacking spinner Matt Carter.
But Essex were revived by Harmer and Siddle in what could prove the match winning partnership.
Without taking any risks they added a priceless 81 in 23 overs, the highest stand of the match, before the arrival of the new ball in the hands of Luke Fletcher quickly brought the innings to a close.
With the fourth delivery he trapped Harmer lbw for 43 and two overs later breached the defences of Sam Cook for a duck to finish with 5 for 50 from 24.1 overs.
Siddle finished unbeaten on 40 and just how valuable his contribution was became more apparent later in the day.
Only the intervention of the weather or something remarkable from Notts can now deny Essex their first Championship win of the season – and neither seems likely.
Day Two: Tea Report
Essex lost four wickets soon after lunch as they fell to 158 for 8 within 8 overs of the restart.
Nick Browne added just 4 runs to his lunch score of 63 before he was caught at backward point attacking spinner Matt Carter, and the same bowler was to have both Robbie White and Jamie Porter smartly taken at forward short leg by Ben Slater after both batsmen had scored 2 runs each.
In between those dismissals, Ryan ten Doeschate fell leg before wicket to Luke Fletcher for a duck without playing a shot.
Including the dismissal of Rishi Patel to the last ball before lunch, it meant that Essex had lost five wickets for 22 runs in the space of 46 deliveries.
But the home side were to be revived by Simon Harmer and Peter Siddle, who never looked in trouble while putting together a half-century stand in 75 balls.
In between bouts of aggression that sent the ball racing to the boundary, they kept the score moving steadily by pushing the ball into the gaps on a regular basis.
It was not until they had put on 81 in 23 overs that the partnership was broken when Fletcher struck with the fourth delivery with the new ball, when he beat the defence of Harmer to remove him for 43 with the total on 239.
Two runs later, Fletcher brought the innings to a close when bowling Sam Cook for a duck to finish with 5 for 50 from 24.1 overs.
Tea was then taken with Essex having established a first innings lead of 54 runs.
Day Two: Lunch Report
Alastair Cook became an early victim of Stuart Broad, his former England teammate when Essex resumed their County Championship battle against Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground.
Only 10 runs had been added to the overnight score of 68 for 0 when Cook edged a comfortable catch to Steven Mullaney in the slips.
The opener had added just 2 runs to his overnight 29 and it was not long before his replacement, Tom Westley, was making the same walk back to the Pavilion.
He did stay long enough to despatch Broad to the boundary twice in an over but with his score on 12, he was trapped leg before wicket by the England paceman.
That left Essex 98 for 2 in pursuit of Nottinghamshire’s 187 all out and it was left to Nick Browne to hold the reply together. From 34 overnight, he moved to his first half-century in 8 Championship matches and when he reached 56, it signalled his 5,000th first-class run.
Soon afterwards, Dan Lawrence was caught behind off Luke Fletcher for 19 and in what proved to be the final delivery before lunch, the same bowler accounted for Rishi Patel who had scored 5 when was caught by Matt Carter at second slip.
It left Essex 136 for 4 from 50.1 overs at the interval with Browne 63 not out having faced 163 balls and collected 6 boundaries.
Day One: Match Highlights
Day One Reaction: Jamie Porter
Day One: Close of Play Report
With Jamie Porter playing a starring role with the ball, Essex dominated the opening day of their County Championship fixture against Nottinghamshire at The Cloudfm County Ground.
The paceman claimed 4-75 in 18 overs as the visitors, who won the toss, were tumbled out for 187. Nick Browne and Alastair Cook responded with 68 as Essex finished the day with all 10 wickets intact.
At one stage Notts looked poised for a healthy total as they recovered from the loss of two early wickets to go past 100 without further loss, but the game was to take a turn as Porter found his rhythm.
He removed both Ben Slater (45) and Joe Clarke (48), who shared in a stand of 80, during a spell in which Nottinghamshire lost four wickets for 21 in the space of nine overs.
That left them 137 for 6 and they were never able to launch a meaningful recovery.
Despite 24 from Luke Fletcher, who was the only batsman of the last seven to top a dozen runs, they lost their last three wickets for four runs in the space of 20 deliveries, with Sam Cook, Peter Siddle and Simon Harmer all collecting two wickets each.
In reply, Nick Browne and Alastair Cook were to blunt the Notts attack to put the Essex innings on a firm foundation.
Both batsmen caught the eye with some forceful drives as the side established a firm grip on the contest, with Browne resuming on 34 tomorrow morning whilst Cook has 29.
Day One: Tea Report
Nottinghamshire resumed after lunch on 76 for 2 but it was the home side who enjoyed the better of the second session capturing four further wickets as 81 runs were added.
Ben Slater and Joe Clarke had put on 80 in 33 overs for the third wicket before both were dismissed by Porter. Slater was caught behind by Robbie White for a painstaking 45 while Clarke was bowled two runs short of a half-century.
That left Notts 131 for 4 and they were to lose two more wickets quickly as Essex took control.
Cook removed Steven Mullaney for 6 when Nick Browne took a fine catch at cover point, whilst the return of Peter Siddle reaped reward when Samit Patel was caught behind for 3.
That left Notts struggling at 137 for 6, with the last four wickets going down for 21 in the space of nine overs.
Essex strengthened their grip further when, with the total on 155, Porter returned to claim his fourth wicket.
He did so as Browne held a superb catch at backward point to get rid of Tom Moores for 10.
But Luke Fletcher and Stuart Broad stayed together until tea which was taken on 157 for 7, at which point, Porter had figures of 15-2-65-4.
Day One: Lunch Report
On the opening day of the first County Championship fixture at The Cloudfm County Ground, Nottinghamshire had reached 76 for 2 after 31 overs with a wicket apiece for Jamie Porter and Sam Cook.
Porter wasted little time in finding the breakthrough after the visitors had won the toss, when he trapped Ben Duckett in the fifth over of the match with only 9 runs on the board. Duckett had scored 7 when he moved across his stumps and was pinned in the crease.
New batsman, Chris Nash helped himself to four boundaries which saw Porter given a break to be replaced by Peter Siddle.
However, Nash’s innings was to come to an end soon after when, having made 26, he clipped a ball from Cook to square leg where substitute fielder Jack Plom took a smart catch.
The departure of Nash led to a drop in the tempo and the introduction of Simon Harmer into the attack saw the spinner start with four successive maidens.
Lunch arrived with Ben Slater and Joe Clarke both on 20 having faced 87 and 61 deliveries respectively.
Porter has taken 1 for 40 from 9 overs, Cook 1 for 16 from 8, Siddle 0 for 6 from 6 overs, Harmer 0 for 6 from 7 and Ryan ten Doeschate, who bowled the final over before lunch, 0 for 7.
