Notts’ title hopes are fading away against Yorkshire
YORKSHIRE were bowled out for 73 but then fought back on a day that saw Nottinghamshire’s chances of being crowned Lv=insurance County Champions effectively ended.
Adam Lyth is 74 not out after sharing a stand of 103 with Tom Kohlercadmore as the visitors closed on 169-3 following on.
They still trail by 54 but will be pleased with their response after being dismissed in only 29.2 overs in the first innings, even though they lost two wickets in the last eight deliveries of the day.
Yet the key moment from a Nottinghamshire viewpoint came at 10.34am as 19-year-old all-rounder Joey Evison, who had batted splendidly for his 58, was dismissed lbw to the ninth ball of the opening session.
It meant that Steven Mullaney’s team were all out for 296, missing out on a third batting bonus point by four runs and leaving their title hopes dependent not only on a win over Yorkshire but an unlikely combination of results elsewhere.
Only if a low-scoring match between Lancashire and Hampshire somehow ended in a draw and Warwickshire failed to beat Somerset could they finish top of Division One.
The chance to contest the Bob Willis Trophy next week by finishing in the top two may also elude them.
Evison put his disappointment to one side by emerging as the pick of the bowlers in Yorkshire’s firstinnings demise, taking four wickets for 13 runs.
Yorkshire stumbled to 63-8 even before lunch, their abject display following scores of 108 and 117 against Warwickshire last week.
Luke Fletcher had George Hill caught at third slip and ripped out Tom Kohler-cadmore’s off stump with consecutive balls, picking up a third wicket when Will Fraine edged behind to raise his tally for the season to 66.
Inbetween, Lyth was leg before to Brett Hutton for four, offering no shot.
Evison joined the attack with a double wicket maiden, trapping Thompson lbw with a full delivery before Matthew Revis edged to second slip.
The teenager collected his third scalp as Harry Brook was caught behind driving expansively. Dane Paterson then sent two of Harry Duke’s stumps cartwheeling to leave Yorkshire eight down.
The innings concluded with Evison dismissing Dom Bess via a catch at second slip before Fisher became Paterson’s 51st wicket in his debut Nottinghamshire season, Tom Moores taking the catch to cement his position as the season’s leading wicketkeeper with 53 dismissals.
But, as the pitch flattened out, Nottinghamshire’s hopes of running through Yorkshire for a second time steadily receded as Lyth, who made his maiden first-class century in the last Championship match Yorkshire lost at Trent Bridge, in 2008, made his first 50 since April of the current season.
Kohler-cadmore missed out, leg before to spinner Liam Pattersonwhite for 49, and nightwatchman Matthew Fisher was lbw to Dane Paterson.
Until then, their only loss had been Hill, run out by a direct hit from short cover by Calvin Harrison, on the field as a substitute for England’s Haseeb Hameed, who is nursing an injured thumb.