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Duckett Double-Century Guides Notts to High-Scoring Draw
England opener Ben Duckett franked his early-season form with an unbeaten 203 as champions Nottinghamshire and likely title rivals Surrey contented themselves with a draw after four days of absorbing and at-times high-intensity cricket in the Rothesay County Championship.
First Innings
Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 415, with Joe Clarke scoring 129 and Dan Worrall taking 6-73 for Surrey. Surrey responded with 449, thanks to Dom Sibley’s 77 and Dan Lawrence’s 104.
Second Innings
Nottinghamshire declared their second innings at 414 for 4, with Duckett’s unbeaten 203 the highlight of the match. The left-hander’s sixth double hundred of his first-class career contained 23 fours and a six and spanned just over six hours.
The contest produced some high-quality cricket, with Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke and Surrey’s Dan Lawrence impressing with their batting. England’s Josh Tongue also produced the stand-out bowling of the Surrey first innings, taking 4-89.
Match Summary
Both teams took 13 points from the match, which is enough to keep Nottinghamshire top of the Division One table after five matches. The draw was a fair result, considering the high-scoring nature of the match and the strong performances from both teams.
Duckett’s progress was held up just before lunch when a ball from Sean Abbott reared up and struck him on the bottom hand. Happily, he was able to continue after treatment and went on to score his 31st first-class hundred and his 11th for Nottinghamshire.
Conclusion
The rematch at the Kia Oval in August might be a different proposition, but a draw at this stage suits both sides. Nottinghamshire and Surrey will look to build on their strong performances and continue to battle for the top spot in the Division One table.
