On Sir Garfield Sobers' 75th birthday the current Nottinghamshire side repeated the exploits of their former captain – who led his side to victory in Southport in 1968– by completing a 129 run victory over Lancashire.

The Red Rose county had begun the day knowing that victory would lift them to the top of the Division One table but they again succumbed to the Notts seamers, who bowled them out for just 128.

Andre Adams took 4-51, to claim a ten wicket haul for the match, with Darren Pattinson leading the way with figures of 5-44.

Understandably delighted by the outcome, Pattinson paid tribute to his fellow seamers. “Andre bowled exceptionally well throughout this game and Fletch sent down some good, testing overs. I felt in really good rhythm and it’s nice to get some reward.”

Leaking runs early on, Darren wondered if it might not be his day. “I bowled a really poor over right at the start of the day and then they got a couple of lucky edges and were thirty for none after four or something.
Then we bowled well, restricted them and deserved the win in the end.”

The wicket of Karl Brown soon after lunch was a crucial moment in the contest, he felt. “I got one right, straight after the break, that swung in nicely – and at five down for eighty I felt they were going to struggle from then on.”

The morning session was played under grey, cloudy conditions and appeared to be going the way of the home county before Notts fought back with four wickets.

Lancashire’s openers Paul Horton and Steve Moore had put on 82 and 64 when the sides met at Trent Bridge last month, and 67 in the first innings here, so it was a result when they were separated with only 37 on the board.

That total had arrived with great speed, helped by 16 coming from Pattinson’s second over. Moore lifted a legside delivery high over the advertising hoardings, out of the ground and onto the nearby railway line for six.

A replacement ball was summoned, which immediately was speared down the legside for five wides. At this point Karl Turner and Kevin Paxton, the fitness and conditioning coach, were despatched to try and retrieve the original ball but were warned away by the combined prospect of live lines and regular trains.

Pattinson exacted revenge when Moore (14) slashed hard to Hales at slip. The arrival of Adams into the attack brought additional pressure which, in turn, then yielded three more wickets.

Horton (15) became the latest member of the county circuit to lose his off pole without playing a shot to the 36 year old. Next ball Mark Chilton (0) feathered one through to Read to record a ‘pair’ for the match.

The hat-trick was averted but Steven Croft only made 6 before giving Adams his ninth wicket of the contest.
Karl Brown and Tom Smith took it through to lunch on 79-4, with Lancashire needing an improved afternoon performance if they were to leapfrog Durham at the top of the table.

The probable message from the Notts’ coaching staff was for the bowlers to remain patient after lunch but that patience was rewarded after just two dot balls as Pattinson ripped out Brown’s (23) off stump.

After a seven minute stoppage for the briefest of showers Notts put themselves firmly in the ascendancy.
Gareth Cross – avoided doing a Chilton (pair) by driving a Pattinson delivery down the ground for four but he then became one of three batsmen to fall with the score on 103.

Tom Smith (19) was the first of the trio to go, taken at second slip by Voges off Adams, who collected his tenth wicket of the contest.

Pattinson then dismissed both Cross (bowled for 15) and Hogg (again at slip by Voges for 0) – and after a brief resistance from Glenn Chapple (7), his cart-wheeling leg stump signified the bowler’s fifth wicket.

Adams, after bowling unchanged through 18 overs from the Grosvenor Road End, made way for Luke Fletcher who immediately persuaded Simon Kerrigan (4) to chip to Graeme White at mid off to seal a 20 point victory for the defending champions.

Notts’ celebrations heralded their first win in eight championship matches and dented the prospect slightly of Lancashire succeeding them as this year’s title winners.