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Luke Fletcher puts Nottinghamshire in charge on rain-shortened day

Luke Fletcher, back in action for Notts Getty Images

Derbyshire 91 for 5 (Critchley 23, Fletcher 2-28) vs Nottinghamshire

Derbyshire have work to do to post a competitive first-innings total after a rain-affected opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Propping up the Group One table after failing to win any of their first eight matches, Derbyshire made 91 for 5 from the 47 overs that were possible, Matt Critchley making 23 and Luke Fletcher taking two wickets to draw level with Durham's Chris Rushworth as the competition's leading wicket-taker with 40 scalps.

On a strip so green it needed three stumps at each end to identify it as the one in use, a Derbyshire side badly hit by injuries and failing form would have anticipated a difficult day after Nottinghamshire won the toss and chose to bowl first. In the circumstances, a scoreboard showing 44 for 3 at lunch felt like one that could have been worse.

Fletcher soon had Luis Reece pushing at one that found a thin edge, and Brett Hutton trapped Tom Wood in the 12th overs with a full delivery but the home attack bowled too many balls that could be safely left alone in a twice-interrupted opening session and had to wait until the over before lunch to claim another breakthrough.

This time Brooke Guest chased a widish ball from Lyndon James, giving a second catch to Ben Duckett, deputising with the gloves for Tom Moores who, in common with Joe Clarke, is self-isolating under Covid protocols.

Critchley and Leus du Plooy began to rebuild after lunch before the next band of showers arrived, keeping the players off the field for two hours and 40 minutes. Derbyshire may have wished it had been longer as two more wickets fell in the first 17 balls after the resumption.

Captaining in a first-class match for the first time in the absence of Billy Godleman, Critchley had taken three boundaries off Hutton before the stoppage and and was looking to continue in similar positive vein but perished via a sharp low catch at third slip off 19-year-old Joey Evison, in for the rested Jake Ball, whose first spell of the season comprised four maidens.

Fletcher then picked up his 40th wicket of the season as Harvey Hosein was leg before to his second ball, leaving Derbyshire 76 for 5, but only 38 more minutes' play was possible. The visitors will resume with Du Plooy, who was dropped by Duckett on 14, having faced 108 balls for his 21 not out.

Derbyshire 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st13LM ReeceTA Wood
2nd22LM ReeceBD Guest
3rd11LM ReeceJL du Plooy
4th9LM ReeceMJJ Critchley
5th45HR HoseinMJJ Critchley
6th15HR HoseinFJ Hudson-Prentice
7th6HR HoseinAT Thomson
8th1HR HoseinMA Cohen
9th0HR HoseinBW Aitchison
10th0GLS ScrimshawBW Aitchison

County Championship

Division 1
TeamMWLDPT
NOTTS431068
LANCS421157
WARKS421156
HANTS421153
YORKS412140
SOM404014
Division 2
TeamMWLDPT
ESSEX430177
GLOUC431064
DURH311140
NHNTS412138
SUR301227
GLAM403123
Division 3
TeamMWLDPT
KENT440083
MIDDX431067
WORCS422049
LEICS412143
DERBS412142
SUSS404018
Group 1
TeamMWLDPT
NOTTS10424151
WARKS10415145
DURH10325132
ESSEX10325129
WORCS10136109
DERBS1005572
Group 2
TeamMWLDPT
SOM10415148
HANTS10424145
GLOUC10532131
SUR10226123
LEICS10244111
MIDDX1027184
Group 3
TeamMWLDPT
LANCS10415150
YORKS10514149
GLAM10226127
NHNTS10334123
KENT1003797
SUSS1015494