The Victorian picked up where he left off from last county season after rejoining Notts following the Sheffield Shield final. After starring 21 wickets in four games last year, O’Neill immediately showed his class again with a crucial half-century on day one after his side slipped to 6-103. He then ripped through Glamorgan’s top order with the wickets of both openers as he finished the day with the remarkable figures of 2-6 from six overs, four of which were maidens.
The 25-year-old added more wickets and runs on days two and three as Notts set the Welsh county 478 to win, but after dismissing No.3 Zain-ul-Hassan caught behind in the second innings, O’Neill was substituted out with a rib injury, a development permitted under a trial brought in this season like what was in place during the Shield season during the Australian summer.
The wicket gave O’Neill match figures of 5-66 as the defending division one champions cantered to a 192-run victory. The extent of O’Neill’s injury is unknown but unless it is serious he is unlikely to miss any matches. Under the regulations he cannot feature for eight days, but Notts do not play again until April 24.
The Test opener’s strong start to the county season continued after securing a late deal as Peter Handscomb’s replacement at Leicestershire, but a three-figure score eluded him again. After hitting 83 in the opening round, Weatherald slammed 16 boundaries and a six in a 156-run opening stand with Rishi Patel, who scored 164. Stephen Eskinazi and Ben Cox also hit centuries as the Foxes racked up 691 in reply to Surrey’s 520.
Unsurprisingly, the match finished in a draw at The Oval with the hosts 4-263 in their second innings. Weatherald’s 96 was his highest score since his 183 for Australia A against Sri Lanka A in July last year, which was the left-hander’s most recent first-class century.
A rare quiet county game for the NSW allrounder as bat dominated ball in Surrey’s high-scoring draw with Leicestershire. Though wicketless, Abbott was his side’s most economical frontline bowler, conceding 3.23 runs per over for his 26 overs as their opponents amassed 691 on a lifeless Oval surface. The Three Feathers have a bye this weekend, and Abbott will be hoping for more sporting conditions at The Oval for their next match against Essex on April 24 as he seeks to replicate his 2023 season at the county when he took 37 wickets in nine matches while also scoring 456 runs at 45.60.
Another impressive showing for the rising NSW quick who backed up his six wickets in the opening round with four in the first innings against Notts. Hadley took the last three wickets of the first innings, including century-maker Jack Haynes, to dismiss the hosts for 279. However, Glamorgan’s batters were unable to back up his efforts as they crumbled for 113 and 285 to lose by 192 runs.