Nottinghamshire 41 for 0 trail Yorkshire 232 (Tattersall 92, Bresnan 58, Wood 5-67, Patterson-White 4-34) by 191 runs
Time was when Scarborough had a therapeutic effect on its visitors. There used to be a spa near the South Sands and Turner's painting of the town shows a beach busy with work yet luminously calm. Until they defeated Surrey in July such tranquility had eluded Yorkshire's cricketers in modern times. Rather than a stronghold, North Marine Road had been a stopping-off place for three successive county champions, and any nervousness was rekindled in the first hour of this game when the home side slumped to 38 for 5, all the wickets taken by the left-arm new-ball bowler, Luke Wood.
Yorkshire's fortunes were revived and their supporters' blood-pressure stabilised by Jonny Tattersall and Tim Bresnan's 121-run stand for the sixth wicket but Nottinghamshire still shaded a fascinating first day of a match they must surely win if their chances of avoiding relegation are to be grounded in more than mere arithmetic. Their coach, Peter Moores, can thus take some comfort from the four wickets taken by Liam Patterson-White, the slow left-armer preferred to Samit Patel for this game. And he can be even more encouraged by the calmness with which Jake Libby and Ben Slater put on 41 in the final 17 overs of the day. There is a great deal of work for the visitors to do if they are to record their first victory of the season but they have at least laid some foundations.
It could, of course, have been even better for Chris Nash's side. Had Tom Moores caught Tattersall's edge off Jake Ball instead of gloving it to the boundary at the Trafalgar Square End, Yorkshire's wicketkeeper would have been in the pavilion with only four runs against his name instead of the 92 he carefully accumulated. But by the time that catch was dropped, Nottinghamshire had already grabbed an initiative they never quite surrendered.
That it should have been so was entirely to the credit of Wood, one of whose many virtues being that he eschews the luxury of a loosener. Every ball in his first over compelled a response and in two instances, the shot played was inadequate. Adam Lyth nicked a fine outswinger to Moores before Gary Ballance, disconcerted by extra bounce, thick-edged a catch to Libby in the gully. Overjoyed by each success, Wood probed for more. In his second over Tom Kohler-Cadmore played for inswing but was bowled by one that held its line. Ten minutes later Harry Brook's atrocious waft outside the off stump merely gave a catch to Moores and Yorkshire's subsequent tentative recovery was ended on the hour when Will Fraine snicked Wood to Nash at third slip.
The remainder of the morning and much of the afternoon session was dominated by the batting of Tattersall and Bresnan, two batsmen whose contrasting style were complementary. Bresnan is such a battle-hardened old dog that he may not remember the last time he learned any new tricks. His 58 at Scarborough this afternoon was filled with the meaty clumps, two of them off Paul Coughlin, of the type one recalled from his salad days - another alien concept where Bresnan is concerned. But his innings was still a mightily effective effort and his stand with Tattersall offered home supporters by far their best watching of the day.
Tattersall is a deft batsman in red-ball cricket. Though plainly capable of the straight drives he executed off both Ball and Luke Fletcher he is more likely to proceed by way of well-timed tucks off the hip or the skilful deflections which keep the scoreboard moving, even when big shots are not possible. He prospers almost by stealth. Such attributes made Nottinghamshire's failure to take the chance he offered all the more regrettable even if the let-off did not seem critical at the time.
That the century partnership was raised by a no-ball from Wood symbolised both Yorkshire's recovery and Nottinghamshire's apparent failure to capitalise on an increasingly distant first hour. But just when the home side seemed likely to control the day entirely Patterson-White turned one just enough to take the edge of Bresnan's bat and Moores completed the dismissal. Before tea Keshav Maharaj had gone, too, yorked by Fletcher, and when Tattersall's cut only presented Moores with his fourth catch of the day, Nottinghamshire were all but sure they would be batting this evening.
What they would make of it was far less certain. Of the top-order batsmen at Trent Bridge only Nash has an average above 30 this season. But Slater and Libby did all that was required of them and those eventless evening overs offered some hope to supporters whose travails have been many.
