<
>

Olly Stone counterattacks for Nottinghamshire to thwart Kasey Aldridge four-for

Kasey Aldridge celebrates a wicket Getty Images

Nottinghamshire 326 for 8 (Stone 74, Haynes 55, Clarke 51, Aldridge 4-90) vs Somerset

Fast bowler Olly Stone's unbeaten 74 led a Nottinghamshire recovery from 190 for seven to 326 for eight on day one of their Vitality County Championship match against Somerset at Trent Bridge.

The England quick, who began this season with only one half-century to his name in 46 first-class matches, now has two in his last three following his 90 against Lancashire last month.

He shared an eighth-wicket stand of 112 with Calvin Harrison to give the day a different complexion after Joe Clarke (51) and Jack Haynes (55) had put on 108 for the fourth wicket but been unable to kick on, seamer Kasey Aldridge the main driver of a Nottinghamshire mid-innings collapse that saw four wickets fall for 11 runs.

Aldridge, in the Somerset side for the first time since April following an injury to skipper Lewis Gregory, finished the day with four for 90, South African seamer Migael Pretorius taking three for 73.

Earlier in the day, a wicket apiece for Aldridge, Craig Overton and Pretorius against 111 runs conceded had made for a reasonably satisfactory morning's work for Somerset after Nottinghamshire skipper Haseeb Hameed had chosen to bat first on a mottled pitch that in the event offered less help to the bowlers than some might have anticipated.

Overton, skippering in the absence of Gregory, should have had a second, but Haynes was dropped at first slip on 19. Earlier he had bowled Hameed with an inswinger of full length, which had been the only breakthrough until Ben Slater and Will Young departed to consecutive deliveries around 20 minutes into the second hour.

Pretorius could not take much credit for Slater's dismissal, a poor ball down the leg side turned into a successful one by wicketkeeper James Rew's spectacular catch diving to his right to snaffle Slater's faint glance.

Aldridge was more deserving, his inswinger beating Will Young to bring more disappointment for the New Zealander, whose unbeaten 174 against Somerset on his county debut at Taunton in April remains his only notable score.

The first 40 minutes after lunch saw the Somerset attack lose their way somewhat. Overton and Jake Ball, back at Trent Bridge in the opposition dressing room for the first time after he was released last autumn, both offered width on which Clarke and Haynes eagerly feasted.

Ball gave way to Pretorius but Haynes struck three more boundaries, lifting his tally to nine and taking him to a 52-ball half-century. Clarke completed his own fifty soon afterwards, from 75 balls with his 10th four, but was immediately out, finding Tom Banton at cover as Aldridge gained a second success.

As happened in the first session, one wicket prefaced another. Pretorius produced a beauty to have Haynes caught by Overton at slip. And with the Somerset seamers suddenly now in the ascendancy, two more wickets followed, both to Aldridge, who found some bounce from the Stuart Broad End to have Tom Moores caught at gully and Lyndon James behind the stumps as Nottinghamshire, 179 for three before Clarke's demise, slipped to 190 for seven.

Yet, if Somerset thought they were into the tail as Stone emerged from the pavilion, the 30-year-old pace bowler was to disavow them of that notion.

On a surface beginning to flatten and, for the next 30 overs, against an increasingly aging ball, he and the leg-spinning all-rounder Harrison constructed an impressive recovery, assembling the biggest partnership of the innings.

And it was Stone, confirming his 90 against Lancashire was no fluke, who took on the leading role, again looking like an accomplished batter. His half-century, off 89 balls, arrived with a square drive off Overton against the new ball for his eighth four, which he followed with a couple more tucked away on the leg side off Ball.

Harrison made 35 before he was bowled by Pretorius in the 10th over with the new ball, before Dillon Pennington picked up three boundaries of his own to leave Nottinghamshire needing 24 more in 14 overs for a third batting point.

Notts 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st172BT SlaterH Hameed
2nd136BT SlaterOP Stone
3rd117BT SlaterWA Young