Leaders Notts strengthen position
Wed 21 Jun 2017
Nottinghamshire versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 3:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Captain Mark Cosgrove spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps, the interview is available HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the third day are available HERE
RESULT | Nottinghamshire (24 points) beat Leicestershire (2 points) by an innings and 280 runs
REPORT | Leaders Nottinghamshire continued their dominant performance to beat Leicestershire by an innings and 280 runs in the Specsavers County Championship game at Trent Bridge.
Clint McKay made a hard hit 41 not out but the home seamers, again led by Australia paceman James Pattinson, bowled out Leicestershire for 134 for the second time in the match.
Pattinson finished with outstanding match figures of 8-71, meaning the seamer has now claimed 28 Specsavers County Championship wickets in only four matches at an average of 10.50.
Leicestershire's second innings began in glorious sunshine but the team did not get off to the start they wanted, losing both openers within the first two overs of the day.
Pattinson made the first breakthrough, extracting movement off the seam to dismiss first innings top-scorer Paul Horton (6), caught by 'keeper Chris Read moving in front of first slip.
Harry Dearden (0) received a delivery from Jake Ball (8.1-2-29-2) that bounced to take a thick outside edge and Brendan Taylor took a good low catch at third slip.
A much-needed period of consolidation followed as Colin Ackermann and Mark Cosgrove joined forces.
Leicestershire's leading scorer immediately showed the home attack that there would be little margin for error, cutting a short delivery away before clipping a further boundary when Pattinson attacked the stumps.
Cosgrove (22) also drove Luke Fletcher (6-1-16-3) down the ground for four but the seamer gained revenge with his next delivery by trapping Leicestershire's skipper lbw.
Ackermann, who also found the boundary on three occasions, fell in the same manner for 18 and when the seamer enticed Mark Pettini (2) to edge to Steven Mullaney at second slip, Leicestershire were at 61-5 - still trailing by 351.
A stand of 30 developed between Eckersley and Hill before the former was leg before to Mullaney. Eckersley's 20 included a brace of pleasant cover drives for four from the bowling of Stuart Broad as well as two other boundaries, but County were now at 91-6.
McKay went on the attack against Mullaney, striking two fours in the 24th over before taking 18 from his next offering, including a brace of consecutive sixes.
But Leicestershire lost a seventh wicket to the last ball before lunch, Hill (15) caught by Taylor at third slip as Pattinson struck for a second time to leave Leicestershire at 119-7.
County's overseas player continued to play some aggressive strokes after the interval. His 24-ball innings contained six fours and a brace of maximums.
But Dieter Klein (1) lost his middle stump to Pattinson, Gavin Griffiths (0) edged Ball to Mullaney at second slip, and Ben Raine was unable to bat due to a side injury to leave McKay unbeaten for a second time in the game.
The 24 points gained stregthened Nottinghamshire's position at the top of the table while Leicestershire claimed two bonus points.
County's next challenge is also in the Specsavers County Championship, a trip to face Northants in the floodlit round of fixtures at Wantage Road on Monday.
