Mick Newell says up to five teams can still win the County Championship after Nottinghamshire missed a chance to help make it a two horse race.
Their three-wicket defeat to Warwickshire sent Notts top of Division One ahead of Yorkshire by virtue of their eight bonus points collected.
But the result brought their opponents back into the race and keeps the likes of Somerset and Middlesex in contention.
"We missed a big opportunity to take a big lead over teams like Warwickshire, Middlesex and Somerset. We could have put 40 or 50 points between us and them," said Newell.
"It keeps it interesting with four or five teams that can still win it. It's impossible to say who will win it.
"Even though we lost we'd still have taken this position at the start of a very difficult month. Only Yorkshire might feel they're in a better position than us.
"Other people have still got to do all the catching so we are happy with that. We don't play for ten days so we might not be top by then but we are happy where we are."
Warwickshire chased down 289 to win, scoring 228 on the final day to finish on 289 for seven, although three quick wickets for Samit Patel had given Notts a sniff.
But Newell added: "I never really felt we were in charge (yesterday). The earlier part of the match is where we lost it.
"We dominated the first two days. Warwickshire came back strongly on day three having batted themselves back into it.
"We didn't bowl as well as we can. We weren't really on our game. We had too many short balls in the second innings."
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