Cricket: Dowman the difference
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Your support makes all the difference.Northants 235 and 337-6 dec
Notts 272 and 301-7 Notts win by 3 wkts
A thrilling match was finally decided with only three balls remaining after a number of excellent individual performances. For Northamptonshire both Rob Bailey with the bat and Paul Taylor with the ball played wonderfully well and neither deserved to be on the losing side.
The fact that they did so is because Nottinghamshire set about their target of 301 in a minimum of 77 overs with a determination and style that belies their reputation of recent years, despite Taylor's heroic efforts in taking all seven wickets to fall.
The Nottinghamshire innings started 40 minutes before lunch after Bailey had ensured his side were not bowled out with his first Championship century of the season, and a pretty torrid 40 minutes they were.
The debutant opener Guy Welton became Taylor's first victim when he edged a lifting delivery in the fifth over. And then the much-heralded Usman Afzaal edged Taylor behind on consecutive balls only to be dropped on both occasions. Taylor did dismiss Afzaal though, forcing him to pop a simple catch to short-leg with a well-directed short ball. Astle joined Dowman and they wrested the initiative away from Northamptonshire with a 156-run partnership that left 101 needed in 20 overs.
Astle edged behind having slashed and flashed his way to 64 and Taylor struck again in his next over flattening Dowman's off-stump. Dowman had played magnificently, registering a career-best 111 with the type of exquisite timing and elegance that seems the sole province of left-handers. With his dismissal, however, the game was evenly poised at 200 for 4 which rapidly became 204 for 5.
Paul Johnson is a cool customer though and with Chris Tolley he picked up singles so that the asking rate in the final 10 overs was never more than seven an over. Taylor held a stinging return catch from Tolley but, with 35 needed off five overs and the field scattered, Johnson and Nottinghamshire were in control.
Bailey's last gamble was the return of Mohammed Akram, but a wide, a beamer called as a no ball and a leg-side full toss swatted for four fairly decided it in Nottinghamshire's favour.
Johnson fell to Taylor, top edging to backward square-leg but with only four needed the game was already won.
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