A Harry Gurney-inspired Nottinghamshire took eight wickets for 15 runs on the fourth morning at Old Trafford to set up a six-wicket win over Lancashire in their County Championship division one opener.
Nottinghamshire lost four wickets in a chase of just 10 but eventually completed their dramatic win, in a 90-minute day’s play that saw 12 wickets fall and just 25 runs scored.
Six wickets for Gurney and four for Jake Ball (who took a career-best 9-57 in the match) helped skittle Lancashire for 73 having been 58-2 overnight, in a second innings that saw Keaton Jennings top-score with 27. That left only 10 to win but the chase was not made to look easy.
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Australia overseas Joe Mennie took 3-4 and fellow newbie Graham Onions 1-6 to make something of the day for Lancashire as Notts skipper Steven Mullaney, Jake Libby, Chris Nash and Ross Taylor were all dismissed before the target was reached.
The dramatic victory means newly promoted Notts began their 2018 campaign in style thanks to the heroics of their seam attack, plus a scrapping effort with the bat in the first innings, in which a 38 from Chris Read’s replacement, 21-year-old wicketkeeper Tom Moores – son of coach Peter – and 44 from Riki Wessels helped them bundle up to 222.
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Both sides have experienced a high turnover of personnel over the winter due to transfers, retirements and injuries. Jennings made just 38 runs on his Championship debut for the county while Onions, who also joined from Durham in the off-season, had match figures of 2-52.
Notts are due to play Yorkshire at Headingley – where not a ball was bowled in the opening fixture – beginning on Friday, while Lancashire head to Chelmsford to face champions Essex.
