Samit Patel and James Pattinson put Nottinghamshire into a strong position at the halfway stage of their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge.

Patel scored a double hundred for the second match in a row and then his Australian team-mate produced figures of five for 33 with an explosive burst of genuinely fast bowling.

32-year old Patel, who scored an unbeaten career best 257 against Gloucestershire at Bristol last week, almost matched it before falling for 247 soon after lunch.

Patel batted for over seven hours and faced 305 balls, hitting 29 fours and two sixes as he became the first Nottinghamshire player to score 200 in successive matches.

Speaking about his innings, Patel was happy with his achievement.

“I’m obviously very pleased to get back-to-back double centuries. If you are in form you have got to try and make the most of it and that’s what I’m trying to do," he said.

“I was very disappointed to get out in the way I did but I’m happy with the way it’s going and as long as we are winning it doesn’t matter.

"We talk about consistency and being ruthless in the dressing room and whoever is in it’s all about making partnerships, they were really crucial.”

Patel also heaped praise on the performance of James Pattinson.

“He’s a game changer, we know how good he is. He bowls at good pace and he swings them and he’s bowled fantastically well for us all year.

"He’s quick, I’ve faced him in the nets and you have to have your wits about you.”

Once Patel had been dismissed Stuart Broad threw the bat to good effect and raced to 50 not out, at which point Chris Read declared the innings closed on 548 for nine.

Dieter Klein returned the most successful figures for the Foxes, taking six for 142 from 31 overs.

Leicestershire had no real answer to the pace of Pattinson and were dismissed for 134 in 49.5 overs, a deficit of 414.

Chris Read, Nottinghamshire’s captain, then enforced the follow-on with four overs remaining but bad light prevented the players from returning.

The Leicestershire innings was plunged into early disarray with Pattinson removing both Harry Dearden and Mark Cosgrove in a slippery opening burst.

Re-introduced after tea, he then had Mark Pettini caught at third slip before demolishing the stumps of Lewis Hill and Gavin Griffiths, each with searing yorkers.

Luke Fletcher claimed the scalp of Colin Ackermann and then Jake Ball got in the act by dismissing both Ned Eckersley and the stubborn Paul Horton, who made 31.

Steven Mulllaney also chipped in with two wickets, including that of Ben Raine, who batted with a runner after incurring a side strain on the opening day.

Earlier, Riki Wessels, after a fifth wicket partnership of 113 with Patel, departed for 30 after nicking the left-arm quick to Paul Horton at first slip and then Read, playing his 300th first class match, made just seven before nicking behind.

Maximum points already secured, Notts pushed on with Pattinson playing some delightful shots on his way to 33 before being caught sweeping the off spin of Ackermann.

Fletcher was caught behind from his first ball, giving Klein his sixth victim. Stuart Broad, aware that a declaration was imminent, hit four fours and three sixes to reach his third 50 of the summer and prompt the declaration.

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