Notts see off Hampshire to keep title hopes alive

Needing four more wickets in the Rothesay County Championship title race at Trent Bridge to complete victory before the visitors could muster 117 more runs, reigning champions Nottinghamshire got home in seven minutes into a delayed lunch.

Hampshire had inched forward by just seven before Olly Stone, in the day’s sixth full over, pulled out a double-wicket maiden. Seven balls later, his yorker to new batter Kyle Abbott left the South African palpably LBW and the end beckoned - only for the last pair to survive 20 overs.

But a brilliant catch by substitute fielder Ben Martindale at point finally undid last man.

"I guess when you're only defending small totals a few overs will decide whether it goes one way or another,” said Stone. “We knew that if we put the ball in the right areas at the run rate they'd been going at we'd have the overs to do it.

"This was like old-school Trent Bridge wickets with pace and carry, playing better by the end. We feel 100 per cent that we can come back no matter what scores are on the board so, after making only 104 with the bat, we scrubbed up and got down to it.

"One person will come through. This was probably one of the better games I've had in my career but where I got the reward today it was others last week and will be others next. We all knew coming in that this week was massive and the way the crowd got behind us was outstanding. As a group someone comes through. The old cliche is that catches win matches and how that showed.”

Notts remain four points behind leaders Somerset, one ahead of Warwickshire.