Wednesday 23 September 2015 09:09, UK
Riki Wessels made an excellent 104 as Nottinghamshire recovered from a bad start against Hampshire on day one of their LV= County Championship Division One clash at Trent Bridge.
Relegation-threatened Hampshire are desperate for a win and impressive paceman Fidel Edwards finished with 6-88 as they eventually bowled out their hosts for 340.
But there was still time for one over to be squeezed in at the end of the day and Hampshire's night-watchman Ryan Stevenson edged the first ball of the innings from Stuart Broad through to Chris Read, to leave them 0-1 after one ball at stumps.
Having put their hosts into bat, Hampshire got off to a great start thanks to Edwards, who had Brendan Taylor (2) caught by Gareth Berg at mid-wicket off the fourth ball of the day and then trapped Jake Libby (1) lbw.
That made it 11-2 and it was 39-3 when Samit Patel (19) was caught behind by Adam Wheater off Edwards.
But the Nottinghamshire revival began with a 115-run stand between Wessels and Steven Mullaney (58).
And Billy Root, left-handed younger brother of England Test player Joe, then made 37 on his debut and looked impressive as he helped to add 72 for the fifth wicket, before he was caught at slip off Berg.
Wessels was playing really well at the other end and went past 1,000 Championship runs for the season before reaching his hundred from 153 balls, having hit 13 fours and a six.
However, straight after tea he tamely clipped Ervine to mid-wicket, and three overs later Read (9) was bowled by Edwards as he shouldered arms.
Having lost three wickets for just 11 runs, Nottinghamshire rebuilt once more and Broad and Brett Hutton took the total beyond 300 in an eighth-wicket partnership of 74.
Edwards then claimed his third five-wicket haul of the season when he induced Broad into hooking to the hands of Ryan McLaren at fine leg for 37, before the West Indies international demolished Jake Ball's stumps.
Hutton added 10 with Harry Gurney for the final wicket, but was then caught in the deep off McLaren after making a valuable 46.
At Headingley, Gary Ballance and Adil Rashid made half-centuries as county champions Yorkshire finished on 241-7 against Sussex on a rain-hit day one.
Sussex's Division One status for next season is not totally secure yet and, having opted to field first, they claimed an early breakthrough when Chris Jordan trapped Adam Lyth (3) lbw.
Alex Lees (29) helped Ballance (55) to add 52 for the second wicket, before Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale (31) and Ballance put on 51 for the third, only to be separated when Gale chopped Steve Magoffin (2-53) onto his stumps.
The in-form Jonny Bairstow also fell to Magoffin, caught behind off an inside-edge for just 1, and it was 140-5 when Ballance was dismissed by Chris Liddle, caught at backward point.
However, Jack Leaning (36) and Adil Rashid (53) restored order with a 72-run stand for the sixth wicket, England leg-spinner Rashid doing the bulk of the scoring.
He contributed 38 to their first 53 runs together, and at 200-5 Yorkshire had collected the first of the two points they need to set a record for the number of points amassed in a season, since the introduction of a two-division championship.
Lewis Hatchett ended the partnership with a good ball which Leaning edged to Jordan at first slip but Rashid went on to complete his 50 before he was caught behind off Liddle in the penultimate over of the day.
Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel claimed five wickets as relegated Worcestershire skittled high-flying Middlesex for just 98.
West Indian Gabriel, in the second of two matches for Worcestershire, finished with figures of five for 31 - only his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket - as Middlesex folded in 34.1 overs.
Gabriel took two for 10 in his opening spell as Middlesex struggled after losing the toss on a rain-shortened opening day and he came back to dismiss three lower-order batsmen when let loose for four overs after tea.
John Simpson finished unbeaten on 27 for the visitors, who are looking to claim the runners-up spot behind Yorkshire in Division One, but only three other players managed to get into double figures as six recorded ducks.
Worcestershire captain Daryl Mitchell also fell without scoring when he was caught at second slip off Toby Roland-Jones at the start of his side's response, but Brett D'Oliveira (38 not out) and Tom Fell (37no) combined to reduce the gap to only 19 in closing at 79 for one.
A James Hildreth century and another key innings from Marcus Trescothick saw Somerset into a strong position against Warwickshire.
Needing seven points to guarantee his side's survival, skipper Trescothick shared valuable partnerships with Tom Cooper and Hildreth, who ended the day unbeaten on 118, as Somerset closed on 360 for five, collecting four of those precious points in the process.
After a slightly delayed start, it was Trescothick who took charge of the first part of the day after opting to bat first. The 39-year-old produced an array of shots, the pick of which was a classic cover drive off Oliver Hannon-Dalby in the eighth over.
Along with Tom Abell, the former England man helped to take the total on to 30 when Abell (four) played back to a good ball from Hannon-Dalby and was caught by wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose.
Cooper joined Trescothick and it was the new batsman who saw up the 50 when he took two off Jeetan Patel to square leg. Trescothick looked in fine form and brought up his half-century with a four off Rikki Clarke to third man, his runs coming from 68 balls with nine fours.
