Nottinghamshire have been set a stiff fourth day challenge if they are to defeat Durham in their Specsavers County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.
The visitors have been left to score 317 to win and had reached 17 for one at the close, with Jake Libby having been dismissed in the final over.
Durham batted for most of the third day before declaring their second innings closed on 385 for eight, with Keaton Jennings making an unbeaten 171. The left-handed opening batsman batted throughout the innings and shared in a fourth wicket stand of 162 with Graham Onions, who made a career-best score of 65.
Of the eight Durham wickets to have fallen, Luke Fletcher (two for 54), Imran Tahir (two for 78) and Harry Gurney (two for 93) each took two apiece, with Steven Mullaney and Samit Patel claiming the others.
Durham began the day on 83 for three in their second innings, an overall lead of just 14. Jennings was unbeaten on 30 and nightwatchman Onions had made just a single.
Jennings had a nervy start as his first delivery from Fletcher was edged just short of Michael Lumb in the gully. His first scoring shot of the day was a streaky boundary off Gurney that flew through the vacant third slip area down to the fence.
In the next over he increased Nottinghamshire’s frustrations by nicking the same bowler over the catching cordon for four more.
Onions, content that he had fulfilled his main priority, began to enjoy his stay in the middle and caressed Gurney through extra cover for his first four and followed up by lofting Tahir back over his head for the same result.
The fifty lead was soon followed by the fifty partnership – and also Jennings own half century, which came from 112 balls, arrived with seven boundaries.
Shots began to flow from both batsmen as the surface grew increasingly friendly and opportunities proved hard to come by for the bowlers, with Tahir visibly frustrated when an lbw appeal against Onions was turned down.
The 100 stand was reached in 28.3 overs and then there was more for the home fans to cheer as the two batsmen completed an all-run four, as Jennings tickled Tahir down the leg side.
Onions pushed Patel to mid-on for a single to move to 42, a new career-best, passing the 41 he made against Yorkshire in 2007.
A confident drive down the ground off Fletcher eventually brought Onions his maiden half century, coming from 120 balls with six fours.
Shortly afterwards Jennings had his own milestone to celebrate, reaching his sixth hundred of the summer, an innings that had included 15 fours from his 203 balls.
The spin of Patel eventually ended Onions’ lengthy stay after he was adjudged lbw.
Notts took the second new ball as soon as it became due and it enabled Fletcher to get his first two wickets of the match as Paul Collingwood guided it’s second delivery into the hands of Lumb at gully.
The Durham skipper had made nine and so did Michael Richardson before he became the seventh player in the match to be given out leg before wicket.
Jennings moved from 132 to 140 with consecutive reverse sweeps from Tahir’s spin but his latest partner wasn’t so lucky.
In the first over after tea Tahir’s trademark celebration was in evidence as he bamboozled Stuart Poynter, 22, with another googly.
Paul Coughlin was smartly taken by Mullaney at slip, giving Gurney his eighth wicket in the match but in fading light Barry McCarthy helped add an unbroken 51 for the ninth wicket.
When the umpires took the players off at around 5.40pm Durham confirmed their declaration and in the eight overs that remained, Nottinghamshire lost Libby for five, bowled by Onions.
An inclement weather forecast suggests there may be disruptions on the final day, which will begin with the visitors needing 300 more runs.
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