Alastair Cook falls one run short of century as Notts and Essex settle for draw in County Championship

Nottinghamshire and Essex play out a draw in County Championship match

In an enthralling encounter at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire played host to fourth-placed Essex in the County Championship. The match ended in a draw after an exciting final day.

The first innings:

Essex won the toss on Day 1 and elected to bat first. They were bowled out for just 284 runs with Lyndon James picking up three wickets for Nottinghamshire. In reply, the hosts could only manage 140 as Simon Harmer spun his web around them taking five wickets.

The second innings:

Trailing by 144 runs, Nottinghamshire needed something special from their batsmen to set up the game on the final day. However, it was Tom Westley’s side that took control of proceedings scoring 362-8 declared with skipper Westley himself contributing with a well-made ninety-five while Joe Clarke kept things tight behind the stumps.

Set 219 runs to win from thirty-nine overs, Notts knew they had their work cut out against Harmer who picked up four wickets including two quick ones towards end putting pressure on them even more but they showed great resilience as Steven Mullaney (44) and Joe Clarke (42*) batted through most of those overs ensuring they didn’t lose any further wickets which would have been disastrous chasing that total.

A tantalizing run-chase:

Judging by Simon Harmer’s bowling figures – bowling ten overs for just fifteen runs – in the final session of play, it was clear that Nottinghamshire did not want to risk losing wickets in pursuit of a win. They finished 97-4, still 122 runs short of their target when both captains decided to call it a day after agreeing on an early finish with five overs remaining.

Alastair Cook falls agonizingly short:

On the fourth day, former England captain Sir Alastair Cook fell one run short of his century after being dismissed by Lyndon James. By doing so, he missed out on setting yet another record at Trent Bridge – scoring a hundred at this ground where he had never done so before. However, spectators applauded him regardless as they saw some moments of England’s greatest Test run-scorer at his best.

A game filled with twists and turns:

The game had its fair share of ups and downs with both teams enjoying periods of dominance throughout the match.

• Essex won Day One by taking quick wickets towards the end (Notts lost three for four runs)
• Notts came back strongly in Essex’s second innings restricting them to just 362-8 declared
• In reply Notts started off well but Harmer picked up crucial wickets that almost turned things around completely

All in all, it was an action-packed encounter between two quality sides who fought hard but ultimately had to settle for a draw.