Highlights
Honours were just about even as the new LV= County Championship season burst into life at Trent Bridge. On a day that saw twenty wickets fall, Nottinghamshire made 118 and then dismissed Worcestershire for 130 to end the day just twelve runs behind.
Richard Jones claimed figures of 6-32 for the visitors but it was Paul Franks who shone for the home team, scoring an unbeaten 51 and then taking two wickets in his side’s fight-back.
“It was a bit of a challenging day all round,” he said.
“Both batting sides will be a little disappointed with some of the dismissals. Probably more than one or two players on either side got out due to a lack of application.”
“I’ve spent a lot of years trying to work out my own game and hopefully it worked for me again today." Paul Franks
With the next best score being 29, Franks half century was an important effort in a low scoring contest.
“I’ve spent a lot of years trying to work out my own game and hopefully it worked for me again today. In the second innings we need to apply ourselves better as a team – try and bat to lunch initially, then take it to tea and so on. The gaffer has told us in no uncertain terms what needs to be done.”
From the squad announced on the eve of the game Andy Carter was omitted, with Steven Mullaney becoming the nominated twelfth man. Andre Adams, back from Auckland, was the only player who hadn’t featured against Loughborough MCCU earlier in the week.
Calling correctly, Daryl Mitchell invited Notts to bat first and under grey skies Alan Richardson got the season underway with a widish delivery which Alex Hales left alone.
Two balls later the right-hander was offered similar width and punched the ball to the cover fence. The next delivery, in a similar area, saw an eager Hales (4) go in search of more free runs but this time he could only nick it to Solanki at first slip.
Michael Lumb (3) was undone by a beautifully delivery from former Notts seamer David Lucas, which just kissed he edge on the way through to Scott.
The home side were reduced to 26-4 when Richard Jones struck twice in his second over, getting James Taylor (4) caught driving to point and Riki Wessels (0) edging to slip.
Chris Read (4) also failed to make it past his opening few deliveries, falling to another catch in the slip cordon, again off Jones.
Neil Edwards (21), who had edged his first ball of the day but saw it land just short of Scott, battled throughout the session and added 40 with Paul Franks for the sixth wicket. Right on lunch, though, he thrust a pad at the off-spin of Moeen Ali and was adjudged lbw.
At a lunchtime score of 74-6, on the first morning of the season, Franks was unbeaten with the top score of the session, 26 not out.
He soon lost his next partner, Ben Phillips (2), caught by Solanki off Richardson before Graeme White offered some sterner resistance. White made two unbeaten scores against Loughborough and raced to 14 with three well-timed boundaries before slashing to point.
The catcher, Kervezee, pouched the effort low down but then had to run some considerable distance to take another catch next ball, as Andre Adams (0) skied his first delivery of the season.
Bowler Jones celebrated his fifth wicket meanwhile and made it six when Luke Fletcher (0) presented Solanki with his third catch of the innings, leaving Franks unbeaten on 51.
Nottinghamshire needed to strike back quickly and Ben Phillips obliged, trapping Mitchell lbw and then knocking Solanki’s off-pole out of the ground.
Andre Adams’ success against left-handers continued as he had both Moeen Ali and Cameron caught behind, either side of Fletcher’s dismissal of Klinger for a top-score of 29.
Fletcher clean-bowled Kervezee soon after tea to leave Worcestershire on 67-6 and they then lost Scott and Choudhry to lbw decisions with Phillips and Franks the recipients.
Jones took his side into a first innings lead but then lost Lucas, miscuing off Fletcher with the ball looping up to be taken by a diving Hales, moving swiftly forward from slip.
With no time left for Notts to start their second innings Franks nabbed his second wicket when future brother-in-law Richardson tickled through to Read to end an exciting and unpredictable day.
Dave Bracegirdle provides ball-by-ball commentary on all of Nottinghamshire's LV= County Championship matches on behalf of BBC Radio Nottingham.