Two late wickets kept Nottinghamshire’s Second XI in the game after they had been up against it for much of the first day of their County Championship clash with Worcestershire at the Notts Sports Club, Lady Bay.
The visitors were coasting along at 125-1 in reply to Notts’ 198 all out before Matt Carter ended a second-wicket partnership of 81 as Josh Dell was caught for 35 at slip by Brett Hutton.
With ball in hand, Hutton, who finished with 2-34, then trapped Alex Hepburn lbw for 2 before the close of play, having bowled Oliver Westbury earlier in the Worcestershire innings, as the West Midlands team closed on 134-3, 64 runs behind but with Tom Fell well set on 93 not out.
The home side, captained by Jake Libby, had won the toss and chosen to bat first with Joey Evison pinned lbw for 9 by Adam Finch with the score on 23.
Libby soon followed for 17, edging a catch to Ben Twohig at third slip off the bowling of Dillon Pennington, but Anuj Dal and Chris Gibson steadied things either side of a rain delay.
They posted the 50 partnership in the 27th over from 54 balls, but the visitors struck twice in four balls as Gibson was lbw for 23 to Twohig before Brett Hutton was out for a duck, nicking Hepburn to keeper Alex Milton, making it 88-4.
Trialist Will Fraine joined Dal who from the fifth ball of the 37th over lost his middle stump to Charlie Morris for 42, and the same bowler soon accounted for Tom Keast.
When Matt Carter was lbw to Twohig without scoring, to leave Notts 138-7, they were in real trouble, but Connor Marshall joined Fraine and the pair moved the score along to 166-8, with the latter scoring seven fours in his fifty from 63 balls.
However, Fraine was then caught by Morris at cover off Finch when on 55 and, after tea was taken early due to rain, Marshall, who made 13, Lyndon James, who scored 11 and Riecko Parker-Cole, left unbeaten on 19, managed to edge Notts up to just shy of the 200 mark.
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