A thrilling finale to the LV= County Championship season is in prospect as Nottinghamshire and Hampshire battled for supremacy on the second day of their match at Trent Bridge.
When bad light took the players from the field, with more than 13 overs remaining, the visitors had reached 298 for eight in their first innings, trailing Notts by 42 runs.
Liam Dawson top-scored, making 69 from 97 balls, Gareth Berg was unbeaten on 52 and Ryan McLaren scored 44 not out as Hampshire looked to keep themselves in contention for the win that may preserve their First Division status.
Harry Gurney was the pick of the home attack, returning figures of three for 58 as Notts pressed their own claims to try and finish the season in the runners-up position.
Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, was a little disappointed that the visitors had wriggled off the hook but explained there were good reasons.
“From a position of 200-8 you would expect to knock over a side for less than 300, but I think it’s a pretty good pitch but a slow pitch and that’s frustrated us today in terms of winkling out their lower order.
“They’ve obviously got two very good players in at 9 and 10 who made it very tough for us to get them out today.
“I think the third innings of the match – our second innings – is going to be absolutely crucial in seeing how this game pans out.”
The introduction of Gurney into the attack swung the morning session in favour of Notts. His first delivery, at the start of the eleventh over, induced Jimmy Adams to nick a leg side delivery into the gloves of Chris Read for 19.
The same combination accounted for Will Smith, as a regulation outside edge accounted for the former Notts man for just three. Gurney’s most emphatic delivery was the searing dismissal of James Vince, whose innings of 42 was abruptly ended by a missile which demolished the off stump.
Brett Hutton bagged the other wicket to fall before lunch, pinning Michael Carberry lbw for 11, as the England international was drawn across his stumps looking to clip to leg.
Dawson led the Hampshire revival after lunch, despite being put down in the slips on 45. His half century came up from 67 balls, with seven fours and in partnership with Sean Ervine the pair added 70 for the sixth wicket.
At around the same time that Samit Patel’s return to the England Test squad was being announced, the spinner came into the attack and struck with his first delivery. Ervine launched an adventurous-looking drive at Patel but saw the ball balloon high to mid off where Stuart Broad back-peddled to take the catch.
Adam Wheater nicked Hutton behind for 16 and then Steven Mullaney trapped Dawson lbw for 69.
Facing a deficit of more than three figures, the southern county kept their hopes intact of being able to turn the match around and pull off an unlikely victory as Berg and McLaren joined forces.
With Berg finding the boundary at every opportunity and McLaren playing a mainly defensive, supporting role, the pair added an unbroken 95 before deteriorating conditions curtailed play.
The 2015 season has seen dramatic last-gasp four day victories, thrilling limited-overs contests and an historic Investec Ashes Test, all in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.
Next season, we’d wager, will be no less enthralling and frankly we’d hate for you to miss out.