Lehmann's unbeaten ton for Hants frustrates Notts
Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Trent Bridge (day two)
Nottinghamshire 377: Clarke 105, Patterson-White 92; Currie 4-61, Abbott 4-82
Hampshire 267-7: Lehmann 115*, Sheat 3-61, Stone 2-58
Hampshire (4pts) trail Notts (5pts) by 110 runs
Jake Lehmann’s unbeaten 115 was the standout performance on day two of the County Championship Division One match between Nottinghamshire and Hampshire at Trent Bridge.
Only Lancashire have scored fewer runs per wicket lost than Hampshire’s average of just 24.50. Yet Lehmann, their South Australian playing under a British passport, can boast the joint-second highest aggregate of runs (922) in the top tier.
Unsurprisingly, as their reply reached 267-7 at the close, 110 runs behind Notts, it was Lehmann who top-scored with a superb innings showing novel footwork, reminiscent of his father Darren.
Crucially he found a resolute partner in Scott Currie who resisted 143 balls for 35 to revive his side from 165-6 in a seventh-wicket stand of 97 that has kept Hampshire in the game.
Currie, with a single century to his credit two years ago when on loan to Leicestershire, helped leave Notts still needing two wickets from ten overs on day three if they are to take maximum bonus points and then seek the win.
There was something of a false dawn for Notts in the morning when Olly Stone removed Felix Organ, caught behind from a defensive edge, with the first ball of the day. Straight and fast, it whipped out the opener for six.
The reply, from 12-1, moved untroubled through 18 overs until, in four balls, both Toby Albert (31) and Nick Gubbins (35) played round full balls and went LBW. The breakthrough came from fourth seamer Tom Giles’ second over in only his second game.
Dillon Pennington found essentially the same delivery from round the wicket for left-handed Gubbins and suddenly neither new batter had even faced. But Lehmann attacked with zeal and was 33 from 29 balls by lunch, at 114-3.
Hampshire had reached 141 before decline set in. A poor misjudgement from Joe Weatherley saw him play no shot and prove a third consecutive LBW for 25 when Stone returned to the attack and, with Liam Patterson-White’s left-arm spin introduced at the Stuart Broad End, only 50 runs came from the 30 overs to tea.
Ben Brown suddenly undid his earlier hard work with a rash cut hard to first slip before Fraser Sheat had his second success in ten balls when 18-year-old Ben Mayes departed for one.
Either side of tea, taken on 190-6, Lehmann’s support from Currie lasted through 38 overs. Patterson-White’s spell of only 28 runs from 21 wicketless overs had maintained unfailing pressure but when he stood down for the second new ball at 216, no breakthrough was forthcoming until 31 balls remained.
A beauty from Sheat finally breached Currie’s defences to rattle the stumps after Lehmann’s hundred had come from 160 balls a few overs before.
His best in this country of 116, when briefly playing for his father’s old county Yorkshire in 2016, was one run from being equalled by the close. For champions Notts it has been a frustrating time since their last win, against Surrey 18 days ago.
ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay.
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