Hampshire dent Notts title hopes

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE
Trent Bridge (day two, close): Nottinghamshire 211 v Hampshire 203 & 102-1
Coverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles; live scorecards on each game on BBC Sport website, mobiles and Ceefax; coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC local radio

Match scorecard

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Patel hit a fluent 70 but Notts were soon pegged back by Hampshire

Hampshire fought back well against Nottinghamshire to take a 94-run lead on day two and open up the title race.

When play started, the visitors' final wicket pair sneaked a batting point before being dismissed for 203.

Notts slipped to 56-3 in reply before Samit Patel fired 14 fours in his 70, sharing 116 with Ashwell Prince (57).

Spinner Imran Tahir took four wickets in four overs as Notts were all out for 211, and Michael Brown hit 51 not out as Hampshire closed on 102-1.

Hampshire's remote hopes of a title challenge finally ended with the loss of their final first innings wicket, but they soon restricted Notts by removing Bilal Shafayat in the second over, skipper Dimitri Mascarenhas opening the bowling.

Although Will Jefferson and Mark Wagh shared a half-century for the second wicket, they both departed in the space of a couple of overs.

Patel played in fluent fashion until mis-timing a drive at James Tomlinson and falling at mid-off.

Tahir's superb spell began a dramatic Hampshire fightback

Tahir then brought Hants right back into the match, with some magical leg-spin, having earlier seen Patel hit him for three fours in four balls.

Graeme Swann, who had hit the previous two deliveries for four, was deceived by one that fizzed off the surface and Chris Read was caught low at slip off Tomlinson.

Evergreen all-rounder Mark Ealham succumbed to a Tahir flipper and next ball Andre Adams was beaten all ends up by a superb googly.

Darren Pattinson kept out the hat-trick ball but soon departed in similar fashion, before Chris Tremlett gave Prince a reprieve when he failed to pouch a tough chance running back at mid-on off Tomlinson, as Notts scraped a bonus batting point.

Prince hooked the next ball for six to reach his fifty before he was last out, slicing to cover.

Notts were limited to just the one wicket, Michael Carberry edging to a diving Chris Read behind the stumps, and look set for a tense run chase in their quest for the title.