Jake Libby scored a superb 170 not out as Nottinghamshire’s second fought back strongly to secure a draw on the third and final day of their County Championship clash with Worcestershire.
Starting on 68-1 at the Notts Sports Club Lady Bay, still 129 runs behind, the home team and skipper batted throughout the day to finish on 328-5 - and deny the visitors any shot at victory in the process.
Libby’s fine performance comes on the eve of the resumption of the first team’s Specsavers County Championship Cricket campaign at Derbyshire on Sunday, where the opening batsman will hope to figure.
After a delay for rain saw play eventually get underway at 11.30am, things did not initially go well for Notts as Brett Hutton fell for 5 as he edged a catch to Tom Fell at second slip off the bowling of Charlie Morris with just one added to the overnight score.
Mark Footitt, 7, came and went quickly before Libby, who had moved to 82 and Joey Evison, on 23, saw the hosts through to lunch on 148-3.
A pushed two from Libby took him to his century from 157 balls, having hit one six and 12 fours from the second ball of the 46th over and, soon after, an Evison four levelled the overall scores before he reached his fifty from 63 balls, with the help of one maximum and seven boundaries.
The partnership was finally ended on 98 when Evison was trapped lbw by Ben Twohig for 54, making it 204-4.
Chris Gibson joined Libby and carried on where Evison had left off and Libby reached 150 shortly before tea, by which time Notts had cruised on to 287-4, a lead of 90 runs.
The hosts’ 300 and the fifth-wicket century stand followed each other quickly in the final session, but Gibson was denied a half-century when he was taken at slip for 47 from the bowling of Zen Malik.
Bad light immediately caused a pause in proceedings and the players then shook hands as the match was declared a draw.
View full scorecard here.
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