Pre-season tours, final preparations to the square and an ever-so-slight increase in the temperature are all markers of the beginning of the county cricket season. However, the real sign that the first deliveries are very much around the corner lies in Abu Dhabi, and the MCC’s annual match against the reigning County Champions.
This year, the MCC boasts three Nottinghamshire representatives. All-rounder Samit Patel, Andre Adams and Harry Gurney have all been named in the squad to face Durham, this trio the latest names in a long association between Notts and the MCC.
Nottinghamshire’s most recent outing against the MCC in 2011 saw the likes of Rahul Dravid, Chris Rogers and new Outlaw Gary Keedy face off against the reigning champions.
After Nottinghamshire’s poor first innings gave the MCC with a 110-run lead, a second-innings century from Dravid drove victory within their grasps. With 468 the winning target, Notts’ hopes faltered further after being reduced to 21-4 inside ten overs.
Spirited batting increased their chances, with four consecutive batsmen passing 50. Ali Brown was the first, before Chris Read, Steven Mullaney and Paul Franks ensured a respectable total. Their efforts proved too little too late, MCC eventually sealing a 174-run win.
Fortunately, Nottinghamshire’s 2006 MCC contest spun in the county’s favour, thanks in no small part to the second-innings exploits of Jason Gallian, Chris Read and Mark Ealham which saw all three post centuries.
Gallian, captaining the side at Lord’s, was imperious in scoring 171 to take the contest out of the MCC’s reach. His 307 minutes at the crease saw him swat 28 boundaries, while Ealham sealed victory with a devastating 43-ball century, clearing the Lord’s ropes on eight occasions.
Looking further back into Nottinghamshire’s history against the MCC, matches between the two sides were commonplace, with fixtures being played against all counties, rather than the reigning champions.
While Nottinghamshire faced the MCC on many occasions, the 1882 clash was notable not only for Notts’ narrow victory by one wicket, but for the unlikely hero who scored the winning runs.
Fred Morley was an excellent quick left-arm bowler, but he was not a batsman. In his 232 appearances for Nottinghamshire, he averaged just five with the bat. Rumour has it that on his appearance at the crease, the horse that rolled the wicket would beg to be shackled and sent in the opposite direction.
Maligned though he may have been, Nottinghamshire were left needing three from the final ball in a low-scoring encounter, and Morley was on strike. At ten to eight in the evening, in the deepening dusk, he scored a decisive three to hand the county victory.
Cricket returns to Trent Bridge next month, with Lancashire arriving as Nottinghamshire's first oppositions of the 2014 LV= County Championship season. It promises to be the first absorbing contest of many this summer. Join us and secure your seat now.