A thrilling finale to Trent Bridge’s summer of cricket is in store with both sides targeting victory on the final day of Nottinghamshire’s Specsavers County Championship match against Middlesex.
The table-topping visitors reached the close on 48 for three, having been set 235 to win. Jake Ball, for the second time in the match, caused havoc at the start of the innings and has taken all three wickets to fall.
Earlier in the day Notts were bowled out for 240, with Steven Mullaney making 64 and Samit Patel 36. Ollie Rayner claimed four wickets for Middlesex, with Steven Finn taking a further three.
Mullaney and Jake Libby resumed the Notts’ second innings at the start of the day, having put on 24 during the previous evening.
A watchful start brought four maidens in the first five overs but runs began to flow, particularly from the bat of Mullaney.
Regular punches through the covers kept the board ticking over and a successful first hour had nearly been completed when Libby nibbled at Toby Roland-Jones and edged behind to John Simpson for 18.
Mullaney brought up his 50 from 75 balls, with seven fours, but fell when on 64, given out lbw to Rayner.
Tom Moores flirted with one or two edges, inter-mingled with some elegant straight driving, but should have fallen in the final over of the morning, nicking Tim Murtagh but being reprieved by Rayner’s spill at slip.
Beginning the afternoon with their lead already extended into three figures, Notts soon lost their third wicket. Moores, 28, having crashed Rayner through the covers chased a widish ball in the same over and looped up a regulation catch to Steven Finn at backward point.
Michael Lumb made 16 but provided Simpson with his second catch of the day as he flashed hard at Finn.
That dismissal was the first of Finn’s three during a hostile spell from the Pavilion End; Brendan Taylor was pinned lbw by one that may have been sliding down and Chris Read edged behind.
Patel had scored a century in the first innings and worked his way stylishly to 36 before being castled by a Roland-Jones’ delivery that kept a fraction low.
Jake Ball was pinned lbw by Rayner, payback for the first day when the roles were reversed but the session ended with Imran Tahir launching the Middlesex spinner back over his head for the first maximum of the day.
Brett Hutton helped stretch the lead with a controlled 32 not out, but he was left high and dry when Harry Gurney was run out trying to get his partner back on strike.
Middlesex’s challenge was immediately put in context when they lost Nick Gubbins to the opening delivery of their second innings. The left-hander, who had batted for more than five hours in the first dig, got a gentle touch to the opening delivery and Read did the rest.
The 25-year old seamer then removed Sam Robson for the second time in the match, as the opener shouldered his arms and lost his off peg. Dawid Malan followed, as out as an lbw could possibly be.
With a further 187 runs needed by the undefeated league leaders, Nottinghamshire have a chance to put a spoke in their title hopes and to complete their home campaign with a morale-boosting success.
Trent Bridge will host an Investec Test Match between England and South Africa, and a Royal London One-Day International visit from the West Indies, in 2017.
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