Tom Moores and debutant Joe Pocklington star for Notts against Essex
Persistent showers threatened to disrupt the return of Metro Bank One-Day Cup
action at Welbeck, where Nottinghamshire hosted Essex. Players retreated regularly
as heavy showers blew through on a breeze that threatened to turn gusty.
It all worked out in the end and Notts got their campaign off to a winning start against
a more fancied Essex side, winning by 51 runs in a result that suggested they have
more of a fight in them despite having a host of players absent.
The outfield, though, was bone dry, the grass seemingly grateful for the light rain.
Nottinghamshire now play regularly at a ground on the outskirts of Mansfield that
wouldn’t feel out of place in Field of Dreams. It has the feel of a mini Arundel, though
its companions are electricity pylons, not a grand castle. It’s a ground that quietly
delivers a proper day of county cricket, close to the action, grounded in its
community, and increasingly a favourite on the Notts calendar.
Fitting, then, that the Notts player stepping up today likely has early memories of
playing at that Sussex outground. Tom Moores, on a white-ball only contract with
Notts, is making up for a couple of fallow seasons. The Outlaws’ top scorer in the
Vitality Blast, he continued that form here with a maiden List A century. He was
eventually dismissed for 148 from 93 balls, having been dropped twice.
The boundaries at Welbeck aren’t short, but the Notts keeper cleared them five
times, sharing a 137-run stand in 14.3 overs with Daniel Sams as Essex struggled to
contain either batter.
Jamie Porter, always a threat with a new ball, relished first use after Essex won the
toss, making early inroads and returning figures of 4 for 29 from his ten overs.
Haseeb Hameed was the first to fall, a week after scoring a County Championship
double ton. His seven runs looked scratchy, and he’ll have been disappointed to
drive straight to Tom Westley at mid-off.
With Notts fielding two debutants, it was just the occasion for one of the senior
players to step up, and Moores did that in abundance. He was lucky to be dropped
early in his innings, but he never panicked, arriving at the crease with Notts
struggling at 41 for four.
The rain delays didn’t seem to bother him as he anchored the innings, guiding Notts
to a competitive 283 for nine from their 46 overs. With DLS a factor, Essex were set
286.
Essex started well, keeping ahead of the run-rate as Robin Das and Tom Westley
compiled 65 runs for the second wicket from 60 balls before Robert Lord made the
breakthrough.
The tall seamer extracted some bounce from the surface, and as Das tried to pull
through mid-wicket, it looped off the top edge and Hameed took a comfortable catch
at mid-on for 46.
Westley followed soon after, again struggling with Lord’s bounce and control.
Looking to flick to the on-side, he found Jack Haynes at mid-wicket.
That shift in momentum opened the door, and Joe Pocklington, on his Notts debut,
took two quick wickets to put Essex firmly on the back foot.
He should have had a wicket in his first over when a catch went high towards deep
mid-on. Lyndon James did all the hard work to get there but overran the drop zone
and did well not to tip it over the rope for six.
Charlie Allison and Luc Benkenstein were the Essex pair tasked with seeing the
visitors home. They, however, hadn’t accounted for Pocklington’s left-arm spin.
First, he bowled Benkenstein for 19, then followed up with a caught and bowled off
the first ball of his next over to remove Allison for 18.
By the time Pocklington took his third, a mistimed reverse sweep from Nick Browne,
the pressure was on Essex as the run-rate crept up towards eight an over.
Pocklington eventually finished with figures of three for 53 on debut.
The game petered out as Essex lost regular wickets, and it was a disappointing day
for them and their supporters, who travelled in good numbers.
Essex finished bottom of their T20 group and are struggling in the County
Championship. They would still have come into this game with high hopes of
rescuing their season, but instead came up against a resurgent Moores and a
debutant spinner eager to prove himself at this level.
Notts return to Welbeck on Thursday to face Worcestershire, confident that they can
finish their spell in the northern reaches of the county with back-to-back wins.
