Nottinghamshire make up for lost time

Andrew Harris (four for 40) and Paul Franks (three for 30) led the way as Durham were shot out for 132.

Although Durham fared better in the second innings, they struggled against the leg spin of Stuart MacGill (three for 52) and closed on 153 for five - still needing 115 to avoid an innings defeat.

Notts resumed on 306 for three and, with more than three full sessions lost on the first two days, knew they needed to score quick runs. But Usman Afzaal, 91 not out overnight, and Bilal Shafayat, unbeaten on 46, were pegged back by tight bowling and Notts suffered a double setback when both were out in quick succession.

On 318, Shafayat played down the wrong line to a good-length ball from Ian Hunter and was leg before having added only two runs to his score. The fourth-wicket stand was worth 125 and Afzaal soon followed his partner after reaching a 160-ball century. He moved to 103 with a powerful cut off Steve Harmison but the England paceman had his revenge next ball when Afzaal failed to keep down a pull shot and skied a catch to Hunter at fine leg.

However, Paul Johnson and Chris Read restored Notts' control with a free-scoring sixth-wicket stand of 45. Johnson hit 23 off 22 balls before he failed to keep down a pull off Neil Killeen and was caught at deep backward square by Marc Symington. Read (27no) and Paul Franks (15no) advanced Notts to a fifth batting point with skipper Jason Gallian promptly declaring just over half an hour before lunch.

Durham's innings got off to the worst possible start when Michael Gough played down the wrong line to Greg Smith's first ball and departed leg before. Australian Brad Hodge played with confidence but Durham lost two more wickets in Andrew Harris' fourth over to slump to 34 for three.

Gary Pratt was beaten by a ball which seamed and was trapped leg before and Gordon Muchall departed in almost identical fashion for a duck four balls later. On 54, Harris struck again when Ashley Thorpe (8) edged to Gallian at first slip before the introduction of Franks paid dividends for Notts. It became 81 for five when Hodge, who made a battling 48, played an uppish cut off Franks and was well caught by Shafayat at backward point.

Durham took the score to 95 but lost two more wickets in four balls. Andrew Pratt was bowled by Franks for five and Symington (16) was bamboozled by MacGill and trapped leg before.

It was all downhill for Durham who subsided to 132 all out in just 46.3 overs with Hunter (7) becoming a third victim for Franks and Killeen (5) being bowled all ends up by MacGill. Harris wrapped things up by bowling Harmison for a duck leaving Nicky Phillips on 20 not out as Durham faced the prospect of following on after tea.

Second time around, Durham made a better fist of things with Gough and Gary Pratt sharing a stand of 79 before Gough was caught and bowled by MacGill for 40. Franks then struck a double blow by dismissing Hodge for a single and Muchall for 12 as the visitors slipped to 110 for three.

On 134, MacGill struck another crucial blow by bowling Pratt for 65 - scored off 53 balls - and he then trapped Thorpe (12) leg before to leave Durham staring defeat in the face.

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