Stuart Broad claimed three Middlesex wickets on the third day at Lord’s before Notts extended their lead to 248 runs to set up a tantalising, if poorly weather forecasted, finish.

Joe Clarke scored his first half century of the season as Notts concluded 158/6, having begun their third innings ahead by 90.

That came by virtue of four dismissals for Broad, while Lyndon James took three to supplement his assured 41 with the bat in the first innings. 

Mark Stoneman made 76 of the hosts’ 274 all out, whilst Ryan Higgins’ stubborn haf-century prevented the Seaxes falling short of the follow-on total as Middlesex responded to Notts’ 364.

Captain Steven Mullaney made clear the need for early wickets at stumps on day two, and he got his wish five overs into play as Eskinazi fell into the trap set by Broad, caught strangled down the leg side for the second time this season. 

From the Nursery End, Brett Hutton, who took nine match wickets against Somerset, concluded a miserly nine over opening spell with the key wicket of Stoneman, trapped lbw, shortly after Broad had Max Holden caught at short mid-wicket. 

And Notts had their fourth of the day before the lunch break, that of Simpson caught down the leg side off the glove to vindicate James’ short ball strategy. 

But Middlesex held firm for 11 overs before the interval, and Higgins and Luke Hollman showed resolve upon resumption, too, to inch the hosts towards their first batting point of the season, with the latter punching Broad handsomely through point for one of his three boundaries. 

The England seamer took revenge with an toe-crushing yorker, though, to see the all-rounder dismissed for 20, before Martin Andersson was caught at backward point shortly after to give Dane Paterson his 750th career wicket.

The Seaxes’ late-order belied their side’s early season batting woes as Roland-Jones tucked into Broad and Paterson for a pair of boundaries before Higgins pulled James for four to reach his half-century off 81 balls, and move his side nine shy of 250. 

That target was in peril when the right hander chopped James onto his stumps with the next delivery, but the Middlesex captain and Bamber combined to add 33 for the final wicket to give the hosts a point and negate the follow-on.

Having increased Nottinghamshire lead to three figures, Ben Duckett, who made 177 in the first innings, feathered Roland-Jones to Simpson, before Bamber claimed his fifth and sixth wickets of the match to see the back of Hameed and Montgomery. 

Slater, though, was unperturbed and the mantle was picked up by Clarke and James when the left-hander was bowled through the gate by Hollman for 25.

Both fell before the close, the former in the final over having reached a well-manufactured half-century moments before.