SECOND XI REPORT: Notts win by five wickets in 50-over Friendly
A century by Ben Martindale and unbeaten 71 from Tom Moores steered Nottinghamshire Seconds to a five-wicket against the Lancashire Second XI at Emirates Old Trafford.
Lancashire made 216 all out with half centuries for Arav Shetty and Jack Lees the main contributions to a below-par total that the visitors reached with some ease having 17.5 overs to spare despite an early wobble at the start of their reply.
The two teams move to Sale C.C. to play a two-day friendly tomorrow and Thursday.
The Lancashire innings fell into three distinct sections; a great start, and a good finish, but with a very ropey middle.
The great start was provided by Shetty and Lees – the latter a 24-year-old left hand opening bat and former South Africa under 19s cricketer on his Red Rose debut who last year played second team cricket for both Leicestershire and today’s opponents.
After Kesh Fonseka had edged Daniel Sams to second slip for 3, Shetty and Lees produced an enterprising alliance of 119 runs across the following 20 overs with some attractive, attacking strokeplay.
Lees was the first to reach his half century from 61 balls with Shetty taking three balls fewer to get to his fifty moments later.
Having hit left arm spinner Zain Latif for two sixes, Shetty drove off spinner Matt Montgomery to Rob Lord at extra cover to depart for 60 and in the following over Lees, who had pulled Martindale for a six to add to his 7 fours, clipped the bowler to Sam King at midwicket for 68 and that proved to be the top score of the innings.
A startling tumble of wickets followed as Lancashire fell rapidly from 129-1 to 157-8 in the space of 11 overs with no other batter reaching double figures until the last pair of Charlie Barnard (22) and Mitch Stanley (25 not out) combined to add 43 runs in 7 overs with some big hits.
Stanley struck twice with the ball early in the Nottinghamshire reply, bowling both Sam Seecharan (1) and Sam King (0) to have the visitors on 10-2.
Montgomery then received a let off when dropped at gully off Joe Chapple with the score on 16 and from that point the visitors started to take charge, the Notts skipper adding 84 runs for the third wicket with Martindale before edging behind to Jack Carney off Barnard for 21.
But there was no containing left hander Martindale who raced to his fifty from just 33 balls hitting two sixes and 8 fours and his 78-run partnership with Moores came off 72 balls to take Nottinghamshire to the verge of victory.
Having posted his century from 75 balls, Martindale was unluckily run out for 105 at the bowler’s end when Ollie Sutton deflected Moores’ straight drive onto the stumps.
Daniel Sams was bowled for 1 swinging at off spinner Shetty, and it was left to Moores, whose 71 not out took 59 balls, and Dane Schadendorf (8 not out) to seal the win with Nottinghamshire 217-5 in the 33rd over.
Lancashire: (13 players, 11 to bat) Kesh Fonseka, Jack Lees, Arav Shetty, Rocky Flintoff, Jack Carney (wkt), Ollie Sutton, George Harris, Gennaro Reddy, Josh Boyden, Charlie Barnard (capt), Joe Chapple, Mitch Stanley, Hassan Mughal.
Nottinghamshire: (12 players, 11 to bat) Ben Martindale, Sam Seecharan, Sam King, Matt Montgomery (capt), Tom Moores (wkt), Daniel Sams, Dane Schadendorf, Travis Holland, Rob Lord, Akand Singh Gangotra, Tom Giles, Zain Latif.