Haseeb Hameed passed 1,000 Championship runs in 2022 but Nottinghamshire endured a difficult second day of their LV= County Championship clash with Worcestershire at New Road.

Despite Hameed’s milestone, which he hit for the second time in his career after previously doing so in 2016, it was only he and Liam Patterson-White who passed 30 as the Green and Golds struggled in their first innings.

Gareth Roderick, who led the Pears’ resistance for much of yesterday, hit a century in the opening exchanges of the day, but fell shortly after for 102 as the hosts were ultimately dismissed for 390 before lunch.

Four wickets apiece for Ed Barnard and Dillon Pennington then saw the visitors bowled out for 128 in reply, being asked to follow on as a result.

Notts then suffered further malaise with bat in hand as three wickets for Ben Gibbon saw them reduced to 129/6 by the close, still 133 short of making the Pears bat again, despite another battling knock from Hameed, who this time hit fifty.

The two sides found conditions similar to yesterday upon arrival for day two at New Road, as cloud mixed with bursts of sunlight, and having resumed on 91*, the first light on the part of the hosts was Roderick’s century.

He reached the landmark in 205 deliveries with a single off Jake Ball, but was on strike only three further times as Brett Hutton ended his vigil by pinning him lbw less than three overs later.

Notts did collect a maximum haul of bowling points thanks to Patterson-White striking with his first ball of the day, as Dillon Pennington chipped up to Hameed at midwicket.

Hutton then wrapped up the innings with his third scalp as last man Ben Gibbon pulled him to a diving Matt Montgomery behind square, allowing Nottinghamshire five overs to bat before lunch.

The loss of Ben Slater, bowled by Pennington, was a blot on the copybook, but the stoutly resistant Hameed, in the company of Matt Montgomery, guided the Green and Golds through to the first break.

However, the hosts had their tails up following the restart, as Montgomery was caught in the slips by Barnard off Ben Gibbon shortly after lunch to precipitate a tough opening to the afternoon for Notts.

Joe Clarke found himself exceptionally unlucky to fall to a spectacular catch from wicketkeeper Roderick before Lyndon James was bowled by Matthew Waite.

Hameed did retain his stubbornness, notably passing 1,000 Championship runs for the season upon reaching 24, though the dismissals by Barnard of Steven Mullaney and Tom Moores marred his progress.

When Hameed did finally depart for 37, becoming the seventh man to do so and the third at the hands of Barnard, Nottinghamshire’s difficult afternoon continued as Brett Hutton and Jake Ball were both bowled.

Liam Patterson-White enjoyed a little freedom in a last-wicket partnership with Dane Paterson, freeing his arms to swipe three sixes in a score of 32 from 23 balls, though his dismissal confirmed a first-innings deficit of 262.

The visitors were asked to immediately bat again over the tea break, and despite some initial fightback from Slater and Hameed, the former was bowled for the second time in the day, this time by Gibbon.

Seamer Gibbon went on to take two further wickets, those of Montgomery and Clarke, before James and Mullaney were removed again, with Waite responsible this time around.

Hameed ground his way to 30 again, and beyond, as the final hour ticked in, finding support from Moores in his efforts to steadily blunt the home attack at the day’s tail end.

He went on to mark himself out as the Green and Golds’ standout batter of the day with a fifty from 84 deliveries, but was unable to withstand the Pears’ attack until stumps as he nicked Josh Tongue behind for 58.

Moores continued to resist, though, in the new company of Patterson-White, and was ultimately able to see the visitors through to the end of a day that was as testing as it was eventful, ending unbeaten on 22*.

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Trent Bridge will host three international matches in 2023, with the sole Test Match of the Women’s Ashes taking place at Nottinghamshire’s historic home, before England’s men face New Zealand and Ireland in IT20 and ODI contests respectively. 

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