Nottinghamshire concluded their first block of matches in the group stage of the 2021 LV= Insurance County Championship with a draw on the final evening against Durham at Emirates Riverside.

Having resumed on 125 for five, the Green and Golds added 92 before being bowled out shortly before lunch, giving them an overall lead of 380.

Hosts Durham then had 71 overs in which to chase their target, but offered little intent to do so, instead batting out 55 of them, reaching 188-4, before the draw was taken shortly after 5pm.

After qualification to Division One for the Championship’s second phase was secured on day three, the 14 points gained from this game mean that Notts have also now sealed top spot in Group One.

Earlier, useful cameos from Steven Mullaney (20) and Liam Patterson-White (19) pushed the Green and Golds’ lead past 300, before a swift 22 from Brett Hutton further ballooned it beyond 350.

A final few lusty blows from Stuart Broad and Luke Fletcher followed, before the innings was eventually brought to a close shortly after 12:30pm.

Durham then reached 18 without loss in the short time available before the lunch break, after which regular wickets throughout the afternoon checked their progress.

Cameron Bancroft was first to fall, pinned lbw by Broad in a carbon copy of his first innings dismissal, before Lyndon James saw Scott Borthwick snaffled by Joe Clarke behind the stumps to leave the hosts 112 for two.

Patterson-White bowled Michael Jones for 42 on the stroke of tea, and David Bedingham received one from Mullaney that kept low to depart for 36.

Sean Dickson and Jack Burnham then negotiated the hosts up to the final hour, where the two sides shook hands with 16 overs remaining.