Jack Brooks stars with bat and ball as Yorkshire make Nottinghamshire suffer

Jack Brooks lit up a feverish evening session at Headingley as Yorkshire recovered from early strife against Nottinghamshire to edge proceedings on the opening day.

After posting an unbeaten 30 from No 10, helping his team recover from 93 for five to 256, Brooks wreaked havoc with the new ball. Notts closed on 53 for four, with only the New Zealander Ross Taylor resisting in helpful bowling conditions. Brooks struck three times, including twice in his first two overs as Notts slipped to six for three. After seven successive washed out days here, this was worth the wait for the Yorkshire membership.

Notts, who beat Lancashire last weekend, started in fine fashion following an uncontested toss. Yorkshire’s loss of five wickets contributed to 37 falling across nine games before lunch. Make no mistake, this was a bowling day. Seven of the nine games are already into their second innings and another into its third at Chester-le-Street, where Durham were bowled out for 91, Kent replied with 169 and the hosts are 13 for one second time round.

At Headingley Luke Fletcher was the pick for Notts with four for 47, including India’s Che Pujara lbw for two. His new ball partner Jake Ball had Alex Lees caught at third slip and Gary Ballance caught at point for a duck inside the first hour. Both were soft dismissals, owing little to favourable bowling conditions.

The wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd contributed significantly to Yorkshire’s recovery with a determined 62. He shared 44 for the sixth wicket with Jack Leaning and 36 for the eighth with Josh Shaw. Yorkshire’s chances of one batting point were slim, never mind two. But Brooks and Ben Coad (18) added 44 for the last wicket. Then they put the skids under the Notts reply, with Brooks forcing Steven Mullaney to chop on for a duck and Chris Nash to glove behind. Coad then trapped Jake Libby lbw at the start of the fourth over. That soon became 39 for four as Brooks trapped Samit Patel lbw.

Eighteen wickets fell at Chelmsford, where it is anyone’s game between last season’s two top in Division One, Essex and Lancashire. Peter Siddle did his best to match Brooks with 33 from No 10 in Essex’s 150 before Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer claimed four wickets each in Lancashire’s 141 for eight.Porter and Harmer were Essex’s standout performers with the ball last year, so this was no surprise. However, there will be a few raised eyebrows at Lancashire’s early-season batting woes given their strength.

At Taunton it was a day for Australian batsmen and English seamers. Matt Renshaw, the Yorkshire-born Australian Test player, drafted into Somerset’s squad after the curious incident in Cape Town, was announced as a replacement for Cameron Bancroft only a week ago. Batting at No 3 rather than at the top of the order, he hit a battling unbeaten century on a pitch somewhat greener than those he is accustomed to in Brisbane.

Renshaw’s debut innings against Worcestershire’s persistent seamers enabled Somerset to reach 202. Ed Barnard, the mini-Woakes, finished with career best figures of five for 52. For a while Renshaw was matched by Travis Head, another Australian left-hander, who struck a belligerent a belligerent 49 after Lewis Gregory had snatched three early wickets. In front of more than 2000 sun-drenched onlookers Worcestershire ended the day 49 behind with two wickets remaining.