The first of Nottinghamshire’s six LV= County Championship victories in 2015 came in May, courtesy of the 'most remarkable’ century Mick Newell has ever seen, from teenage all-rounder Luke Wood.

In the side more for his ability to swing the new ball at pace than his dashing ability with the blade, Wood found himself at the crease at Trent Bridge with the home side 98-7 in their first innings.

It was the sixth four day match of the season, Notts were yet to win a match and they had previously been 55-6 with Steve Magoffin, the veteran Australian who has taken 33 career first class wickets against Nottinghamshire alone, doing most of the damage.

The 19-year-old, however, was in no mood to take a backward step, advancing to his highest first class score by lifting Matt Hobden up and over point for the first six of the match.

His second six, a mighty leg side blow off Magoffin, was from the first ball after tea and - although Will Gidman was out later in the same over for 57, ending a vital stand of 75 - Jake Ball supported Wood in an entertaining stand of 46 in just six overs, with both men clearing the ropes on a couple of occasions.

When Harry Gurney walked to the crease as last man, Wood was on 72 - but some creative farming of the strike, which twice included a bye from the final ball of an over, enabled the in-form man to face every ball of their 27-ball stand.

With the batsman two runs short of his century, Nash turned to the leg spin of Luke Wells and pushed his men out to protect the boundary.

A gentle drop on the leg side enabled the two batsmen to sprint through for the couple of runs needed, to scenes of great jubilation on the home dressing room balcony.

Wood had reached the landmark from 95 deliveries, having hit ten fours and six sixes. He was out next ball nicking through to the wicketkeeper.

“It’s probably the best feeling I’ve ever had on a cricket field,” said the Worksop born all-rounder on the day of the innings.

“I wouldn’t have thought I’d be anywhere near getting that, especially when we were 30 for four.

“I couldn’t see us getting 200 as a team, let alone me getting a hundred but it’s been pretty phenomenal how it has turned out and to get two wickets at the end has topped it off nicely.

“When I saw them all out on the boundary at the end, I just thought my best option was to tuck it away for two and run hard and to get there was an unbelievable feeling.”

Wood added a further half-century in the second innings - and collected match figures of 5-96 - as Nottinghamshire won the match by 159-runs.

It was not the first occasion that a Notts number nine had achieved something remarkable with the bat.

Back in 1911...Alletson Pummels Sussex for 189

104 years earlier, Ted Alletson, a Worksop born seam bowler who was very much in and out of the Nottinghamshire side at the time, took the same opposition - Sussex - for 189 at Hove.

On that occasion it was a match-saving rather than winning performance, but one that was even more explosive than Wood’s display in 2015.

Alletson, a strapping six foot seamer who played his club cricket at Welbeck, arrived at the crease 50 minutes before lunch, on the final day, with Nottinghamshire seven wickets down and leading by just nine runs.

Although Alletson was on 47 by Lunch, Notts were 260-9 and still staring defeat in the face.

But the 69 balls that followed, 51 of them faced by Alletson, brought 152 runs as the Notts number nine used his brute strength and long levers to blitz eight sixes and 18 fours in a staggering innings of 189.

One particular mid-session period of five overs cost 100 and a single over from Kilhick shipped 34.

Alletson was eventually caught on, in fact allegedly over, the boundary rope - by which point the visitors were safe and the match ended in a draw.

He played for Nottinghamshire for three further years before progressing to a military career with the Royal Garrison Artillery and Manton Colliery. 

That 189 at Hove proved to be his only first class century.

 

The 2015 season has seen dramatic last-gasp four day victories, thrilling limited-overs contests and an historic Investec Ashes Test, all in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.

Next season, we’d wager, will be no less enthralling and frankly we’d hate for you to miss out.

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