Seamer Hill shines as Yorkshire & Notts batters toil
Rothesay County Championship Division One, Headingley (day one)Nottinghamshire 228: Clarke 64, Slater 52; Hill 5-40, Thompson 3-77Yorkshire 10-2: Abbas 2-5 Yorkshire 3 pts, Nottinghamshire 0 ptsMatch scorecard
Nottinghamshire's Ben Slater and Joe Clarke posted battling half-centuries and new England Lion George Hill claimed five more wickets for Yorkshire during a fascinating opening day of County Championship cricket at Headingley.Division One leaders Notts were bowled out for 228 by a White Rose side who sat second-bottom ahead of this seventh fixture of the summer.Opener Slater made 52 off 111 balls and Clarke 64 off 151, while Hill's seam accounted for 5-40 from 20 overs - his third haul of five wickets or more in as many matches. He is now the joint-leading wicket-taker in the country with 32.Yorkshire closed on 10-2 from 12 overs in reply, Mohammad Abbas striking twice.The hosts started well, with Jack White removing visiting skipper Haseeb Hameed, brilliantly caught one-handed at point by James Wharton diving low to his right.Even with a score of six, Hameed became the first man in Division One to pass 700 runs.Slater repelled the new ball and shared 56 for the second wicket with fellow left-hander Freddie McCann through to late morning. He reached his fifth fifty of 2025 off 109 balls.McCann fell just before lunch with the score on 65, caught low down at first slip off Jordan Thompson for 28. And when the same bowler clipped Slater's off-stump shortly after lunch, two balls after he reached 50, the score slipped to 102-3 in the 38th over.That was the first of three wickets to fall for 19 runs inside nine overs, with Notts now 121-5 in the 47th.Hill bowled Jack Haynes shouldering arms and shortly afterwards bowled South African Kyle Verreynne through the gate.Clarke reached his 50 off 123 balls and, with the help of 29 from James, advanced Nottinghamshire's cause.But Yorkshire hit back to limit the damage.The 71-stand between Clarke and James was broken by Thompson's third wicket - the latter caught behind by wicketkeeper Harry Duke following a top-edged pull.In the next over, Liam Patterson-White offered Duke a more regulation catch off Hill's prolific seam - 197-7 after 73 overs.Hill then had Brett Hutton caught at second slip and Clarke brilliantly caught by Thompson on the run at third-man following an attempted reverse scoop.White wrapped things up by bowling Dillon Pennington after he had heaved a four and six.Abbas then had Yorkshire openers Adam Lyth and Fin Bean caught behind for two apiece before close.And the concern for Yorkshire is that in their Pakistani Test star, Notts have the perfect bowler for these conditions.Report supplied by ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay
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Katie wears: Piqué jacket, £2,300, poplin shirt, £1,150, matching skirt, £1,290, metal belt, £1,100, calfskin belt, £510, suede shoes, £710, and silk socks, £290, all Miu Miu 'I love finding vintage pieces. I've got one of the oldest Loro Piana dresses, very traditional, very pleated. I resonate a lot with tradition, in tennis as well, with Wimbledon being my favourite. I find little boutiques around the world thanks to tennis, and love the feeling of finding something unique.' For now, though, the athleisure years continue as tennis reigns. A lot of the players Boulter met and played with or against when she was a teenager have long since dropped out. They burnt too bright, played too hard, or simply fell through the cracks. But Boulter, whose motto is 'perseverance is everything', is still on her steady, winding ascent. She has won titles, earned buckets of prize money, secured sponsorship deals and become a fan favourite, but a deep run in a Grand Slam tournament still eludes her. Now, with Queen's and Wimbledon in the offing, she plans to kick on again. 'The stars align for some people, they don't for others. But look at someone like [US player] Madison Keys, who won her first Grand Slam this year. She's 30, and could easily have quit a couple of years ago. But she persevered.' Boulter smiles. 'It's something I think about a lot. That's why it's my motto.'
