MacGill destroys leaders Middlesex

Nottinghamshire needed just 19.4 overs on the third day at Trent Bridge to take the last seven wickets and record their fourth win in five games to give their promotion hopes a massive boost.

Australia Test leg-spinner MacGill had taken six wickets in the first innings and he followed it up with career-best figures of eight for 111 in the second innings. That constituted the best match figures in the championship this season, and saw Middlesex slump to 259 all out as they were defeated by an innings and 73 runs.

The visitors had resumed on 180 for three, still needing another 152 runs to make Nottinghamshire bat again, with much depending on opener Andrew Strauss (101 not out overnight) and Owais Shah. But any hopes of resistance were quickly ended when MacGill captured the early wicket of Shah (25), caught behind by Chris Read off the outside edge, with just 12 runs added to the overnight total.

David Nash had hit an unbeaten 40 in the first innings but was unable to offer any support to Strauss second time round and made just five before top-edging a catch to Guy Welton at short leg off Andy Harris.

MacGill captured the prize wicket of Strauss when he clean bowled the opener for 110, before Welton took his second catch of the morning to dismiss Paul Weekes for eight. Two wickets in two balls then set MacGill up for his second hat-trick attempt of the match, with Aaron Laraman bowled after missing a good-length ball and Simon Cook perhaps unfortunate to be adjudged leg before.

Phil Tufnell kept out the hat-trick ball but it was only a minor setback for MacGill and he fittingly grabbed the final wicket of the match. Tufnell holed out to mid-off and became the third Middlesex player to get a pair as Darren Bicknell took a simple catch.

Only Ed Joyce of the Middlesex batsmen emerged with any pride, finishing unbeaten on 41 after seeing the final seven wickets fall for just 67 runs.

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