New-ball wickets leave Warwickshire floundering

Warwickshire 100 for 4 trail Nottinghamshire 600 (Hales 189, Mullaney 112, Read 69) by 500 runs
Scorecard

Nottinghamshire pressed home their advantage on the second day of their LV= County Championship match against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge.

Having begun the day on 404 for 5, the home side advanced their first innings score to 600 all out, their highest total since 2007.

After first-day centuries from Alex Hales and Steven Mullaney, the lower order capitalised to good effect. Chris Read made 69, Samit Patel scored 46, Brett Hutton 37 and there was an explosive cameo from Jake Ball, who ended unbeaten on 49.

In response, Warwickshire reached stumps on 100 for 4 with Laurie Evans on 39 and Tim Ambrose on 18.

The visitors removed Luke Wood and Patel in the first hour but were then frustrated by an eighth-wicket partnership of 91 between Read and Hutton.

Read went past 50 for the eighth time this season, reaching the landmark from 74 deliveries. A couple of runs later saw him reach another milestone as a standing ovation greeted the announcement of his 15,000th first-class run.

Hutton hoisted to mid-on off Jeetan Patel, a wicket which gave the spinner his only success at a personal cost of 155 runs, and then Boyd Rankin induced Read to clip into the hands of Jonathan Trott at deep midwicket.

There then followed a delightful last-wicket partnership which saw Ball and Harry Gurney add 40 from only 16 balls, which included a maiden over.

Ball, who struck four sixes, blazed his way to a career-best score but was left stranded one short of his 50 when Gurney's stumps were rearranged by Chris Wright for nought.

Warwickshire were soon reduced to 10 for 3 in reply, as Ball and Wood put them under early pressure. Sam Hain was fourth to go, failing to make the most of being dropped by Hales in the gully by nicking Gurney into the safer hands of Mullaney at second slip.

Evans offered dogged defiance in the final session, which was disrupted by two short stoppages, and added an unbroken 59 with Ambrose, who had to wait until his 40th delivery before getting off the mark.

Warwickshire ended the day 500 runs adrift and still require a further 351 to avoid the follow on.