Nottinghamshire v Essex
Rothesay County Championship
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Friday 11 – Monday 14 April 2025 | 11am start
Team News
Essex: Paul Walter, Charlie Allison, Tom Westley (c), Jordan Cox, Matt Critchley, Michael Pepper (wk), Noah Thain, Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter.
Nottinghamshire: Haseeb Hameed (c), Ben Slater, Freddie McCann, Joe Clarke (wk), Jack Haynes, Kyle Verreynne, Lyndon James, Brett Hutton, Fergus O’Neill, Farhan Ahmed, Dillon Pennington.
Match Details
Umpires: Peter Hartley & David Millns
Match Referee: Wayne Noon
Scorers: Ian Smith & Paul Parkinson
Toss: Essex won the toss and chose to bowl first
Result: Match drawn
Scorecard: View here
Day Four Highlights
Day Four Report
Jack Haynes, the 24-year old batter who moved to Nottinghamshire last season, not only surpassed a previous best of 77 for the county, posted in his maiden innings a year and eight days, but continued to a crucial first century to add to the five he had made for Worcestershire.
After three men had gone in the day’s first seven overs to leave his side just 222 ahead at 242-8, his final career-best 142, following a key 77-run recovery stand with Brett Hutton, secured the draw in the Rothesay County Championship first division against Essex at Trent Bridge.
By the time Haynes’s hundred arrived, after eleven balls on 99 with the last man now in, the lead was 320 and 60 overs remained but Notts declined to declare and, when eventually all out for 385 after a delayed lunch, the nominal Essex target became 366 at seven per over.
Though Nottinghamshire relaxed their bid for breakthroughs only in the last over there never seemed the remotest chance they might induce panic as Paul Walter reached 41 and his captain Tom Westley a brisk 28 for Essex’s unbroken second-wicket before the umpires pulled stumps at 5pm.
The frantic start first thing thus proved the falsest of dawns for the visitors who had seized their own trio of wickets in the opening 30 minutes only to be thwarted for 24.2 overs by the ninth-wicket pair as No 10 Hutton solidly bedded in.
The new ball was available after six overs in the day but by then Shane Snater had already removed both nightwatchman Farhan Ahmed and Lyndon James, each caught behind for one, dangling the bat.
A stupendous catch from Noah Thain, diving at mid-wicket to hold on inches above the grass as Fergus O’Neill middled a sweet clip off his pads, left Notts in deep peril with effectively 86 overs still to come.
But wicket-taker Jamie Porter and partner Sam Cook proved far less threatening with the new ball than at any stage in the match hitherto and it was not until the last scheduled over before lunch that Hutton finally fell, heaving a catch to the boundary off Matt Critchley for 38.
With the last pair together the interval was delayed and Haynes, now 94, was joined by Dillon Pennington. After several agonising attempts to pierce the infield on 99, he at last drove a four and broke into jubilant celebrations of a first hundred in sixteen games for Notts after his five seasons at Worcester.
By lunch, with Essex now spreading the field far and wide to give Haynes singles he refused, the lead was 355 with 56 overs remaining. But Notts opted to bat on in the afternoon until Haynes hammered Critchley down the ground and was held at long-on by Porter who threw the ball up, skipped over the rope and nipped back to complete the catch. In a final stand of 66 from ten overs, Haynes made 48 to Pennington’s unbeaten 13.
When Essex batted again at 2.20, Pennington, taking the new ball, soon had Charlie Allison missed at second slip on seven but later pulled up in his fifth over to leave the field with an apparent side strain.
But Hutton, hero with the bat earlier, had Allison lbw to end his third championship innings for 27 in the third and last dismissal of the 65 final overs.
Day Three Highlights
Day Three Report
With Essex losing their five remaining wickets for 66 runs in the day’s opening 90 minutes to claim a bare 20-run first-innings lead, Nottingamshire threatened to take hold of their Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Trent Bridge.
But after Ben Slater, who made 67, and skipper Haseeb Hameed had posted a rapid 113 for the first wicket the home side were pegged back in the final session as Hameed fell 25 minutes from the close for 92 and Kyle Verreyyne then came and went for three.
Hameed’s side carry an advantage into Monday of 213 with five men gone but it is hard to see how a declaration can come before lunch is reached, even assuming they get there intact. This intriguing game, however, has repeatedly refused to follow either of these side’s very best laid plans.
Having weathered seven probing overs from Jamie Porter and Sam Cook before lunch as sunshine replaced cloud, the Notts openers picked up the tempo in the afternoon, claiming the initiative in finding four an over until over-ambition did for Slater, ten overs from tea.
The left-hander had belted a brace of sixes, hitting against the spin, before Simon Harmer had completed his first five overs but the off-spinner, gaining turn out of the rough, smiled last when Slater bottom-edged a cut into his wicket. His 67 included 56 in boundaries.
Harmer soon made it two wickets in eight balls when Freddie McCann, another left-hander, edged low to first slip and went without score. But Hameed, surviving a close lbw call against Harmer, reached a polished fifty from 96 balls and at the interval his side were 142-2.
Eight balls into the last session, however, another had gone when Porter, summoned for a second spell, immediately produced a beauty that left Joe Clarke off the pitch and had him caught behind for 19. Porter’s next ball also found the edge but the new batsman Jack Haynes, destined for an unbeaten 49 at the close, could breathe easy when it fell millimeters short of second slip.
Though just 15 came from ten overs, the fourth-wicket pair saw out Porter’s fine burst and accelerated against Shane Snater and also against Matt Critchley’s leg spin when he relieved Harmer for three overs of what proved a 27-over stint from before tea.
The stand had swelled to 83 when Hameed, attempting a late dab, played Noah Thain on to his stumps and, two overs later, a recalled Cook sent Verreyyne’s county batting average plummeting from 379.0 to 189.5 when he edged to the ‘keeper for three.
It remains to be seen whether Notts can reach a declaration and, more to the point, how generous they feel they can be. They are pursuing the perfect start of wins in both opening games of the campaign and would ideally hope to set a target.
If rapid runs will be the hope first thing they were a rarity earlier as Sunday started with frantic action. Cloud cover and a freshened pitch helped bring venom to a new ball only six overs old from Saturday’s play. Essex innocently added thirteen to their overnight 301-5, but – in as many balls – then suddenly lost three batters.
Fergus O’Neill had Critchley twitching at one that left him and caught behind for 52 before removing Thain lbw for 33, a Championship best in his nascent career. In between Dillon Pennington’s lift did for Harmer, taken at second slip without score.
Lusty blows carried Snater to twelve and Cook to 26 from 38 balls but both perished swinging in three overs from Brett Hutton who finished with three for 61 as Essex ended on 367, with a slender lead but six bonus point to the home side’s five.
Day Two Reaction: Tom Westley
Day Two Highlights
Day Two Report
A third-wicket stand of 123 through the afternoon, after Nottinghamshire had ended on 347 in the first 30 minutes, proved the platform for what looks a clear, if hardly decisive, Essex advantage at the midway stage of their Rothesay County Championship Division One match at Trent Bridge.
Jordan Cox, cruelly denied a Test debut when fracturing his thumb in the nets on England’s tour of New Zealand last November, continued to a sweetly timed 82 after partner Paul Walter had gone for a more muscular 76. This in answer to Kyle Verreynne’s eventual unbeaten 128 for the home side earlier.
Though the first ball of the final session saw Cox feather a legside delivery to the keeper only one more wicket fell before the close of a second day whose last six overs were bowled with a new ball under floodlights as April’s blue skies finally gave way to cloud.
With 117 already posted this season against Surrey, the 24-year old Cox has now
passed fifty 21 times in his young career for Kent and Essex, notably continuing to eight centuries, a conversion rate that left Notts relieved to see him fall short. His one misjudgement earlier was the scampered single that took him to 80 yet only barely beat a throw at the non-striker’s stumps.
Walter, who made 95 in his one other innings this campaign, had taken the teenage Farhan Ahmed’s off-spin for a six and a four with mighty blows to mid-wicket when he attempted another, next ball, but sliced to slip as it turned out of the left-hander’s rough. By tea, 40 minutes later, Essex were 205-3 only for Cox to fall on resumption.
Making it two wickets in his eight-over evening spell, Lyndon James then also removed Michael Pepper who cut a short ball to backward point for 26 to bring in Noah Thain. To his credit, the 20-year old, who endured a testing day when bowling on Friday, gamely resisted 75 balls for 21 overnight in support of Matt Critchley who will resume on 50
There is still little in this pitch for bowlers but it may possibly become more uneven. Seamers from the Stuart Broad End have already made the odd ball jump from a length and some have kept a little low. For their part batters frequently prodded and tapped the surface.
Charlie Allison, in only his second Championship innings, aimed an ambitious on-drive at Fergus O’Neill and went lbw for eleven.
Brett Hutton, the fourth seamer, then opened with a superb yorker first ball which whipped out Tom Westley lbw for five. Lunch soon following at 54-2.
At the day’s start, Essex had required eight overs to claim the home side’s two remaining wickets as Notts missed a third batting point by three runs in finishing on 347. Verreyyne, though dropped at slip off Simon Cook when 33 on Friday, could again not be dislodged.
His undefeated century took his tally in five innings for Notts so far to 376 – this for only once out. And in between his three Notts games last September and this one seven months later he had also made Test hundreds for South Africa against three different countries.
At least Cook, who had Ahmed dabbing a short, wide one to a juggling third slip for 31 and then bowled Pennington for one, returned four for 44, figures that finally did him some measure of justice.
Day One Highlights
Day One Report
Nottinghamshire began the Rothesay County Championship meeting with Essex as early leaders of Division One following last week’s opening round of the campaign. They immediately faced deep trouble, however, after being asked to bat at Trent Bridge.
But Kyle Verreynne, who flew in from South Africa only three days before, would finish with a superbly cussed, unbeaten 111 and Lyndon James made 45, as the home side fought back in the afternoon sun from 78-5 to 167-6.
Vigorous batting either side of tea from the Australian Fergus O’Neill, with 42 from 60 balls, plus staunch support from Farhan Ahmed then helped them to a final 328-8.
In his five career innings for Nottinghamshire, Verreynne has now made 359 runs for only once out but was dropped on 33 off Sam Cook who, watched by England Cricket Director, Rob Key, bowled beautifully throughout and deserved better than two for 37 from 21 overs.
From nine overs apiece by lunch, Jamie Porter had posted two for 12 and new-ball partner Cook two for 17 during a morning of Essex dominance. Their decision to insert on a pitch with no more than a little early grass was presumably based on the hope that, if there was any assistance to be found, it would be on the first morning.
The notion was vindicated when for the first 50 minutes Notts played more with the age of the bat than the middle. Commanding rigorous control, Porter and Cook conceded only nine runs from the first ten overs, Porter having both Slater LBW for one and Haseeb Hameed caught behind for a 21-ball duck.
Joe Clarke, from nowhere, suddenly then launched Porter for a straight six before, whipping across the line, he was LBW to Cook next over for 16.
An overseas third seamer would have been invaluable for the visitors but Shardul Thakur, Essex’s pre-season signing, had made a late switch in March to the India Premier League and it took the return of Cook to halt a 47-run recovery when Freddie McCann, in two minds pulling at a bouncer, returned a catch for 26.
After Jack Haynes felt for a widish ball and edged Shane Snater behind next over for 23, Notts tottered at 78-5 before surviving four more maidens to the interval.
At last periods of fluency arrived on resumption. Against the change bowlers the sixth-wicket pair were particularly harsh on 20-year old Noah Thain in just his sixth full Championship game.
He was to conceded 73 in all from 13 overs in the day, including 16 extras from no-balls. When Cook had relieved him to bowl a third spell, Verreynne’s flashing drive at his third ball flew hard to second slip where Simon Harmer was unable to hold on.
Escaping on 33, Verreynne had earlier, on seven soon after lunch, seen a leading edge off Porter just fall between two offside fielders. Unfazed, the small, gritty ‘keeper reached his determined fifty from 116 balls 15 minutes from tea shortly after James had falled to the Zimbawean Snater when a violent bottom-edged cut cannoned into his stumps.
O’Neill also survived a chance on 31 to second slip, off Thain, straight after tea as 76 were added in 14 overs either side of the interval before, in four balls, he stayed fatally back to be LBW to Matt Critchley and Brett Hutton came and went, pushing forward and edging Snater behind.
Mature resilience through 18 overs from 17-year old Farhan Ahmed on a now placid pitch let Verreynne get from 70 to a hundred in 196 balls at which point he was immediately put down at first slip off Snater when 103. The unbeaten 79-run stand will resume with Ahmed on 30.
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