Report: Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire, LV= Insurance County Championship

Day Four

Warwickshire blew the LV= Insurance County Championship Group 1 wide open after beating Nottinghamshire by 170 runs in a pulsating contest at Edgbaston. 

Set a victory target of 309 in 74 overs, the visitors were bowled out for 138 with eight overs to spare as spinner Danny Briggs followed up his important runs in the match with a decisive spell of 24.3-14-36-4.  

After the Bears took their overnight 201 for six to 264 all out (Michael Burgess (80, 128 balls, 11 fours, Briggs 50, 122 balls, eight fours, Liam Fletcher four for 38, Zak Chappell three for 64), they bowled with collective skill to close out a thrilling victory.  

At 89 for five, Nottinghamshire had no choice but to abandon their quest for a fourth successive victory and their hopes of defending out for a draw were scuppered as the Bears maintained the pressure with disciplined bowling supported by excellent fielding. 

In the morning, Burgess and Briggs took their partnership to 103 in 33 overs before the former  top-edged a sweep at Liam Patterson-White to slip. Craig Miles was soon run out by Ben Slater’s direct hit, before Fletcher rattled the stumps of Briggs and  Liam Norwell. 

Norwell then soon struck with the ball as Haseeb Hameed edged to wicketkeeper Burgess and two big wickets fell in successive overs when Ben Duckett swept Danny Briggs to Rob Yates at deep square and Ben Slater nicked Tim Bresnan behind. A brilliant leg-side stumping by Burgess off seamer Olly Hannon-Dalby dismiss the dangerous Joe Clarke and when Steven Mullaney pulled Hannon-Dalby to deep square, it was 89 for five. 

Lyndon James and Tom Moores ate up valuable time in a stand of 16 overs, but when both fell in quick succession, Moores leaving a straight one from Will Rhodes and James edging Briggs begin the visitors were vulnerable again.  

When Briggs winkled out Chappell, caught at silly point, he had post-tea figures of 10-10-0-2. Patterson-White’s 72 minutes of defiance ended rather unluckily when a defensive shot off Miles dropped the ball back on to the stumps.  

That left numbers ten and 11 with 11 overs to survive – and they managed just three before Fletcher was bowled an absolute pearler from Biggs to the delight of a boisterous crowd in the Birmingham sunshine. 

Day Three

Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire exchanged blows throughout an engrossing third day of their LV= Insurance County Championship tussle at Edgbaston. 

A terrific match will enter the final day with all results still possible after the home side, leading by 44 on first innings, closed the third day on 201 for six – 245 ahead overall. 

In reply to 341, Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 297 (Joe Clarke (61, 99 balls, six fours, one six) by a solid collective bowling effort led by Liam Norwell (four for 64).  

Bears captain Will Rhodes (63, 99 balls, nine fours, one six) then led his side to a promising 95 for one before Zak Chappell and Luke Fletcher shared five wickets in 18 overs to leave their side scenting a fourth successive victory. 

That left Warwickshire 134 for six but the last twist of a compelling day was an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 67 between Michael Burgess (61 not out, 101 balls, seven fours) and Danny Briggs (16 not out, 58 balls, two fours). 

After Nottinghamshire resumed on 172 for three, they lost five wickets in the morning session as Rhodes juggled his attack astutely. Craig Miles struck with his second ball of the day when Lyndon James offered no stroke to an in-ducker and his off-stump went flying. Tim Bresnan pinned Clarke lbw, then Briggs hit off-stump to end Steven Mullaney’s dangerous counter-attack (28, 34 balls, six fours).  

Rhodes’s sharp return catch removed Tom Moores before Norwell had Chappell caught at mid-wicket. Wicketkeeper Burgess accepted catches from Fletcher off Rhodes and Liam Patterson-White off Briggs to leave both bowlers with two wickets. 

Amid a lovely atmosphere with spectators back in and enjoying the sunshine, Warwickshire openers Rhodes and Rob Yates added 76 before the latter (26, 57 balls, four fours) offered no shot to a Patterson-White delivery which turned in to hit the stumps. Patterson-White then swooped at point when Pieter Malan lifted a cut off Chappell. 

Chappell then evened the game right up with wickets in successive overs – Sam Hain caught behind and Rhodes bowled – and Fletcher tilted it his team’s way with two wickets in an over; Matt Lamb lbw and Tim Bresnan caught behind. 

Burgess and Briggs halted the slide with batting of measured assurance in the last hour to leave the Bears eyeing up a serious tilt at a third victory of the season. 

Day Two

A fascinating LV= Insurance County Championship game is evolving at Edgbaston where Group 1 leaders Nottinghamshire closed the second day on 173 for three in reply to the home side’s 341. 

Despite the loss of most of the second session to bad light and drizzle, all results remain possible in a compelling contest between two sides in the thick of the quest for the top two spots. 

Nottinghamshire seamer Dane Patterson finished with five for 90 but shared his side’s frustration at a merry stand of 52 between Bears last-wicket pair Liam Norwell (30 not out, 37 balls, three sixes) and Olly Hannon-Dalby (26, 42 balls, five fours). They built on the diligence of Matt Lamb (67, 147 balls, seven fours) to assure Warwickshire a third batting point. 

Norwell then troubled Nottinghamshire with the ball, taking all the three wickets to fall, including Ben Slater for an authoritative 77 (160 balls, 11 fours, one six). 

After Warwickshire resumed on 250 for six, Paterson quickly added to the three wickets he picked up the previous evening when Danny Briggs nicked behind and was superbly caught by wicketkeeper Tom Moores. 

Lamb reached an excellent half-century from 125 balls with his sixth four, driven through the covers, but lost another partner when Craig Miles lifted Luke Fletcher to point. 

With acceleration needed to acquire a third batting point, Norwell got off the mark with a straight six off Fletcher but Paterson completed his five-for when Lamb edged into the cordon. 

That third batting point appeared to be eluding Warwickshire when they needed five runs from the last two balls of the 110th over, from Paterson. But Hannon-Dalby nonchalantly flicked the first to the fine leg boundary and elegantly drove the next to the cover fence. 

The spectators loved that and much enjoyed the 40 minutes of frolicksome batting that followed as the tail-enders frustrated the bowlers until Hannon-Dalby edged Liam Patterson-White to slip. 

Nottinghamshire’s reply reached six without loss at lunch and, after much interference by bad light and rain, 28 without loss at tea. Hameed (39, 86 balls, five fours) and Slater then added 72 before, second ball after another brief delay, the former left a Norwell offering that knocked out off-stump.  

Norwell quickly added the scalp of Ben Duckett, lbw, and returned late in the day to end a stand of 78 in 19 overs between Slater and Joe Clarke (47 not out, 74 balls, six fours, one six) when the former edged to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess.  

Day One

Three late wickets from Dane Paterson put Group 1 leaders Nottinghamshire slightly on top against Warwickshire on the opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship game at Edgbaston. 

The home side closed the first day on 250 for six, having been 238 for three after Nottinghamshire, chasing a fourth successive win, had failed to make the desired early inroads in humid conditions. 

Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes led the way for his side with a resolute 91 (188 balls, ten fours) before falling to the last ball before tea. Sam Hain (61, 179 balls, five fours) and Matt Lamb (43 not out, 115 balls, five fours) added 75 in 26 overs in the final session before Paterson’s burst of three wickets in 14 balls evened the day up again. 

Runs never flowed freely, but it was a tight, enthralling day’s play amid a lovely atmosphere in the Birmingham sunshine with spectators back in the ground. There were 1,808 Warwickshire members present and they ended the day happy enough having seen their team find some batting resilience – the Bears began this game with fewest batting points of all 18 teams across the three groups. 

Nottinghamshire bowled well in the morning, got plenty past the bat and were arguably unlucky not to pick up more than two wickets in the session. The first breakthrough arrived in the 14th over when Lyndon James bowled Rob Yates with his sixth ball. Pieter Malan (17, 42 balls) helped Rhodes add 46 but fell lbw to Steven Mullaney from the last ball before lunch. 

On 49 at lunch, Rhodes soon completed his 15th first-class half-century and was within four balls of tea when he turned spinner Liam Patterson-White into the hands of short leg. That ended a partnership of 84 in 35 overs between Rhodes and Hain. 

With their side 163 for three at tea, Hain and Lamb batted with patience in the last session to take the score to 238 before Paterson delivered his triple strike. The South African won lbw decisions with inswingers to Hain and Michael Burgess and then moved one away from Tim Bresnan to force an edge into the cordon.  

Lamb has returned to Warwickshire’s team, along with Craig Miles, in place of Dom Sibley and Olly Stone who have joined up with the England squad. Stuart Broad having also headed off for England duty, Nottinghamshire have brought in Zak Chappell.