Nottinghamshire’s bowlers did well to restrict Warwickshire to 254 for six on the first day of the LV= county championship game at Edgbaston.
With the home side winning the toss the visitors can take a lot of credit for their effort, according to coach Wayne Noon.
“It was disappointing to lose another toss on another red hot day on another flat wicket,” he said.
"Andre's figures are good reward for a great effort." Wayne Noon
“So to keep them to 250-odd in three sessions is a very good effort and if we’d taken all of our chances perhaps we’d be in an even better position.”
Andre Adams ended the day with the most impressive figures amongst the bowlers, finishing with 24-7-49-3.
“He seemed to find an extra yard of pace here,” said Noon. “I think he’s bowled more bouncers here today than he has for a long time and his figures are good reward for a great effort.”
Adams’ third wicket was that of Rikki Clarke, spectacularly caught by a diving James Taylor. “He has this reputation as a great fielder,” said Noon, “and that was a sensational effort. It’s always good to get rid Clarke early because he’s such a dangerous player.”
The Notts side showed a couple of changes from the previous match at Surrey. Riki Wessels’ finger injury ruled him out and enabled Alex Hales to return after missing three championship matches.
Conditions also persuaded a shift in the balance of the bowling attack with Luke Fletcher’s pace preferred to the spin of Graeme White.
Warwickshire, skippered by Varun Chopra, were playing their first home championship match for 58 days and their first match of any sort at Edgbaston since their YB40 defeat to the Outlaws on 23rd May, 53 days ago.
Chopra had taken over the captaincy during the Bears previous match, celebrating with a win against Middlesex. His double hundred in that game had taken him to within a dozen of reaching 1,000 runs for the season.
He made ten of those twelve runs before falling to Luke Fletcher in the game’s ninth over, aided by a sharp catch by Samit Patel at second slip.
On a hot, steamy day Ian Westwood and William Porterfield (10) could only add fifteen during the next 14 overs before Andre Adams struck, clipping Porterfield’s off-bail by one that just nipped back.
The Warwickshire total reached fifty at the end of the 28th over and Laurie Evans added a boundary just before lunch, only the fourth to come from the bat during the entire session.
Warwickshire increased the tempo after lunch but were helped by two dropped catches. Westwood brought up his fifty (122 balls 6x4) but was then spilled at first slip by Hales, a sharp chance at shoulder-height.
For bowler Ajmal Shahzad it was a second disappointment as Westwood had also edged him to Patel, when on 32, but the low chance went begging and the fielder had to leave the action for treatment to a finger.
The third opportunity to dismiss Westwood (68) wasn’t squandered though, as Adams clung on to a chance at mid on from a fully-recovered Patel’s first delivery from the Pavilion End after a spell of four overs from the Birmingham End.
Evans reached his own half century (131 balls 8x4) but was then able to take a watching role as the tea interval approached with Tim Ambrose monopolising the strike - and the scoring – in blazing his way to 35 at the break.
The threat of Ambrose (39) was snuffed out by Adams, with the batsman adjudged to have nicked it down the leg side to Read.
Chris Woakes (14) came out all guns blazing , hitting two fours and heaving Shahzad away for a maximum before being bowled, stepping back trying to cut Patel.
Just four deliveries later the home side were in further trouble as Rikki Clarke (0) middled a pull shot off Adams and was brilliantly caught by a flying James Taylor at midwicket.
Armed with a second new ball, Notts were unable to make further inroads as Evans (85 not out) and Ateeq Javid (8 not out) made stumps without further alarm.