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Smith Fifty Puts Hampshire In Strong Position Against Notts
Smith Fifty Puts Hampshire In Strong Position Against Notts
Will Smith & Mason Crane helped set up an exciting final day
Captain Will Smith produced his first Specsavers County Championship fifty of the season to extend Hampshire’s lead over Nottinghamshire to 270 runs, after Hampshire bowled out Notts for 189 on day three.
Smith continued a progressive day three for Hampshire by patiently scoring 61 runs off 157 balls, and helping the home side to a commanding 70-run lead going into the final day at the The Ageas Bowl.
We are happy where we are, asking the opposition to score the biggest score of the game. It wasn’t easy today, Notts put us under pressure to get where we are. Hopefully we can get more of a lead in the morning then it is down to the bowlers to do the job.
Giles White, Director of Cricket
Mason Crane (3-19) proved hugely effective with the ball in the morning session, reducing Notts to 189 all out with the assistance of Liam Dawson and Tino Best, who ended the visitors’ first innings in style.
Crane led a dominant Hampshire force during the morning session, dismissing Dan Christian (14), Brett Hutton (8) and Luke Fletcher (0), before Tino Best (2-44) ended the visitors’ first innings in style by removing Harry Gurney’s (16) middle stump.
Best embodied Hampshire’s confidence with the ball on day three, and his celebration suggested he is rather enjoying his cricket at the The Ageas Bowl.
Crane’s crucial impact with the ball began when Dan Christian chopped on, Hampshire finding a breakthrough after Nottinghamshire had moved from 72 to 149 with five wickets remaining.
It was Liam Dawson who took the most important wicket of the morning session, dismissing Riki Wessels (72), who had been single-minded in his run-scoring, before being caught by Sean Ervine.
After Best finished Hampshire’s fine morning with the ball, Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams faced a maiden over before lunch, and returned to the middle leading by 81 after the break.
Hampshire struggled to find rhythm in their second batting innings, beginning with the dismissal Carberry, who edged to Wessels from Harry Gurney’s moving ball and handed the job of boosting Hampshire’s lead beyond 100 to skipper Will Smith.
Adams and Dawson soon followed Carberry and Hampshire required a captain’s intervention. Smith obliged, and produced an exemplary innings with the bat, eventually surpassing fifty and going on to make 61.
Ervine (45) and Smith (61) recovered the situation and found the boundary beautifully, supplying a composed 78-run partnership to extend Hampshire’s lead over Notts to 180 runs at tea.
Tom Alsop (7) was unable to reproduce his fine first innings knock of 72, edging to Wessels from Gurney (4-34), who took his fourth wicket of the afternoon.
With Hampshire struggling to find rhythm with the bat, Will Smith produced his first County Championship fifty of the season, before McLaren helped the home side extend their lead to 270 runs - a commanding position going into the final day.
