5.42pm Wow... can you hear the shrieks at Canterbury? In fact, they are playing the Great Escape over the PA. Kent cling onto the top flight by the skin of Nottinghamshire's tail. Middlesex did everything they could, most particularly Sam Robson, who scored his third hundred - and his county's fourth of the campaign - then ripped his legbreaks with elan to give his side real belief. But they were forced to gamble on a gettable run-chase due to their desperation, and in the end 207 to win was not enough.
Here ends the County Championship, and just like last year's hi-jinx with Warwickshire, we've had a relegation humdinger to see us into the winter. In the end, Middlesex showed spirit, but it's been a grim season for them on and off the field, and it's ended with a return whence they came two years ago. Cheers for joining us... See you again in 2024 tomorrow, for England's first World Cup warm-up match in Guwahati ... it's all go in these parts....
Christmas Cactus, this is ridiculous. Three men round the bat again for the No.10. Slip, silly point, short leg
maddog: "Come on Jake, end your Notts career in style. "
END OF OVER:55 | 2 Runs | NOTTS: 206/8
- Matthew Montgomery34 (65b)
- Jake Ball2 (13b)
- Jayant Yadav25-3-68-2
- Sam Robson13-1-42-4
Robson will go again... Ball was rehearsing his own reverse-sweep just now...
Slip goes to gully
Slip, leg slip, short leg
James De Lamber: "County Championship Cricket, eh? Ain't nothing like it and long may it live! Thoroughly enjoying this grand-stand finale, thank you for the comms Miller!"
Another conflab from the brains trust... four overs remaining, as it happens!
END OF OVER:54 | (maiden) | NOTTS: 204/8
- Jake Ball1 (12b)
- Matthew Montgomery33 (60b)
- Sam Robson13-1-42-4
- Jayant Yadav24-3-66-2
Dan: "Rhys - If Middlesex declared later, whilst they'd have a better total to defend, they'd have less overs to get the wickets. Can't have one without sacrificing the other, hard to work out at the time but easy to comment on after the fact." Indeed. I think it was about right given their desperation!