Top-drawer seam bowling by Fergus O’Neill and Brett Hutton put Nottinghamshire in command against Warwickshire on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship clash at Edgbaston.
Aussie import O’Neill took five for 19 and Hutton five for 38 as the home side floundered to 93 all out. Only Sam Hain (43, 81 balls) offered sustained resistance as the visitors rapaciously made up for time lost on the first day when just 56 balls were bowled.
Nottinghamshire than advanced to 204 for five by the close of the second day with captain Haseeb Hameed carrying his team’s reply with an adamantine unbeaten 75 (136 balls).
When they passed Warwickshire’s total for the loss of just one wicket, a mighty lead beckoned and, though the home bowlers struck back with four wickets in the last session, Hameed’s side remain very strongly placed.
Nottinghamshire’s cricket in a first session trimmed at both ends by rain was exemplary. Warwickshire resumed on 34 for two then scored 58 for five in 24.2 overs before lunch against an attack that appliedrelentless pressure. Overnight pair Hamza Shaikh (22, 60 balls) and Hain took the score to 60 but five wickets then fell for 31 runs in 13.5 overs.
Shaikh left a gap between bat and pad and Hutton found it to bowl him. Dan Mousley did the same and O’Neill powered an in-ducker on to off-stump. When Ed Barnard drove hard at the Aussie, Freddie McCann held a screamer at second slip.
Hain batted with as much assurance as possible in tough conditions but then copped a ferocious in-ducker from O’Neill and fell lbw. After another rapid delivery ripped out Michael Booth’s off-stump, O’Neill lunched on 12.4-4-19-4.
From 92 for seven at lunch, Warwickshire swiftly declined to 93 all out as both bowlers completed five-fors. O’Neill’s came when Ethan Bamber edged behind. Hutton’s followed with wickets in successive balls as Kai Smith skied a slog and Vishwa Fernando missed a straight one.
Lady Luck then shone on Nottinghamshire as their reply began in the game’s first two hours of sunshine. Hameed and Ben Slater (40, 40 balls) took advantage to raise 50 in 67 balls and 81 in 87 before Slater was lbw to Bamber on the stroke of tea.
In the last session, the Bears’ bowlers, without building the same pressure as their Notts counterparts, struck sporadically. McCann nicked Fernando behind, Joe Clarke edged Booth to third slip and Jack Haynes fell lbw to Olly Hannon-Dalby.
Kyle Verreynne contributed a punchy 29 before top-edging a pull at Booth to deep square leg, but Hameed’s concentration was total and his true captain’s innings kept his side emphatically on top.
