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:
Scorecard: View here
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 Report
Nottinghamshire began their 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.
Purchase your Essex vs Somerset Double Header tickets!
Come down to Chelmsford this summer to watch the Eagles live in our new T20 shirt.
Our first home Vitality Blast T20 fixture features a double header – Essex Women v Somerset Women (12pm) & Essex Men v Somerset Men (4pm).
Tickets are still available via our Ticket Site, so have a browse and get your Vitality Blast T20 tickets booked.
