Adams takes six before before Patel half-century

Nottinghamshire 193 for 3 v Somerset 177
Scorecard

Andre Adams, swinging the ball into the bat at a deceptively gentle pace that could best be described as the slower side of medium, and seemingly occasionally reversing it to boot, enabled Nottinghamshire to bowl out Somerset for 177 in this rain-affected match.

He finished with an exceptional return of 6 for 33. An indication of the assistance he and Charlie Shreck obtained was that six of the eight wickets that fell came through a single stump being plucked out of the ground.

Adams recently signed a new two-year contract with Nottinghamshire, and no wonder. He is a bowler to utilise the swing at Trent Bridge - and, clearly, elsewhere. Somerset, two down overnight, or rather on Wednesday night as there was no play on the second day, lost, in relatively quick succession to Adams, Nick Compton, whose off stump was removed, James Hildreth, likewise, although he did make the second highest score of 35, and Jos Buttler and Alfonso Thomas in identical manner.

If techniques were suspect - Hildreth, for one, played an airy-fairy shot - then nothing should be taken away from the bowling. For there was no cloud cover and this, lest we forget, was Taunton, where many a batsman comes in the sure knowledge and confidence that a return to form will follow. Buttler, it should be added, looked the class batsman he so clearly already is, striking eight fours in 43, the majority attractive front foot drives, until he succumbed to the dreaded Adams.

Shreck took his one wicket of the innings when Craig Kieswetter had his leg stump knocked out, the ball conceivably coming off the inside edge. George Dockrell, the Dubliner making his Championship debut, became Adams' fifth victim, leg before, and Charl Willoughby, after a couple of characteristic swishes, nowhere near the line of the ball, also had his off stump removed. Not quite career-best figures for Adams, but he and his coach, Mick Newell, were not bothered about that.

"There is more carry at Trent Bridge and so Andre has to adjust his line when we are away from there," said Newell. "He is a similar bowler to Alfonso Thomas - his economy rate is good and he bowls hardly any rubbish. We don't have a great record on this ground, but there are clearly more 'result' pitches being prepared here now. At Trent Bridge we roll the square a lot to try to improve the pace in the pitch. Here, the groundsman tries almost to under-prepare the surfaces."

Newell's intention on the final day will be to try to bowl Somerset out, as opposed to setting up a declaration with opponents with whom his relations are strained following their trying t20 quarter-final earlier this month. When Nottinghamshire went in before tea, Alex Hales and the left handed Karl Turner put on 50 in eight overs before the former was athletically held by Kieswetter, diving to his right off Kirby.

Turner, missed at second slip by Marcus Trescothick when on 28, had added eight more runs when he was nicely taken low at mid-on off Thomas. Kieswetter then held another acrobatic catch to remove Darren Bravo, this time to his left. Who said anything about iron gloves? This was Knottesque. And who said anything about Samit Patel not being trim? He looked the part both in terms of his figure and his batting. An unbeaten 70 with 11 fours was the best innings thus far, if hardly a match-winning one.