Cricket Somerset have no answer to five-wicket Paterson
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE’S plan to make full use of home advantage on their return to Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship got off to the perfect start with a 165-run win over Somerset.
On a typically bowler-friendly Trent Bridge, the loss of the whole of day two to rain proved no impediment to them as Somerset, bowled out for 173 on Saturday, succumbed for 129 chasing 295 to win midway through the final afternoon.
Dane Paterson, the 34-year-old South African who has proved such an astute addition to the county’s bowling unit, led the way again with 5-46, passing 500 first-class wickets in the process.
Brett Hutton, who played here only because of an injury to Luke Fletcher, increased his match haul to nine wickets and Stuart Broad took his first of the season as Nottinghamshire bounced back from their opening-round defeat away to Hampshire. Somerset, who had escaped with a draw in their opener against Warwickshire at Taunton, could find no way out on this occasion.
Ultimately, in a low scoring contest in which only three batters passed fifty, they paid the price for failing to make the most of conditions on day one, when skipper Tom Abell put the home side in but had to wait 33 overs for his bowlers to take a wicket.
Yet Somerset had been hopeful at the start of yesterday’s play, optimistic that if they could claim Nottinghamshire’s
remaining secondinnings wickets quickly they would have a target their deep batting line-up could chase.
In the event, they achieved the first part of the plan in the space of six overs as Nottinghamshire were dismissed for 211 in their second innings with allrounder Lewis Gregory, pictured, adding four wickets to his seven from the first innings to finish with 11 in a match for the third time in his career. Peter Siddle, who was wearing Nottinghamshire colours the last time Somerset lost a Championship match on this ground, took the first of those as Steven Mullaney top-edged to mid-off. Broad lost his off-stump to Gregory before
Hutton holed out to deep square leg. Tom Moores was unable to bat after suffering a hand injury keeping wicket on Saturday.
It left Somerset with 19 overs of the first and the whole of the last two sessions to chase the 295 needed. A required rate of 3.35 runs per over was none too daunting. In terms of runs, they remained on track at lunch. By that point, unfortunately, they had lost their top four batsmen.
Hutton dismissed Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell leg before in very similar fashion, achieving just enough movement to beat their defensive bats and hit them plumb in front.
Sandwiched in between were
Broad’s first moments of celebration in the 2023 English season, the first after Australia’s Cameron Bancroft lost his off stump to a beautiful delivery, angled in and straightening enough to pass the edge. He followed up with Sean Dickson in his next over, the former Durham man’s indifferent start with his new county continuing as he edged a drive to second slip, where Ben Duckett took a fine, diving catch.
Soon after lunch, 48-4 became 58-5 as Paterson had Tom KohlerCadmore caught behind by standin wicketkeeper Joe Clarke.