Nottinghamshire’s last few batsmen face a huge challenge on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley.

Faced with a victory target of 403, Notts struggled through an extra half an hour of pay to reach stumps on the third day on 181 for eight, still 222 away from their target.

Earlier, after rain wiped out most of the first session, Yorkshire batted until tea in reaching 334. Gary Ballance top-scored with 82 and Tim Bresnan finished with an unbeaten 68 to his name.

Jake Ball with three for 69, Harry Gurney, three for 86 and Luke Fletcher, who took two for 45, were the most successful bowlers.

Slight drizzle prevented a prompt start, with play not getting underway until 11.20am, with Yorkshire resuming from their overnight position of 189 for four, an overall lead of 257.

Ballance and Jack Leaning had already frustrated the visitors’ attack for almost three hours in adding an unbroken 94 together. The century stand was realised, as nine runs came from eight deliveries but bad light and returning drizzle forced the players off the field once more.

Eventually, after an early lunch, the meaningful part of the day began at 1.25pm, with a total of 18 overs having been lost.

Without any additional runs being scored Jack Leaning departed, without adding to his second day score of 37, playing all around a Harry Gurney delivery and falling leg before wicket.

Gurney boosted Nottinghamshire’s chances in his very next over, getting his second wicket in five deliveries by clean bowling the Yorkshire captain, to end his marathon 166-ball stay.

The left-arm quick made it three wickets in 10 deliveries when he had Andrew Hodd, also lbw, for 3.

His dismissal was Gurney’s 500th in senior career, made up of 282 first class, 114 List A and 104 T20 wickets.

Wicketkeeper Tom Moores pulled off two stunning catches during the middle of the afternoon, each of them necessitating a high one-handed leap to bring the ball in.

Josh Shaw (6) was the first to fall to the young gloveman’s athleticism, nicking the new ball of Luke Fletcher.

Jack Brooks made 13 before he fell in similar fashion, giving Jake Ball his third victim of the innings.

At 257 for nine – with a lead of 325 – Notts would have hoped the end was near but they were kept waiting and waiting.

Yorkshire’s last pair of Tim Bresnan and Ben Coad batted together for 73 minutes in adding 77 together.

Bresnan reached his 50 from 80 balls, with seven fours and a pulled six off Gurney, whilst Coad continued to keep the board ticking over to reach a career best score and stretch the advantage past 400.

With nine players out, the tea interval was delayed by almost 25 minutes before Fletcher picked up the final wicket as Coad (33) spooned the ball out to Steven Mullaney in the covers.

Mullaney and Libby began the chase by sharing five boundaries but they were parted in the fourth over when Coad trapped the Nottinghamshire captain lbw for 13.

Nash made 23 but was then undone by Bresnan, who had the former Sussex man caught behind in his first over.

Libby was undone on 38 by a peach of a ball from Coad that pitched on middle and swung to clip off and the young fast bowler intensified the pressure on Notts by then bowling Samit Patel for seven.

Jack Brooks returned at the Kirkstall Lane End and made decisive inroads by having Ross Taylor caught behind for 30 and then bowled nightwatchman Fletcher for two.

Riki Wessels fell to Shaw for 33, causing Yorkshire, at 7.10pm, to ask for the extra half an hour. Luke Wood fell in that time but Tom Moores and Jake Ball managed to survive through to 7.40pm and the close.

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