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Slater frustrates Somerset on Day Two
A first century of the season from Nottinghamshire’s Ben Slater meant that it was very much as case of honours even at the close of play on day two of this Rothesay County Championship Division One match against Somerset at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
After dismissing their hosts this morning, the team from Trent Bridge got off to a rocky start but Slater ensured that all results are still possible as Notts ended the day on 214 for three, trailing by 165.
2000 school children were present at Taunton today as part of the Club’s annual Schools Days initiative, which is run in conjunction with Somerset Cricket Foundation, and they were treated to an intriguing day of cricket which ebbed and flowed across the three sessions.
Somerset resumed on 275 for six but Tom Banton and Kasey Aldridge were only able to add a further 10 runs to the total before the latter fell for seven, caught low down at second slip by Freddie McCann at second slip off the bowling of Mohammad Abbas.
A number of lusty blows from Craig Overton helped take the hosts to 300 and a second batting point but the Somerset skipper was trapped lbw by Brett Hutton for 24 at 330 for eight.
Banton’s fine innings came to an end at 84 when he reverse swept Liam Patterson-White to Mohammad Abbas at backward point with the score on 340.
Matt Henry raced to 29 from 20 balls but was given a life in the 116th over, bowled by Patterson-White. The first ball of the over was driven for four, the second was flat batted for six and the third delivery was top edged miles into the Taunton sky only for Joe Clarke to spill the catch on the boundary in front of a delighted James Hildreth Stand.
The Somerset innings came to an end at 379 when Jack Leach (6) was caught and bowled by Farhan Ahmed, by which point Henry had amassed a highly entertaining and more than useful 41 from 29 deliveries.
The visitors survived a tricky three overs before lunch but made it through to the break unscathed with 15 runs on the board.
The Nottinghamshire total had advanced to 38 when Haseeb Hameed (24) was caught behind off a beautiful delivery from Henry. It dipped and swung, found the visiting captain’s edge and James Rew did the rest.
Ben Slater reached 50 from 62 balls, and the half century partnership with McCann arrived from 72 deliveries.
Nottinghamshire reached three figures in the 28th over, but with the score on 104 Archie Vaughan found McCann’s outside edge and Rew took the catch to remove the Notts batter for 20.
When the tea interval arrived, the score had progressed to 124 for two.
After the break Clarke and Slater took the visitors to 143 before the former looked to plant Leach into the River Tone but only succeeded in edging the ball through to Overton at slip.
Somerset were convinced that Leach had two in two when, as one, the whole team went up appealing for a catch by Overton off Jack Haynes but the umpires were unmoved.
Slater continued to bat impressively and deservedly reached three figures from 171 deliveries, and the 50 partnership with Haynes then arrived from 101 balls. That was followed shortly thereafter by the Nottinghamshire 200 as Somerset strived for another breakthrough.
Unfortunately for the home side, that breakthrough wasn’t forthcoming as Slater left the field unbeaten on 116.
