By Neville Scott at Trent Bridge
First day of four: Northants 129-2 v Notts
ALEC Stewart is in crowded company. His much dissected but ultimately successful decision to insert the opposition in last week's Test here has been repeated with weekly monotony throughout this summer of showers and swing bowling.
For every five wins gained by sides going in first this championship, seven have been achieved by those batting second - a remarkable ratio, quite without modern precedent, reversing all normal cricket logic.
Little surprise, then, when play eventually began at 3.30 with 71 overs lost, that Jason Gallian's first move as Nottinghamshire's new captain was to take the field on winning the toss. This time, however, the pattern broke down.
Northamptonshire proceeded to their best opening stand of the summer by far (114) and a deceptively green pitch produced only occasional movement.
Not until it had quickened up after two hours of sunshine was Mark Bowen able to startle former team-mate Rob Bailey - whose 42 included a six off Paul Strang drilled through extra cover - with the lift to take the shoulder of his defensive bat and have him caught at gully.
Five balls later, Richard Montgomerie, after completing the first fifty of a poor season with barely an alarm, pulled a Kevin Evans long hop to midwicket.
Day 2: Wasteful end to Loye's fine work
By Neville Scott at Trent Bridge
Second day of four: Notts 56-0 trail Northants (346) by 290 runs
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, seized by Mal Loye after lunch and shaken like an old rag, were in danger of being driven completely out of the game before fighting back strongly either side of tea.
A much-matured Loye batted with a grace and relish it is a joy to see after far more fraught and nervy passages during his career.
In this form it is hardly surprising to discover that he is already past his best aggregate and his 1,119 championship runs at 101.73 are 20 per innings better than second-placed Justin Langer in the averages. Yesterday he reached his fourth century this year from 185 balls.
He was largely responsible for 101 runs coming in 22 overs after lunch during the single period when anyone mastered a slow surface.
Finding the correct balance between assertion and discretion on such pitches, as South Africa showed here during the Test last Sunday, is never easy and once Loye went, the innings folded rather limply.
Changing his shot in mid-execution, Loye pulled to deep square leg and 40 minutes later Northants began the decline which saw five final wickets surrendered for 23 runs through nine tactically inept overs.
A lack of pace onto the bat had some role in all eight Northants dismissals on the day. Four departed lobbing, pulling or, in the case of Devon Malcolm, swiping to fielders between mid off and midwicket.
Tony Penberthy, approaching fluency in a supportive 49, edged onto his wicket, driving too soon.
The home bowlers, already without Paul Franks on international under-19 duty, also lacked Mark Bowen with a groin strain yet stuck well to a task of containment. But the late order's lame inability to support David Ripley's typically intelligent pursuit of a fourth batting point was poor cricket.
New captain Jason Gallian and 20-year-old Guy Welton, whose last appearance in September took him to within five of a maiden century, steered Nottinghamshire calmly through 26 final overs. All signs emphatically point to a run chase for hopes of a positive result.
Day 3: Johnson throws off cares and woes
By Neville Scott
PAUL Johnson, never a man to be accused of inhibition, approached abandon yesterday afternoon as he put behind him the cares of 2.5 years of unproductive Nottinghamshire captaincy with a hundred from just 98 balls, reached in the first over after tea.
Resigning the role on Thursday after managing only two centuries during his tenure, Johnson could not shift the pattern of a game, one-fifth of it lost to rain, moving remorselessly to a run chase tomorrow. But he brought utter delight to a tiny crowd hitherto suffering two days of meagre fare in the cold.
Meanwhile, one of the more novel features of rebuilt Trent Bridge is the official designation of a spot by a Radcliffe Road exit as the ``Seized Alcohol Collection Point''. As for this contest, only for an hour after lunch on Friday, when Mal Loye flowed exhilaratingly, was there a danger it would be seized by anyone.
At that stage, facing Northamptonshire's 286 for four, Nottinghamshire looked in deep trouble. But a fightback came and when yesterday's play started 45 minutes late after overnight storms, all roads pointed to stalemate.
Northamptonshire did their best to counter a sense of soft aimlessness with fire from Franklyn Rose and splendidly tight swing from Paul Taylor, who removed Jason Gallian leg before in the morning and Guy Welton, who made 55, in the ninth over after lunch.
But penetration has been a problem, which was much to Johnson's liking. Devon Malcolm went for 27 in four overs, Rose for 22 in five, and the young off-spinner Jason Brown was simply savaged. Sunshine at last.