Notts win despite Lancashire defiance on final day.

Notts held on to reach victory on the final day. 

Nottinghamshire claimed a 45-run victory over Lancashire in the first match of the season despite a creditable fight back from the visitors on the final day at Trent Bridge.

Lancashire stunned the hosts with a 147-run stand for the seventh wicket partnership as Ashwell Prince (100) and Tom Smith (76) batted the game to a thrilling conclusion, but the Nottinghamshire bowlers held on to secure victory.

After losing five wickets for 36 runs, Lancashire appeared to be heading for defeat, despite Paul Horton (41) and night watchman Simon Kerrigan (33) offering strong resistance for most of the morning session.

But once their 70-run stand was ended, the floodgates opened and Lancashire’s innings capitulated much like the first.  Horton was dismissed by Jake Ball (2-44) and the loss of a further three wickets for six runs reassumed Nottinghamshire’s dominance.

Samit Patel’s (2-72) introduction saw the end of Andrea Agathangelou (4) and overnight batsman Kerrigan, and when Luke Procter fell without troubling the scorers the match rested safely in Nottinghamshire’s grasp.

At 95-5 the visitors had lost the edge of confidence, which had been clear to see in the first hour of the day, and the dismissal of Alex Davies (13), who was caught behind off Harry Gurney shortly after the lunchtime interval, exacerbated the situation further.

But the efforts of Prince and Smith proved to be enough to carry Lancashire to tea, by which time they required 131 runs to win, with all three results still possible.

The introduction of the second new ball proved to be the turning point, claiming Smith, Wayne White and Kabir Ali as Gurney finished with figures of 4-81.

Prince made his century in 176 balls, but the task was yet to be completed in his eyes with 46 runs still to go.

Anderson and Prince put on 25 for the last wicket, but it wasn’t enough to seal a thoroughly deserved victory for the home side, one which will dishearten the visitors after they put up a good fight,

Points: Nottinghamshire 21, Lancashire 3.

Man of the match:

With 93 in the first innings, Samit Patel’s knock proved to be the difference. In a match where batting proved to be difficult for both sides at times he gave Notts hope and his figures of 2-72 on the final day was part of the hosts’ come back after defiance from Horton and Kerrigan this morning.