Essex 298 and 199 for 1 (Cook 87*, Westley 70*) lead Nottinghamshire 442 (Montgomery 177, Slater 57, Clarke 57, Critchley 3-33, S Cook 3-58) by 55 runs

Nottingham on the third Saturday morning in May. Green buses - 4, 6 and 9 - proud and immediate to the minute, rumble over the Trent Bridge, the place the inn has been buying and selling for hours. There is a quiet busyness concerning the streets, an air of incipience.

So it appeared on this leisured day when the East Midlands started to take depart of spring. Canyoned clouds drifted in opposition to a silver-blue sky and the shorts worn on the center terrace on the Radcliffe Road End advised greater than a mulish willpower to spite the local weather.

Red shirts flecked the white-painted stands contained in the cricket floor. We had been close to the final hurrah of the soccer season - and due to this fact 5 minutes away from the very first hurrah of the following. Some people had been taking in a number of hours' cricket earlier than going to the City Ground, the place mighty Arsenal had been the guests. In the streets round Colwick Road the quick meals joints had been establishing for a vigorous afternoon and night. Fat and fats earnings.

His batting at this time was definitely not with out fault; he was put down twice within the slips earlier than he'd reached 30, although neither probability was straightforward, and he typically appeared in a tangle when Liam Patterson-White bowled into the footholes. But he's 87 not out and if the job of saving the sport has not but been finished with ease, the lack of Nick Browne, leg earlier than to Lyndon James, is the one harm suffered.

And in a method, Cook's achievement within the second innings was the extra admirable as a result of he was much less fluent at this time than when he made 72 on Thursday. Only 12 of his first 37 runs got here in boundaries and two of these cover-driven fours off Dane Paterson sandwiched a fiery probability to second slip the place Calvin Harrison, each arms above his head, couldn't cling on. Otherwise, there have been the jabs down that gave Cook singles to backward level and the little deflections to the on aspect that gave him a number of extra. His fifth 4, a drive by cover-point, introduced him to his 122nd first-class fifty, though solely his third at Trent Bridge. The achievement drew applause however the stroke was performed in opposition to the rising tumult on the Radcliffe Road, the place one other crowd grew and steamed and ready for manic partisanship.

Steven Mullaney's fields grew to become funky and merely hopeful: two short-midwickets, one short-cover and no slip to Westley, who ended the day with a pleasing unbeaten 70 of his personal. Stuart Broad and Ben Hutton, whom one may need thought two of their aspect's greatest threats, bowled eight overs apiece. It will take lots for both aspect to win this sport tomorrow and there's no want for a contrived end. There is although, the chance that Cook will make a century on this floor for the primary time in his profession. It will probably be one other tick on a profession file that's affected by them.

Matthew Montgomery made his first hundred of the season•Getty Images

And perhaps we had an inkling how issues may go throughout a morning of temporary appearances and carefree strokeplay, a curious counterpoint to all that Cook represents. None of the final six in Nottinghamshire's order batted longer than Patterson-White, who stodged round for 51 minutes earlier than a crabbed poke, neither Catholic nor Protestant, edged a catch to Simon Harmer at slip off Jamie Porter. By distinction, Jamie Harrison hit seven diverse boundaries in his 36-ball 31 and everybody else confirmed prepared, particularly Stuart Broad, who wiped Harmer in the direction of West Bridgford for a six and a 4 earlier than Matt Critchley picked up the final of his three low-cost wickets.

Paul Edwards is a contract cricket author. He has written for the Times, ESPNcricinfo, Wisden, Southport Visiter and different publications