Rothesay County Championship Division One, Trent Bridge (day one)
Nottinghamshire 328-8: Verreynne 111*; Snater 3-88
Essex: Yet to bat
Notts (2 pts), Essex (2 pts)
Nottinghamshire began their County Championship meeting with Essex as early leaders of Division One following last week's opening round of the campaign.
They immediately faced deep trouble, however, after being asked to bat at Trent Bridge.
But Kyle Verreynne, who flew in from South Africa only three days before, would finish with a superb unbeaten 111 and Lyndon James made 45, as the home side fought back in the afternoon sun from 78-5 to 167-6.
Vigorous batting either side of tea from the Australian Fergus O'Neill, with 42 from 60 balls, plus staunch support from Farhan Ahmed then helped them to a final 328-8.
In his five career innings for Nottinghamshire, Verreynne has now made 359 runs for only once out but was dropped on 33 off Sam Cook who, watched by England cricket director, Rob Key, bowled beautifully throughout and deserved better than 2-37 from 21 overs.
From nine overs apiece by lunch, Jamie Porter had posted 2-12 and new-ball partner Cook 2-17 during a morning of Essex dominance. Their decision to insert on a pitch with no more than a little early grass was presumably based on the hope that, if there was any assistance to be found, it would be on the first morning.
The notion was vindicated when for the first 50 minutes Notts played more with the age of the bat than the middle. Commanding rigorous control, Porter and Cook conceded only nine runs from the first ten overs, Porter having both Slater lbw for one and Haseeb Hameed caught behind for a 21-ball duck.
Joe Clarke, from nowhere, suddenly then launched Porter for a straight six before, whipping across the line, he was lbw to Cook next over for 16.
An overseas third seamer would have been invaluable for the visitors but Shardul Thakur, Essex's pre-season signing, had made a late switch in March to the India Premier League and it took the return of Cook to halt a 47-run recovery when Freddie McCann, in two minds pulling at a bouncer, returned a catch for 26.
After Jack Haynes felt for a widish ball and edged Shane Snater behind next over for 23, Notts tottered at 78-5 before surviving four more maidens to the interval.
Periods of fluency arrived on resumption. Against the change bowlers the sixth-wicket pair were particularly harsh on 20-year old Noah Thain in just his sixth full Championship game.
He was to conceded 73 in all from 13 overs in the day, including 16 extras from no-balls. When Cook had relieved him to bowl a third spell, Verreynne's flashing drive at his third ball flew hard to second slip where Simon Harmer was unable to hold on.
Escaping on 33, Verreynne had earlier, on seven soon after lunch, seen a leading edge off Porter just fall between two offside fielders. Unfazed, the small, gritty 'keeper reached his determined fifty from 116 balls 15 minutes from tea shortly after James had falled to the Zimbawean Snater when a violent bottom-edged cut cannoned into his stumps.
O'Neill also survived a chance on 31 to second slip, off Thain, straight after tea as 76 were added in 14 overs either side of the interval before, in four balls, he stayed fatally back to be lbw to Matt Critchley and Brett Hutton came and went, pushing forward and edging Snater behind.
Mature resilience through 18 overs from 17-year old Farhan Ahmed on a now placid pitch let Verreynne get from 70 to a hundred in 196 ...
