Lyndon James and Matt Montgomery amassed new career-best scores as a ruthless Nottinghamshire piled on their seventh-highest First-Class total of all time on Day Two against Durham.

Steven Mullaney also hit a ton as the Green and Golds scythed through records with regularity, hitting the heady heights of 662/5 declared, before reducing the visitors to 53/2, a deficit of 609, when bad light ended play early.

James made an unbeaten 164 and shared in a partnership of 224 – Notts’ largest-ever stand against Durham – with Mullaney, who hit 136, to complement Montgomery’s earlier 178.

The innings saw only the second occasion in Notts history, and the first since a 1928 encounter with Warwickshire, that four Green and Gold batters had hit centuries in the same First-Class innings.

The hosts resumed on 276/2, with Montgomery having Joe Clarke for company as he resumed on 101*.

Clarke fell early for 28, edging Matt Potts to Sean Dickson at second slip, but Durham’s joy would be exceptionally short-lived, as the first of two mammoth partnerships began in earnest.

James and Montgomery added 161 to the total, safely banking four batting bonus points, as some feisty swishes from both batters pushed the total to 362/3 at the 110-over cut-off point.

Montgomery posted his 150 just prior to that cut-off, cutting Jonathan Bushnell behind point for a single to reach the milestone in 304 balls, receiving warm applause from all corners of Trent Bridge.

Having brought up the century stand, it was then James’ turn to receive adulation, as he notched an 86-ball fifty with the hosts squeezing in another round of applause, this time for their 400, before the morning was out.

Lunch arrived with the score 402/3, and the tone continued afterward, as the 150 partnership was confirmed with a cut single by James off spinner George Drissell.

Montgomery received a brutal delivery from England’s Potts and was bowled for 178, though the applause was reserved for the batters once more, and Durham’s day was about to sink even lower.

Playing in his typically impudent fashion, Mullaney took just one hour, and 49 balls, to post his own fifty – doing so, quite naturally, with a maximum, just moments after James had notched his third century of the summer.

The Academy graduate’s three figures arrived in 158 balls, and not only did it immediately precede Mullaney’s fifty, but it also followed Notts’ team total of 500.

The duo reached tea with their partnership worth 114, and the Notts total standing proud at 562/4. But, in a recurring theme, they wanted more.

They got it, too, as the team 600 followed the 150 partnership, with both coming at the hands of Mullaney; the former achieved via a four through point.

Mullaney became the fourth centurion of the innings, and the fastest yet, doing so in 91 balls, when he clipped Drissell for a single, before the introduction of Nic Maddinson for an over saw the pair feast.

There were 13 runs hit off the Australian’s sole set of six, with Mullaney striking back-to-back boundaries to take the score to 650, after James swept a four to post his own 150.

Runs were drenching Trent Bridge as the onslaught continued, but it was brought to a conclusion when Mullaney edged Ben Raine behind to Chris Benjamin for 136 and signalled the declaration.

That left a scheduled 25 overs for Notts to attack Durham with the ball, and Stuart Broad struck gold early on when makeshift opener Liam Trevaskis was lbw for six.

Liam Patterson-White then claimed the wicket of Dickson for 20, who aimed a wildly aggressive shot at the spinner but succeeded only in miscuing a simple catch to Broad at mid-on.

On the evidence, Durham will have been likely relieved when, with the light fading, the umpires took the decision to end play 8.4 overs before the planned finish, with Drissell and Scott Borthwick having prevented further loss.

*******

International cricket in 2023

Trent Bridge will host three international matches next summer, with the sole Test Match of the Women’s Ashes taking place at Nottinghamshire’s historic home, before England’s men face New Zealand and Ireland in IT20 and ODI contests respectively. 

Enter the ticketing ballot or peruse further information at trentbridge.co.uk/internationals.