Nottinghamshire bat themselves into strong position against Somerset

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3 days ago

Jack Haynes hit a century to put Nottinghamshire in a strong position on the third day of the Rothesay County Championship match with Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton. (Image: Getty Images)
Rothesay County Championship. day three: Nottinghamshire 509 lead Somerset 379 & 4-1 by 126 runs
Jack Haynes hit his third Rothesay County Championship century of the season to lead Division One leaders Nottinghamshire into a strong position on the third day of the match with Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton, writes Richard Latham, ECB Reporters' Network.
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Starting the day on 214 for three in reply to their opponents' first innings score of 379, the visitors ran up 509 all out, Haynes leading the way with a career-best 157, while Ben Slater fell early for 124, Ishan Kishan made 77 and Lyndon James 66.
Jack Leach ended a tough day for Somerset's bowlers on an unhelpful pitch with hugely creditable figures of six for 121 from 53.2 overs, displaying exemplary accuracy as Notts steadily built a lead of 130. The hosts had to face one over before stumps and closed on four for one, nightwatchman Matt Henry bowled by Patterson-White's final delivery.
Unbeaten on 34 overnight, Haynes' hundred occupied 176 balls and featured 11 fours and a six. It was just the innings his side required to first stave off any prospect of a significant first innings deficit and then build what could prove a match-winning advantage.
Leach opened Somerset's attack at the start of play, bowling in tandem with off-spinner Archie Vaughan, and struck an early blow when Slater, having added only eight to his overnight score, aimed a back-foot forcing shot and edged a catch to wicketkeeper James Rew. It proved Somerset's only success before lunch, despite taking the second new ball at 238 for four.
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Haynes went to a 92-ball fifty and found a more aggressive partner in Kishan, who quickly dispatched a delivery from Matt Henry over fine leg for six with a vicious pull shot to bring 250 up. On 60, Haynes survived a confident shout for a catch behind off Leach, but it was a rare moment of alarm for Notts as they closed in on Somerset's total.
By lunch, the scoreboard read 322 for four, Kishan having just moved to a half-century off 83 balls, with 4 fours and 2 sixes. The deficit was down to 57 and Haynes was looking rock solid on 81.
The pattern continued in the afternoon session, Haynes pulling a boundary off Vaughan to bring up the century partnership. Somerset then had two difficult chances to make a much-needed breakthrough as Kishan offered low diving chances to wicketkeeper Rew down the leg side off Kasey Aldridge and Craig Overton at slip off Vaughan.
Notts looked set to collect a third batting point when moving to 347 for four with five balls remaining of the 110th over, but Aldridge prevented Kishan from scoring from any of them. It was a minor setback as Haynes went to his eighth first class hundred, and third of the season, with a boundary off a leg-side full toss from Aldridge.
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The fifth-wicket stand was worth 138 when Kishan edged a delivery from Leach onto his front pad and presented a straightforward catch to Tom Abell at short-leg. The Indian wicketkeeper had faced 128 balls and increased his boundary count to 8 fours and 2 sixes.
James had a scare with only a single to his same when edging Leach through the legs of wicketkeeper Rew standing up to the stumps. That was as good as it got for Somerset as tea was taken with Notts 431 for five and leading by 52 runs.
The final session saw James go to fifty off 87 balls, with 7 fours, before Haynes brought up his maiden 150, having faced 287 deliveries and struck 15 fours and 2 sixes. Their century stand followed as Somerset continued to toil in the warm sunshine.
Haynes finally fell lbw trying to sweep Leach with the lead just short of 100. Liam Patterson-White was then stumped pushing forward to Vaughan before the tireless Leach made it a five-for, turning a ball from on leg stump to force Brett Hutton to edge to slip.
Farhan Ahmed departed to Vaughan for a duck and James edged a drive off Leach to slip, but by then it was Nottinghamshire's highest ever total at Taunton.