Joe Clarke and Will Young achieved a remarkable feat by breaking a Nottinghamshire record that had stood for 121 years. Their unbroken third-wicket stand of 370 transformed the Vitality County Championship match against Somerset at Taunton.
The pair maintained their batting throughout the third day, with their side at 48 for two in their second innings, trailing by 213. They proceeded to guide their team to 418 for two at the close, a lead of 157.
Clarke achieved an undefeated 209, while Young contributed 156 not out. Their combined efforts bettered those of the uncle and nephew partnership of Billy and John Gunn, who put together a third-wicket stand of 367 against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge in 1903.
By the end of play, the pair had been together for two minutes and forty seconds, without either giving away a run. It was a memorable display of concentration and application that proved frustrating for the Somerset bowlers.
Notts began the day intending to salvage the game from a seemingly challenging position. There was no indication of batting dominance to come when Haseeb Hameed was bowled through the gate by Craig Overton for 20 runs, with only ten added to leave them 48 for two.
Clarke walked out to join Young with hundreds against Worcestershire and Essex already to his name this season. From a cautious beginning, the pair gradually gained confidence, with occasional play-and-misses offering minimal encouragement to the bowlers.
The majority of the ball met the centre of the bat as Clarke and Young demonstrated a combination of watchful defence and sound shot selection, choosing the most appropriate deliveries to attack.
By lunch, their stand was worth 92, with Clarke having reached an 88-ball half-century and Young remaining unbeaten on 41. However, at 140 for two, Notts were still 121 adrift and there was still a significant amount of work to be done.
The afternoon session proved to be a challenging one for Somerset as their bowlers struggled to find assistance from the flattest of third-day pitches. Young reached fifty off 135 balls and Clarke brought up his century off 136 deliveries, with 12 fours and a six, before celebrating with a straight-driven boundary off Overton.
Once this partnership reached 180, it surpassed the previous highest third-wicket stand for Notts against Somerset, which was achieved in 1974 by Mike Harris and Sir Garfield Sobers at Trent Bridge.
Furthermore, Clarke and Young increased this total to 233 by the time tea was taken, with the scoreboard reading 281 for two. Consequently, their side had gained 20 more runs.
The last chance for Somerset came with the second new ball, scheduled for two overs after the interval. This proved to be ineffective as the Notts pair continued to perform well in the bright sunshine. Young reached a century with a powerful square-driven four off Migael Pretorius, which was the 11th boundary in an impressive 234-ball innings.
The partnership soon reached 300 runs. A six by Young off the disappointing Shoaib Bashir added to the difficulties facing Somerset. Clarke then scampered a single off Lewis Goldsworthy to bring up his double hundred off 284 balls, with 25 fours and a six.
The match remained a one-sided affair, with Notts continuing to extend their lead with each over. Somerset's captain, Lewis Gregory, made tactical changes, bringing in Goldsworthy, Matt Renshaw and Tom Lammonby in addition to his regular bowlers, but these adjustments yielded no results.
The record was broken in the final over when Young pulled a two off Pretorius. A few moments later, the Notts pair walked off to a warm reception from the Somerset team and crowd, having collectively bowled 303 and 304 balls respectively. They had been together since the third over of the day.