County Championship: Leaders Notts build big lead over Foxes

Notts opener Haseeb Hameed reached his eighth half-century of the summer to move to within 80 of 1,000 first-class runs for 2022

Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire put their foot firmly on Leicestershire's throat on day two at Trent Bridge as they set their winless opponents a fourth-innings target way beyond anything achieved in the county's history.

After 20 wickets fell on Monday to a first-day pitch conducive to swing and seam movement, Nottinghamshire made good use of much more docile conditions before declaring their second innings on 390-7.

It left Callum Parkinson's team needing 499 runs to win - 105 more than the 394 Leicestershire scored to beat Derbyshire at Grace Road in 1947, which remains the county's highest match-winning fourth-innings total.

Openers Sam Evans and Hassan Azad negotiated the 13 overs at the close without mishap. But Azad was dropped at third slip off Dane Paterson. And two more days seems too long for Leicestershire to realistically survive against a Nottinghamshire side intent on completing a seventh win of the season and stretching their lead over Middlesex, currently in second place, to 50 points.

Everyone made a significant contribution in the Notts innings, no batter scoring less than 24 - and there were half-centuries for Joe Clarke (67), Lyndon James (61) and Haseeb Hameed (60).

Left-arm seamer Michael Finan, who took a debut wicket in the first innings, dismissed Hameed and Matt Montgomery for 44 to claim two more scalps. But such good balls as he did deliver had to be set against his 10 no-balls, giving him a match total of 17.

In the morning, under cloud cover so heavy and threatening that bad light caused an interruption after only 39 minutes, Leicestershire had hoped wickets might tumble as they had on day one as Nottinghamshire resumed on 15 without loss. Yet they were disappointed.

Instead, the home side progressed to 112 1 at lunch, with Ben Slater the solitary casualty as Hameed, enjoying his most productive summer since his breakthrough season with Lancashire in 2016, completed an 80-ball half-century, aided by South African Montgomery.

Clarke, still without a first-class hundred this season, also looked as comfortable at the crease as he has all season, punishing every error as he rushed to a 45-ball half century with nine fours, but Callum Parkinson found his outside edge.

James and Steven Mullaney (24) then extended the lead before a six-over thrash between Tom Moores (28) and Liam Patterson-White (28 not out) heralded Mullaney's declaration.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.