Nottinghamshire head to The Parks this week to complete their preparations for the forthcoming championship campaign with a three-day first class fixture against Oxford MCCU.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Notts first played against Oxford University in 1905 and have now played a total of 34 matches against the students, although in recent years the opposition have played under the banner of Oxford University Centre of Cricketing Excellence and more recently the Oxford Marylebone Cricket Club University.
In 1930 the sides drew their only Trent Bridge meeting. The other 33 clashes have taken place at The Parks and have seen Notts run out winners eleven times, drawn 19 of the matches and lost on 3 occasions.
LAST TIME
Nottinghamshire last visited The Parks in 2011, as defending county champions and soon after returning from Abu Dhabi for the match against MCC.
An eleven comprising Wagh, Franks, Hales, Patel, Voges, Brown, Read, Mullaney, Fletcher, Pattinson and Carter won the toss and elected to bat first.
Marc Milligan, a right-arm fast-medium bowler from South Africa, opened the bowling for Oxford MCCU and soon winkled out Wagh, Franks and Hales to leave Notts on 38-3.
From that point the county side took control. Samit Patel began the fightback with 79 before Adam Voges and Alistair Brown showed their quality.
Voges scored 165 from 180 balls, with 25 boundaries and Brown remained unbeaten on 128, with his 44th and final career century, as Notts ran up 487-7 declared, from 98 overs.
Luke Fletcher took 4-29 in the students’ reply of 206 all out. Mark Wagh made 46 as Notts declared on 170-8 in their second innings, leaving Oxford to bat out the final two sessions for a draw. Thanks to 71 from SS Agarwal they closed on 217-4.
PLAYED FOR THEM BOTH
Mark Crawley studied at Oxford University before joining Nottinghamshire and featured in this series of matches for both sides. He made scores of 18 and 0 in the 1987 match and hit 98 a year later.
His first class debut for Notts was at The Parks in 1991 and he celebrated by scoring 112. A year later he was in the runs again, making 110 not out but cricket’s wheel of fortune turned full circle as he bagged a pair in the 1993 match.
Andrew Corran, Jason Gallian and Mark Wagh are amongst the other players from the last sixty years to have represented both Nottinghamshire and Oxford University sides.
STATS
Highest Team Total
Nottinghamshire’s highest total at The Parks is the 578-7 they scored in 1951. Reg Simpson made 201, the only double century in the series of matches, and shared an opening stand of 284 with Ron Giles, who added 137.
Oxford’s highest total came in the Trent Bridge fixture when they rattled up 513. Their highest individual score was compiled by NM Ford, who hit 151 in 1929.
Lowest Team Total
Notts were bowled out for just 133 in 1905, the first clash between the sides. Oxford University’s two lowest scores came in the same match, in 1987, when they were skittled for 66 and 52.
Hundred on debut:
Only ten batsmen have scored centuries on their Nottinghamshire debut and four of them have come in innings at The Parks; Chris Broad (108* in 1984), Mark Crawley (112 in 1991), Jimmy Adams (117* in 1994) and David Hussey (107* in 2004).
Best bowling in an innings:
The best performance by a Notts bowler v Oxford Univ is the career-best 7-72, taken by left-arm spinner Peter Plummer at The Parks in 1972.
Hat-trick
The only instance of an hat-trick being taken in the series of matches came in 1905 when W Evans took three wickets in three balls for Oxford University.
Two instances of century opening stand
The only time that an opening pair of batsmen have put on century stands came in 1984 when Chris Broad and Tim Robinson added 161 in the first innings and an unbroken 220 in the second.
Century in both innings
Imran Khan, future Test captain of Pakistan, spent time at Oxford University and scored 117* and 106 in the 1974 match against Notts.
Carrying bat throughout a completed innings
In 1970 RM Ridley of Oxford Univ carried his bat with 70* out of a total of 142 all out.
Five wickets in each innings
The only instance of a bowler taking five wickets in each innings was performed by Andy Pick, Nottinghamshire’s current bowling coach, in 1984 when he collected figures of 5-33 and 5-25. Five years later Pick had further success at The Parks when he took 6-52.
First Class Debuts:
JD Barnsdale (1905), S Copley and J Reddish (1930), J Hayward (1951), W Hare and P Wilkinson (1971), A Afford (1984), G Archer (1992), R Bates (1993), D Pipes (1994), L Fletcher (2008), A Carter (2009),
Nottinghamshire debuts:
SB Hassan (1966), N Nanan (1971), C Broad (1984), M Crawley (1991), J Adams and W Noon (1994), S Broad (2008)
HISTORY
It is 21 years since Nottinghamshire’s last defeat at The Parks and it was executed by a player who later became club captain at Trent Bridge.
In the 1993 match Notts, admittedly having declared twice, left the students to score 257 for victory.
Aided by a sensational unbeaten innings of 141 from their opener and captain, Jason Gallian, Oxford University got home to win by seven wickets.
The Parks ground is sure to revive some happy memories for three members of Nottinghamshire’s current coaching staff.
Mick Newell scored his maiden first class century in the 1986 match, making 112 not out, as he and Derek Randall, who made 101*, put on an unbroken 228 for the first wicket.
Four years later Newell, unbeaten on 20 at the close of a rain-interrupted first day, was called away to be 12th man for England in a Trent Bridge Test match against New Zealand and was replaced by Chris Scott – one of the first instances of a player being officially replaced during a first class match.
Wayne Noon made his Nottinghamshire debut in the 1994 contest after joining from Northants and Andy Pick enjoyed a rich harvest of wickets at The Parks, as mentioned above.
MILESTONES
Nottinghamshire players approaching individual milestones in first class cricket include; Andre Adams – 647 wickets, Andy Carter – 49 wickets; Samit Patel – 7485 runs, James Taylor – 6947 runs, Chris Read – 11,981 first class runs for Notts.