Nottinghamshire 245 and 42 for 2 need a further 426 to beat Hampshire 319 and 393 for 7 dec (Adams 99, Alsop 93, McLaren 71*, Dawson 69)
Scorecard

Nottinghamshire were facing a battle to avoid defeat in their Specsavers County Championship match against Hampshire at Trent Bridge. Left to score a nominal 468 to win, from a minimum of 118 overs, Notts reached stumps on 42 for 2 on the third day.

Hampshire, who went into this round of matches four points behind Nottinghamshire at the bottom of the Division One table, had batted until after tea before declaring on 393 for 7. Jimmy Adams scored 99, Tom Alsop hit 93 and there were half-centuries also for Ryan McLaren and Liam Dawson.

Andy Carter, the former Notts seamer who took four wickets in the first innings, then struck with his first delivery of the second, having Jake Libby taken at square leg for 9. Hampshire made another inroad in the final over of the day as Will Smith held a juggling slip catch off Mason Crane to send back Riki Wessels for 11.

Mick Newell, Notts director of cricket, said: "We need the five points we'd get for securing a draw, so we need to show some application tomorrow. Somebody has got to bat a lot of balls and that is going to be crucial. We felt that they would bat for a long time and they did, so they've given us less time to bat. We hoped to survive that session one wicket down but to lose two is disappointing."

Earlier, Adams and Alsop had few alarms in extending their second-wicket partnership to 160 before being separated just before lunch. Adams, whose career-best score of 262 not out came at Trent Bridge in 2006, moved on to 99 but then feathered an attempted pull off Jake Ball through to Chris Read - giving the England seamer his 100th first-class wicket.

Dawson led a charmed life as he arrived in the middle. He was bowled by the first ball he faced but was reprieved by a cry of "no-ball", was then dropped at midwicket and almost chopped on to his stumps, all from the bowling of Imran Tahir.

Alsop had brought up his 50 from 122 balls during his stand with Adams and advanced to his career-best score before falling in the first hour of the middle session.

Tahir, who has played for both these sides during spells with five different English counties, picked up two wickets in quick succession. Alsop went lbw and then Adam Wheater drilled a caught-and-bowled straight back to the South Africa international.

With Dawson and Ryan McLaren then adding 80 for the fifth wicket, Notts were delighted to make a further strike in the final over of the afternoon session. Dawson had brought up his second fifty of the match from 85 balls but was bowled by Samit Patel for 69. The spinner made it two wickets in two balls as Lewis McManus edged his first ball into the hands of Steven Mullaney at slip.

Gareth Berg survived the hat-trick delivery and moved on to 17 before nicking Tahir behind. But McLaren launched three enormous sixes over the midwicket ropes and was unbeaten on 71 when the declaration came.

A successful run chase would be Nottinghamshire's highest of all-time, surpassing the 461 they achieved against Worcestershire in 2001. More realistically, with 426 still needed, they will have to bat well to secure a draw and avoid dropping below their opponents at the foot of the table.