Sam Kelsall made the most of his opportunity at the top of the order by scoring 57 as Nottinghamshire made 237 all out on the opening day of their first class fixture against Oxford MCCU at The Parks.
A wicket apiece for Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney reduced the home side to 30-2 by stumps.
Put in to bat, by their hosts, Notts recovered from being 58-3 midway through the morning session to reach 229-7 before losing their final three wickets in quick succession.
They were chiefly indebted to Kelsall’s career-best score (111 balls 5x4) and 47 from Chris Read, which took him past 12,000 first class runs for the county.
In seamer-friendly conditions the remainder of the top order failed to fire but in the warmth of the afternoon Ajmal Shahzad and Jake Ball forged a successful partnership to lift Notts beyond 200.
Wayne Noon, Notts assistant manager, confirmed that it wasn’t easy to bat at the start of the day. “Normally when you play these fixtures you would expect to win the toss and bat first but they were very tricky conditions and we would have put them in if Ready had won the toss,” he said.
“I thought Sam Kelsall and Ready played well,” he added. “And by lunch we had got ourselves into a good position. It’s a shame neither of them could go on and convert their starts into a decent score but it was also nice for Jake and Ajmal to spend some time in the middle.
“We are looking at performances - there are definitely still places up for grabs – and it was good to be able to have an hour bowling at them at the end of the day.”
Notts omitted Brett Hutton from their previously announced squad of twelve players, as they began a domestic first class season on the opening day of April for only the second time. The lush, green, conditions certainly proved to be testing for the batsmen. With moisture in the air and a slightly damp outfield, early casualties were always a possibility and Notts lost three wickets during a competitive morning session.
Steven Mullaney, last season’s Player of the Year, was undone from the sixth delivery of the match, losing his middle stump to one that nipped back from the bowling of Charlie Morris.
21-year old Morris claimed a couple of wickets playing for Worcestershire at Trent Bridge in the YB40 competition last season. He equalled that haul inside the opening forty minutes with the huge scalp of Samit Patel in his fifth over of the day.
Patel, who hit a career-best 256 in last season’s match against University opposition, began brightly with a couple of offside punches for four before nicking behind to wicketkeeper Alex Martin for 13.
Notts’ position would have been worse had Sam Kelsall not gained a reprieve on 15; Ferraby spilling a sharp offering at short leg, off the bowling of Penhale.
Riki Wessels (15) wasn’t so fortunate. His first false shot after a promising start found the waiting hands of Leach in the gully, from the bowling of Weller.
Kelsall, in only his third first class match - and first since September 2012 - went past 35, his previous highest score at this level.
Together with Chris Read the pair batted together for the final hour before lunch, with the opener clearly delighted to bring up his maiden half century for Notts from 77 deliveries, with 5 fours, one of them all-run.
The first scoring shot of the afternoon brought up the fifty partnership for the fourth wicket and it had been extended to 79 by the time of Oxford MCCU’s next wicket.
Again it was Morris doing the damage. Returning at the Norhan Gardens End he found the outside edge of Kelsall’s bat and Sabin took a smart low catch at first slip.
Read was next to go, losing off stump in spectacular fashion to Marsden and Sam Wood’s (6) stay was brief, caught at cover after mistiming a pull.
In glorious, mid-afternoon, conditions the crowd swelled significantly. Sitting all around the boundary edge they turned The Parks into a typically English picture-postcard scene.
Notts lost their seventh wicket on the stroke of tea with Luke Fletcher (9) hitting Ferraby straight to mid on.
Jake Ball got off the mark after tea with the second all-run four of the day, a reflection on the length of the boundaries in operation. He and Ajmal Shahzad enriched the proceedings with a flurry of attractive shots as Ball went beyond his previous first class best of 15 not out.
Shahzad’s 96-ball vigil eventually ended on 35 when he was beaten by a delivery from Ferraby and Andy Carter (3) fell to an lbw decision six balls later.
The innings ended when Ball (31) pulled Penhale to mid on with an hour of the day remaining.
Notts struck immediately with the ball, Fletcher having Sabin (0) caught by Wessels at first slip from the third ball of the innings.
Gurney snared Leach (9) with an lbw decision and the students closed an eventful day on 30-2.