Leading scorer Joe Clarke made a defiant 94 on day two of Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire before being dismissed just before the close, where Nottinghamshire are 264-8 in reply to 459 at the halfway point of their Rothesay County Championship clash.
Nottinghamshire recovered from 154-4 to 257-5 thanks to Clarke’s four hours and 18 minutes at the crease, after England’s Ben Duckett had been out for 62. But the loss of Clarke, nightwatchmen Dillon Pennington and next batter Liam Patterson-White in the last two overs of the day kept Warwickshire in pole position.
Earlier, a ninth-wicket partnership of 119 between Ed Barnard and Michael Booth helped the balance tip further towards Warwickshire, who took maximum batting points after being 375-8 overnight.
Barnard was out for 165, Booth having made a career-best 70 - and later taking 3-59 with the ball. England’s Josh Tongue was unable to add to his wickets tally, finishing with five for 124.
The two batters had made for a disappointing morning for the home side, who had hoped to claim the last two Warwickshire wickets in quick time.
Barnard, resuming on 134, soon struck 150 from 202 balls to give Warwickshire a fourth batting point, and the momentum to chase a fifth.
Thanks to Booth, they secured it, the Zimbabwean hitting two fours and three sixes to clinch the extra batting points off the final ball of the 110th over. But it was Lyndon James who had the last word, bowling both Booth and Barnard.
Nottinghamshire faced a difficult task with a run chase of 459, and subsequently lost two early wickets in their reply, one either side of lunch.
Captain Haseeb Hameed was dismissed for 0 as Chris Woakes straightened one enough to beat his attempt to work the ball through midwicket.
Opening partner Ben Slater started fluently, only to be bowled by Bamber four overs after the interval.
Duckett and Clarke rebuilt. The England left-hander survived some early pressure against Bamber and Woakes but came through unscathed. Duckett numbered eight boundaries in reaching fifty from 84 balls.
Clarke’s half-century followed soon afterwards. As their partnership ticked over into three figures, the two looked to have laid the foundations for a substantial Nottinghamshire response.
Duckett was then undone just before tea. Having rotated all their six seamers, Warwickshire turned to spin - Duckett, having defended five balls from off-spinner Rob Yates, took on the sixth, which he mistimed to Woakes at mid-on.
The setback was compounded immediately after tea as Booth left new man Jack Haynes with his off stump on the floor.
Clarke, who survived a difficult chance on 60, added 67 with Kyle Verreynne and looked primed to see out the day only to fall into a legside trap, caught at deep square pulling a short ball from Booth, who then removed Pennington lbw before Patterson-White edged Webster to Yates at slip.
