Nottinghamshire 399 (Clarke 105, James 96, Slater 70, Harrison 52) and 151 for 7 (Duckett 63, Smith 4-29) drew with Worcestershire 355 (Jones 90, Smith 58, D’Oliveira 54, Harrison 5-128)
Barely a mile down the road from Trent Bridge, about three and a half hours before the scheduled start of play on the final day of Nottinghamshire’s Vitality County Championship game with Worcestershire, a tornado ripped tiles off houses and brought down trees, some close to the Nottinghamshire chief executive’s house. Sadly, however, there was to be no such drama on the field.
An hour after lunch, with the latest squall sweeping through and winds threatening to send the covers flying towards Lincolnshire, play was abandoned without a ball bowled. Nottinghamshire, 195 runs ahead overnight but with only three wickets standing, took 14 points and Worcestershire, who had fancied pushing for victory, departed with 13. It was one of three matches, all in the East Midlands, to be left as draws with a complete final-day wash out.
Until Nottinghamshire suffered their second catastrophic collapse in seven days on Sunday, they had seemed well set to offer a target for Worcestershire to chase. But in eight overs approaching the close they had crashed from 125 for 1 to 144 for 7, Worcestershire’s new overseas signing this year, Kiwi Nathan Smith, claiming four in seven balls, including a triple-wicket maiden. He now has ten wickets in three innings.
The previous week, it was Essex new-ball bowler, Sam Cook, who had returned 6 for 14 as Nottinghamshire plummeted to 80 all out on the same ground. After gaining a first-innings lead of 44 over Worcestershire they had still entertained hopes of a win themselves, suggesting that around 250 would be hard for their opponents to pursue on a turning pitch. Sadly we will never know. A game apparently destined for an enthralling finish alas bowed to the rain and gusts that have defined the season so far.