Read fires up Nottinghamshire

On the same day skipper Jason Gallian reached a hundred, Read helped take Nottinghamshire from 125 for five to 339 for six at the close. While Gallian's 100 came off 211 balls - with 11 fours and a six - Read faced 202 deliveries and was undefeated on 106, striking 14 boundaries and a six.

Nottinghamshire did not make the most promising of starts, losing their first three wickets with just 57 on the board inside the first 16 overs. Guy Welton reached three when he erred in leaving a straight one from Carl Greenidge alone to be clean bowled.

Paul Johnson (12) was needlessly run out by Darren Cousins and Usman Afzaal (13) was stumped by Toby Bailey after being out-foxed by one from Jason Brown. Nicky Boje then enjoyed a useful stand with Gallian, striking seven boundaries for his 37 and putting on 65 for the fourth wicket before being trapped lbw by Cousins.

That left Notts on 122 for four and only three more runs had been added when Graeme Swann accounted for Bilal Shafayat, who played and missed to be bowled for a duck. Read then teamed up with Gallian, and these two put on 106 for the sixth wicket in two hours before the latter became Cousins' second scalp to leave the visitors 231 for six in the 75th over.

An unbeaten seventh-wicket stand of 108 lifted the visitors onto 339 without further loss, with Read excelling on his way to 106. In tandem with Read was Paul Franks, who struck two sixes and four fours on his way to an undefeated 40 from 85 balls.

Cousins was the pick of the home side's bowlers, taking two for 82 off 22 overs.

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