Norfolk's hopes of joining in a feast of big scoring on what had looked to be an easy Hertford wicket turned into a second day nightmare yesterday.
Having seen their hosts extend their first innings total to 412 for seven in their 90 overs, Norfolk were dismissed for just 140 in 49.1 overs – a deficit of 272.
And their already fanciful hopes of bagging a first win of the season ahead of their first Horsford Festival match in two weeks time then evaporated as Herts smashed 293 for five to reach a two innings total of 705 to leave Norfolk what appears to be an academic victory target of 566 in a minimum of 102 overs and 25 minutes.
Their only consolation from the day was that they successfully negotiated the 25 minutes part to reach the close without loss in eight overs.
After an early start due to the loss of time through rain breaks on Sunday, Hertfordshire batted on for another nine overs and five balls to add another 65 runs to their first innings.
Nessem Jayaratnam extended his own tally to 147, easily his Minor Counties career-best, before being bowled by Carl Rogers. He had occupied the crease for 305 minutes, faced 248 balls and hit 15 fours and one six.
Otherwise the remnants of the Herts first innings were mainly notable for two wickets from Chris Brown, that of Jason McNally being the spinner's 300th in the Minor Counties Championship for Norfolk – in his 59th match. He also took 26 in five matches for Cheshire.
Norfolk needed Rogers in the kind of form which brought him a career-best 173 in their first Championship match of the season against Northumberland. And this was the ground where he and Carl Amos had put on 335 for the first wicket in 2002.
To be fair to Rogers he did better than most, scoring 30, but the biggest partnership Norfolk managed was one of 37 for the ninth wicket between number seven Luke Caswell (37) and Michael Warnes (17 not out) when it appeared they were heading for total humilation.
Nicky Walker was the main destroyer for Hertfordshire, taking six for 69 in 25 overs, though Norfolk also struggled against McNally, who took two for 18 off 12.
SCOREBOARD
• Overnight: Hertfordshire 347-4 (N Jeyaratnam 128no, B Frazer 122, J Hewitt 66)
Hertfordshire 1st innings continued
NV Jeyaratnam b Rogers 147
AS Lewis not out 28
NGE Walker c Spelman b Brown 11
JD McNally c Spelman b Brown 1
WD Oxley not out 5
Extras (b3 lb3 w1) 7
Total (7 wkts, 90 overs) 412
Fall continued: 5-373 6-398 7-403
Bowling: Eccles 19-2-872, M W Warnes 10-0-41-1, Brown 28-3-93-3, Caswell 11-1-50-0, Walker 9-0-62-0, Rogers 13-0-73-1.
• Norfolk 1st innings
JM Spelman c Oxley b Walker 4
CJ Rogers b Walker 30
TR Ward c Greenall b McNally 11
SK Gray lbw b Walker 2
PA Lambert c Snell b Wynne 16
MR Warnes c Snell b McNally 1
LW Caswell c Greenall b Walker 35
GW Walker c Snell b Walker 5
C Brown c Greenall b Walker 0
MW Warnes not out 17
MP Eccles run out (Frazer) 0
Extras (b8 lb2 w5 nb 4) 19
Total (49.1 overs) 140
Fall: 1-18 2-47 3-49 4-49 5-58 6-75 7-93 8-103 9-140
Bowling: Walker 25-7-69-6, Hewitt 6-1-17-0, McNally 12-5-18-2, Wynne 5-2-22-1, Frazer 1.1-0-4-0.
• Hertfordshire 2nd innings
JP Hewitt lbw b Spelman 62
LK Champion lbw b MW Warnes 15
SD Snell c Spelman b Brown 36
NV Jeyaratnam c Gray b Caswell 39
BJ Frazer c Spelman b Brown 71
AS Lewis not out 37
NGE Walker not out 18
Extras (b3 lb4 w8) 15
Total (5 wkts dec, 58.4 overs) 293
Fall: 1-25 2-78 3-158 4-168 5-270
Bowling: Eccles 8-1-34-0, MW Warnes 6-1-36-1, Brown 14-0-71-2, Walker 11-1-31-0, Spelman 9-1-42-1, Caswell 9-0-57-1, Rogers 1.4-0-15-0.
• Norfolk 2nd innings
J Spelman not out 6
CJ Rogers not out 4
Extras (w1) 1
Total (for 0, 8 overs) 11
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