Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater’s half-centuries helped Nottinghamshire edge into the ascendancy on another tense day of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Essex.

Hameed was gut-wrenchingly dismissed for 92 late in the day, but along with opening partner Slater, who made 67, his contribution helped the Green and Golds to 233-5 at stumps, leading by 213.

It set up a tantalising final day to conclude a match which has been on a knife edge for much of its three days thus far, with only 20 runs separating the sides after each’s first innings.

That narrow gap was achieved early on the third morning as Fergus O’Neill and Dillon Pennington claimed three of the five remaining Essex wickets in the space of two overs.

O’Neill saw off half-centurion Matt Critchley, caught behind, and Noah Thain, lbw for 33, either side of Simon Harmer flashing Pennington into the hands of second slip Freddie McCann for nought.

Following a somewhat frustrating ninth-wicket stand that saw Essex edge into the lead, Brett Hutton then finished the tail off by removing Shane Snater lbw before having Sam Cook caught by Jack Haynes in the deep.

Hameed and Slater wiped out the deficit with confidence and haste in equal measure, setting about their task steadily before lunch prior to accelerating to an opening stand of 113 in the afternoon.

That included Slater swiping Harmer’s spin for two sixes into the Acrisure Stand, only to become the first to fall when Harmer struck back to bowl him.

After Freddie McCann also fell to Harmer, Joe Clarke proved an equally busy foil for the skipper, swiping Matt Critchley for six from the final ball of the afternoon session to take Notts to tea on 142/2.

He fell eight balls after the resumption, triggering a period of pressure from the experienced Harmer and Jamie Porter as Essex restricted the run-rate.

Hameed was to fall agonisingly short of a first century of the summer, seeing Noah Thain’s delivery cannon off his bat and onto the stumps on 92 after an innings that was watchful and fluent in equal measure.

First-innings centurion Kyle Verreynne departed for 3, but Haynes found a determined partner in Farhan Ahmed as he moved one short of a half-century at stumps.

*******