Nottinghamshire’s title credentials were put to the test on the third day of their LV= County Championship match against Durham at Chester-le-Street.
The home side eventually realised 309 all out in their second innings, leaving Notts with the challenge of chasing down 375 to keep their hopes very much alive.
With leaders Yorkshire in control of their match against Lancashire, at Old Trafford, second-placed Notts still have hopes of forging a victory after closing on 197-4, requiring a further 178.
Riki Wessels was unbeaten on 76 at the close, with James Franklin on 22.
Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket, believes there’s still every chance of forcing a win.
“We’re just over halfway there,” he said. “We’ve got two batsmen playing nicely, so I think we’re got a real chance.
“Riki hits the ball so hard and has the ability to take bowlers out of the game. With him, James Franklin, Chris Read and the others to come we have a chance to do this but will, in all probability need a century plus a couple of other contributions. But we know we can do this.”
It took Nottinghamshire well into the extra half hour of an elongated morning session before they were able to pick up the third of the three wickets they’d needed at the start of the day. Paul Collingwood made exactly 100 before being last out, with Jake Ball claiming 3-60. Gary Keedy was unable to pick up any further wickets, so finished with figures of 32-5-86-4 on debut.
The day began under clear blue skies with Durham continuing their second innings on 196-7. The not out pair, Paul Collingwood and Paul Coughlin, had already added 59 together and acquired 5 more during the opening over of the day, bowled by Jake Ball.
Ball’s second over produced the early wicket that Notts would have hoped for. Coughlin (39) just pushed at one that shaped away and Chris Read took a sharp low catch – his 50th in the Championship this season.
With the pitch proving to be fairly benign, the subsequent 90 minutes were tough for the visiting side. Collingwood found a new ally in Chris Rushworth, who batted without any alarms as the pair successfully brought up another 50-run partnership and extended the lead well beyond 300.
Collingwood’s patient 50 came up from 126 balls, with 6 fours but after a stand of 84 he eventually watched on as Rushworth fell for 45.
The wicket came in the sixth over of the second new ball and was a complete misjudgement by the batsman, not playing a stroke as Ball clattered one into his off pole. It was the first occasion in which Ball had taken 3 wickets in a County Championship innings.
With nine Durham wickets down play continued beyond the scheduled luncheon interval and a ‘cat and mouse’ session evolved with Collingwood refusing singles, preventing Notts from bowling at last man, Peter Chase (1 not out).
Collingwood, though, was proactive whenever the opportunity arose and he eventually made his way to three figures (219 balls 10x4).
Next delivery, he wandered right across his stumps to try and work the ball fine and was comprehensively bowled by Ajmal Shahzad.
Having already chased down 387 to beat Middx earlier in the campaign, Notts began the afternoon in pursuit of 375.
Steven Mullaney (14) was the first to fall, trapped lbw by Rushworth in the 7th over and a similar verdict saw off James Taylor (6) – Coughlin being the beneficiary.
Samit Patel (11) checked a drive back into the hands of Hastings, to leave Notts 66-3 in only the 19th over.
After a scratchy start Michael Lumb began to blossom with some of his trademark drives and he reached his third 50 of the summer (89 balls 9x4) but then fell after a stand of 55 with Riki Wessels.
Lumb (58) pushed hard at a delivery from Chase and stood aghast as Callum MacLeod took a flying, one-handed catch in the gully, to give the debutant seamer his maiden wicket.
Wessels moved to his 50 (78 balls 10x4) by hitting Coughlin for successive fours and celebrated by making it three-in-a-row.