Warwickshire 143 for 4 (Hain 59*) trail Nottinghamshire 487 (Verreynne 148*, McCann 130) by 344 runs
With Lancashire all out for 177 in Worcester, both Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire became safe from relegation just before 5pm on the third day of their Vitality County Championship match at Trent Bridge. But a good batting surface is just beginning to take spin and, if the main issue is resolved, this game could yet see a result should rain stay away on Sunday.
Nottinghamshire eventually posted 487 after Kyle Verreynne, their South Africa Test wicketkeeper, sped to a first century in England en route to an unbeaten 148 from just 167 balls. Warwickshire, needing 338 to avoid the follow on, finished 344 behind at 143 for 4. Sam Hain will resume on a determined 59.
Only 155 overs remained in the match, and 15 would fall foul of bad light, when the visitors finally gained their chance to enjoy what seeemed a distinctly benevolent pitch. Yet both openers very soon departed and, after a recovery to 105 for 2, Farhan Ahmed, spinning the ball away, removed two left-handers in three balls before the premature close 14 overs later.
Will Rhodes, who had passed 1000 runs for the first time in his career, lost off stump for 37 as Ahmed beat the outside edge and Dan Mousley arrived to be LBW for a second-ball duck. In the same over the 16-year old, who now has 21 wickets in six innings since debut, had required lengthy attention after being hit on the left arm by his captain's full-blooded shy at the non-striker's stumps.
Warwickshire's start earlier, could hardly have been worse. Rob Yates, working to leg, sent a leading edge to second slip as Brett Hutton began the reply with a wicket maiden and Alex Davies played on to Jacob Duffy for five when trying to remove his bat.
Things were calmer by the time the September shadows closed in, with Ed Barnard supporting Hain, both right-handers finding life marginally easier against Ahmed and judiciously employing the sweep.
The preliminary to play in the morning was a presentation to Luke Fletcher in acknowledgement of the local favourite's departure after 17 seasons with Nottinghamshire. The tall, massively built "Bulwell Bomber", who had turned 36 ten days earlier, would have been glad to escape bowling on this flat pitch.
Warwickshire did manage a wicket after 40 minutes following Nottinghamshire's resumption on 324 for 6 when Rob Lord, whipping across the line, was LBW for 31 as Olly Hannon-Dalby notched his landmark 50th success of the season for a third successive campaign.
Runs were already flowing, however, and the 70 that took Notts to 400 and their fourth batting point required only 14 overs. By the time an eighth man fell, just 22 balls remained for the visitors to search, in vain, for a last bowling point.
Off-spinner Yates, with his second ball of the day, and eighth of the match, had Hutton smartly stumped for 29 when he advanced, missed and raised his back foot but Ahmed, the teenager at the very other end of the spectrum to Fletcher, joined Verreyyne to deny them.
He finally cut Yates to backward point for ten from what became the last ball before lunch, taken at 440 for 9 with Verreyyne on 130, and the innings closed when Duffy charged Mousley, the eighth bowler employed, to be stumped by a mile for 29.
