Nottinghamshire 255 (L Wood 100, Gidman 57, Magoffin 6-109) and 228 for 7 (Patel 88*, L Wood 52*, Magoffin 4-48) lead Sussex 189 (Cachopa 54, Ball 6-49) by 294 runs Scorecard
Two days still remain in this match, the weather is at last warming up and batting conditions will become easier, yet you suspect that Nottinghamshire's lead will be enough to break their duck for the season. If winning a match requires the fourth innings to yield the biggest total, then the side chasing the runs tends to fall short.
That would be required of Sussex even if Nottinghamshire fail to add to their overnight score, which seems unlikely. Samit Patel and Luke Wood - he of the astonishing maiden century of day one - have added 120 so far for the eighth Nottinghamshire wicket. The 19-year-old Wood has added a half-century to what is turning into an extraordinary match for him and Patel, already past his highest score for the season, will not want to pass up the chance of a century of his own.
Wood's second innings has been as impressive as his first given the context. His hundred was bold and impetuous, a most unlikely result from an innings that might have ended very quickly for very few runs; but this time he needed to show some maturity, given that Nottinghamshire were only 174 in front when he went to the crease, having lost Greg Smith and Will Gidman, the last of their recognised batsmen, in the space of four deliveries.
The situation had demanded an innings of substance from one Nottinghamshire batsman and clearly Patel was the last hope of that. Sensibly, then, Wood took it upon himself to play the supporting role and did it admirably well.
Who can say now, then, that Nottinghamshire do not produce players of their own? Not on the basis of this match. If Wood, the Worksop boy, has challenged that supposition with the bat, then Jake Ball has done the same with the ball, leaving his own indelible mark on the match by taking five wickets in an innings for the first time.
Ball, from Mansfield, finished with 6 for 49 as Sussex were dismissed for 189, which gave Nottinghamshire a lead of 66 on first innings. At 24 he is not a new kid on the block in the same way as 19-year-old Wood but after determinedly sticking to a conviction that he would ultimately break into the first team he is enjoying the rewards for his patience.
"Jake has been a slow burner," director of cricket Mick Newell said. "But he has probably put on maybe two yards of pace over the winter and in many ways he has been our best bowler all season.
"He's bowling aggressively, bowls to a full length and looks much improved. We're excited by what we have."
Sussex scored briskly, adding 150 in 34 overs to their overnight total, but that was set against the regular loss of wickets, a pattern that was interrupted only when Craig Cachopa and Chris Jordan were adding 69 in 11.4 overs for the seventh wicket after a slump to 84 for 6. As it was, the pair rode their luck, with Cachopa dropped at first slip off Harry Gurney on 19 and Jordan on 23 off Will Gidman, although it would have been an exceptional catch by Steven Mullaney had it stuck.
All of the early damage was inflicted by Ball in an excellent opening spell from the Radcliffe Road End that brought him 3 for 28 in seven overs. He had Chris Nash leg before trying to work one to leg, beat Luke Wright's tentative defence to uproot off stump and then had Ben Brown caught by a diving Riki Wessels, who has the gloves in this match, in front of first slip. That gave Ball two wickets in two balls, an over apart, before Jordan drove the hat-trick ball for four.
After lunch, Mullaney, whose gentler medium pace is often a partnership breaker, induced an edge from Ollie Robinson that resulted in an excellent catch by Gidman, moving to his left at second slip. Cachopa completed his first half-century in the Championship this season but he then lost his off stump as Ball had his first taste of how it feels to take five wickets in an innings. The sixth scalp came when Matthew Hobden was trapped in front.
Ball revealed afterwards that he had changed his winter plans to work on his fitness, taking advice to work in the gym rather than go to Australia. "My build has been quite slim but the work I have put in has enabled me to gain a bit of muscle, I feel stronger and it has helped me bowl quicker and for longer," he said.
Sussex, though, fought back as the Australian Steve Magoffin brought his skill and experience to bear by following his 6 for 109 with 4 for 48, giving him 10 or more wickets in a match for the third time in his career.
Magoffin, bowling this time from the Radcliffe Road End, bowled Brendan Taylor middle stump and after Mullaney had edged Robinson to first slip had Alex Hales caught behind pushing forward. Robinson dismissed James Taylor, trapped in front stepping across his stumps, and when Riki Wessels sliced a drive at Jordan to be caught at third man, Nottinghamshire were 76 for 5.
The loss of Smith and Gidman to Magoffin left the match in the balance but the partnership between Wood and Patel has swung the contest back to Nottinghamshire.
"We are going to have to play very well to knock off what Notts leave us but I'm pleased with the way our bowlers stuck at it," the Sussex cricket manager, Mark Robinson said. "The young lad Wood changed the game with that innings on the first day and he has done well again today. But what that has shown is that if you can get past 40 overs then batting does become a bit easier."
