Samit Patel cameo in vain as Notts beaten by Warwickshire

Despite a swashbuckling cameo from Samit Patel, Warwickshire picked up their first Specsavers County Championship victory of the season when they defeated Nottinghamshire by 53 runs at Trent Bridge.
IN PICTURE: Notts County Cricket Club 2016: Samit Patel.
STORY: SPORT LEAD: Notts County Cricket Club Team /Pen pictures for season 2016.  Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, West Bridgford, Nottingham.
PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK FEARIN PICTURE: Notts County Cricket Club 2016: Samit Patel.
STORY: SPORT LEAD: Notts County Cricket Club Team /Pen pictures for season 2016.  Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, West Bridgford, Nottingham.
PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK FEAR
IN PICTURE: Notts County Cricket Club 2016: Samit Patel. STORY: SPORT LEAD: Notts County Cricket Club Team /Pen pictures for season 2016. Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, West Bridgford, Nottingham. PHOTOGRAPHER: MARK FEAR

Patel scored 124, making his runs from just 82 balls, hitting 12 fours, a five and eight sixes in a brutal act of defiance. Set to score 227 to win, Patel was deprived of any support and Notts were bowled out for 173 in 36.4 overs.

Keith Barker claimed the wickets of Greg Smith and Riki Wessels with consecutive deliveries, to add to the two he’d claimed on the third evening, in collecting figures of four for 38 for the Bears.

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Play didn’t start until 2.45pm after overnight rain and morning drizzle had saturated the outfield but it only took 17 deliveries before Barker had turned the overnight score of 21 for three into 25 for five.

Samit Patel doesn’t believe in lost causes though and set about the Warwickshire attack, smashing 10 boundaries in a 36-ball 50.

His first maximum came from the bowling of Rikki Clarke but it was Jeetan Patel who bore the full brunt of his ferocious strokeplay.

The former New Zealand international had dismissed Chris Read for nought with just his fifth ball but then had to withstand a vicious assault from his namesake.

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Despite blocking a few balls and turning down a few singles to control the strike, Samit Patel’s hundred came from just 68 deliveries, with 12 fours, a five and five maximums and he hit three more sixes – hitting seven of his eight sixes off Jeetan Patel - before being caught in the deep as the match ended.

Warwickshire had faced little resistance from the other end, with Brett Hutton making only two and Jackson Bird added a single but they were starting to get anxious before Sam Hain held on to the winning catch, off Chris Wright’s bowling.

The victory was the Bears first success in the championship since last July and the 23 points gained lifts them to the top of the Division One table.

Nottinghamshire take seven points from the match and slip to fifth.