Luke Fletcher claimed a five-wicket haul before three Nottinghamshire batsmen hit fifties as the Green and Golds dominated Derbyshire on day two of their LV= County Championship clash at the Incora County Ground.

After wrapping up the hosts’ tail to dismiss them for 105 and gain a first innings lead of 151 inside the first hour, Notts opted not to enforce the follow-on, instead driving home their advantage with the bat.

Haseeb Hameed continued his recent purple patch by top-scoring with 94, and he was ably backed up by 87 from Ben Duckett and 53 from Joe Clarke as the visitors made 318 in their second innings.

That set Derbyshire a victory target of 470, and they closed on 23-0 from the day’s final ten overs as a shower swept over, with Luis Reece unbeaten on 13.

Earlier, under skies thick with cloud, the hosts resumed with Brooke Guest and Ben Aitchison at the crease following yesterday evening’s clatter of wickets that had left them 86-8 overnight.

It took Fletcher just five minutes to remove Aitchison without scoring, pouched by Hameed at third slip, before the seamer claimed his seventh First-Class five-for when he bowled Guest for ten.

Ben Slater (24) scored quickly early on, but fell victim to extraordinary misfortune when he inside-edged Reece off his thigh and was unable to swipe the ball clear as it bobbled along the ground into his stumps.

However, that perhaps motivated Hameed and Duckett to set their own fates, as they proactively racked up a stand of 157, during which both went to their respective half-centuries.

The left-handed Duckett led the way, reaching his maiden fifty of 2021 when he pushed George Scrimshaw into the off side for a single, before Hameed brought up his milestone with a luscious cover drive off Sam Conners.

Duckett fell when he edged Fynn Hudson-Prentice to first slip, but his replacement Joe Clarke showed the same tenacity in partnering Hameed for a stand of 53, before later reaching his own fifty with a cut for four.

Tom Moores (27 off 27) further dented Derbyshire’s resolve as the lead extended past 450, before both he and Steven Mullaney (10) departed to outside edges off Hudson-Prentice and Scrimshaw respectively.

Moores’ departure was the first of a four-wicket rush that ended the Notts innings, before Reece and Tom Wood (9*) saw out the final exchanges for the home side.

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Tickets to witness Notts Outlaws’ defence of their Vitality Blast title in 2021 are now on general sale.