Ben Duckett proved the cornerstone of a Nottinghamshire innings for the second time in three days as a late partnership meant the Green and Golds gave themselves a chance of an Easter Sunday victory over Glamorgan at Trent Bridge.
After yesterday evening’s ninth-wicket partnership had hauled Glamorgan into a first-innings lead, the Welsh side resumed on 354 for nine and went on to make 379 before Liam Patterson-White secured the final wicket.
A mission to steady the ship was required from Duckett and Joe Clarke as a Michael Hogan burst early in the Notts second innings saw them reduced to one for two, still 76 in arrears, but the pair did so confidently, reaching lunch at 45 for two.
Duckett then proceeded to bat through the entire afternoon, accompanied through to tea by Tom Moores, as he struck 92* before the second break, which the Green and Golds reached in the healthier-looking position of 147 for four.
There was to be no second century in the match, however, as he fell shortly after tea for 95, and he was the first of three to fall to Timm van der Gugten in another burst which saw Notts fall to 187 for eight midway through the final session.
An unbroken 37-run ninth-wicket stand between Brett Hutton and Joey Evison pushed the total beyond 200, as potentially crucial runs were added in the last knockings before Notts closed on 224 for eight, leading by 147.
Earlier, the fine Easter weekend weather continued, and the content hum of the Trent Bridge crowd greeted the players as they emerged onto the field with this encounter ticking past its halfway point.
There was initially more resistance from Glamorgan’s last pair, but Patterson-White finally wrapped up the innings half an hour into the morning when van der Gugten was caught at long off by Clarke for 62.
With the pitch then proving somewhat spicy as Notts began their second innings, Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed both fell to Hogan without scoring, forcing Clarke and Duckett to take up a challenging mantle.
They negotiated those particular stormy seas for an hour and found the welcoming harbour of lunch, but after a stand of 62, Clarke found himself caught behind by Chris Cooke off Michael Neser.
That took little away from Duckett, though, who advanced to his second half-century of the game, from 113 deliveries, with typical aplomb, striking a confident four through point.
His knock also saw him pass 7,000 career first-class runs, and he continued to make hay while the sun shone, either side of Steven Mullaney’s dismissal, after which Moores joined him and made 21* before tea.
However, van der Gugten removed the left-hander agonisingly short of a second match century, and it clearly put a spring in his step, as he went on to claim four wickets in the space of an hour.
Evison, who made 25*, and Hutton resisted as the former Dutch international left the attack, and their late stubbornness could yet prove crucial, with every run on the board being valuable as the game reaches its conclusion tomorrow.
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