Nottinghamshire’s Seconds will begin the final day of their Championship final needing 59 runs for victory, after a dominant third day with both bat and ball.
Andy Carter and Ben Kitt took three wickets apiece as Middlesex were bowled out for 264, setting Notts 188 to win, before an unbeaten fifty from Will Gidman guided his side to within touching distance of victory.
Middlesex started the day with Cameron Steel replacing Stephen Eskinazi in the middle, the latter going to play against Yorkshire at Lord’s in the LV= County Championship.
Steel dealt exclusively in boundaries before a double change in the bowling brought about two wickets, captain Paul Franks pleased with the fight in his side throughout the game and season.
“The lads have done extremely well over the first three days and have been up for the fight, much like they have all season,” he said.
“To set up a final innings chase of 188 is a fantastic effort from the start of this match and now it is there for us to win it.”
Carter slowed the scoring before Steel tried to drive a ball that wasn’t there for the shot, miscuing to mid on where he was caught by Franks for 21.
Kitt then had Don Manuwelge caught on the boundary, the Middlesex batsman falling for a short ball trap that had been set just one delivery earlier.
Martin Andersson had steadied the ship the previous night and was providing the same service during the morning despite the wickets falling around him.
His resistance was finally broken when Kitt got a deserved second wicket, trapping him LBW for 39, Anshuman Rath, the official replacement for Eskinazi, coming out to the middle.
The session belonged to Notts when, in the last over before lunch, Adam Tillcock had Rath caught and bowled, Middlesex 141-5 at the break, a lead of 64.
Ryan Higgins and Robbie White began well after the lunch, the former going past his 50 and the pair extending Middlesex’s lead past 100.
Carter (3-29) got Notts back on the front foot breaking the stand worth 54 when Higgins was caught in the slips for 63 before trapping White LBW for 22, Middlesex’s lead just 119 with three wickets left.
Nathan Sowter went on the attack, smashing 49 from 45 balls before Anuj Dal came on to finish the innings, taking 2-2 to bowl Middlesex out for 264 and set Notts 188 to win.
Notts had early setbacks in their chase, Will Root caught by Higgins off Sandhu for two before Dal was LBW to Podmore for one.
Sam Wood and Gidman rebuilt but Ravi Patel then halted the Notts charge, Wood caught behind for 33 before first innings centurion Tom Moores was bowled for three.
Gidman went past fifty, for his second of the match, and Adam Tillcock ended on 12 as Notts stand just 59 runs short of Championship victory.
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