Jack Haynes amassed a sparkling maiden Nottinghamshire First-Class century to steer the Green and Golds to a dominant draw with Essex and continue an unbeaten start to the 2025 season.
Haynes hammered 142, his new career-best score in the format, as Notts were bowled out for 385 in their second innings, setting the visitors a nominal 366 to win.
It was a fightback full of character to do so, as the hosts recovered from leading by 222 with two wickets in hand, to achieve a position dominant enough to be sure of remaining unbeaten.
Brett Hutton also contributed 38 in a stand of 77 with Haynes for the ninth wicket, before last man Dillon Pennington helped add another 66.
Having resumed on 49 overnight, Haynes’ first order of business was to take just four balls to reach his 50, doing so with a gently pushed off-side single off Simon Harmer.
He did watch on as the Green and Golds lost three wickets for seven runs to seemingly set up an extraordinarily tense finale, only for the ninth-wicket stand to remove any chance of a surprise sting.
With great discipline, Hutton supported Haynes all the way to 95, unfurling five boundaries himself, including a six over long-on off Matt Critchley.
Pennington was required to be the man to see Haynes over the line, but he too applied himself with technique belying his position in the tail to allow the 24-year-old to complete the job.
He did so in 191 balls via a driven four off Harmer, his 14th of the innings, and celebrated exuberantly, saluting the crowd and the home balcony before turning to embrace Pennington.
Having opted to continue on after lunch, which only came following a mammoth two-and-a-half-hour morning session, Haynes was finally uprooted minutes into the afternoon session.
His dismissal pre-empted a foregone conclusion, though, as despite a chase formally being established, Essex were able to bat out 31 overs without too much alarm.
Hutton did make an inroad shortly before tea with the wicket of Charlie Allison, lbw for 28, but Tom Westley and Paul Walter put on an unbroken 56 before the draw was confirmed at 5pm.