READ RETURNS FOR SECOND XI FRIENDLY

Chris Read made his playing return after missing out with injury last week in the first day of the Second XI friendly against Leicestershire.

Read looked to steady the Notts batting side from number four, facing a fired up Matthew Hoggard who spearheaded the Leicestershire attack after the home side won the toss and elected to field.

The Notts batsmen faltered early on, Hoggard seeing off Sam Kelsall (0) and Hassan Azad (3) inside three overs.

Read started promisingly, but his time at the crease was cut short once again by Hoggard, who saw him off for 8, caught by Wells.

At lunch, the hosts were on top, Notts managing 133-5 thanks in no small part to Sam Wood (52*) and Alex Mellor (20*). 

The reprieve proved to be short, however, as Hoggard weighed in with a hat trick in the 39^th over.

First to fall was Mellor for 32, followed quickly by Brett Hutton who was caught behind and it was completed when Wells caught George Bacon at slip, leaving Notts on 140-8.

Despite being the architect of the afternoon, Hoggard still had time to take the wicket of Luke Wood, before Taylor trapped Ben Kitt to end the innings. Sam Wood finished with an excellent 75 not out, accounting for more than half of Notts’ 149 all out.

Read made an impact from behind the stumps, halting the hosts’ reply with an excellent catch to remove Patel (1) from the bowling of Hutton. At this stage, Leicestershire were 13-2, following the early dismissal of Hill, trapped by Bacon in the fourth over. 

Bacon picked up the wickets of Robson (23) and Root (29), before the session ended with the score at 134-4, Taylor 49*.

He failed to manage his half-century, however, Read catching behind from a delivery from Kitt. Wells and Robinson shared a fifty stand, taking the score to 185 before trialist Miles saw off Wells. Robinson followed in the same mould as Taylor earlier, falling one short of fifty off Luke Wood.

The wicket of Stephen Bullen was the last of the day, leaving the score at 233-8 after umpires called time for bad light. Leicestershire go into the second day with an 84 run lead.