Olly Stone keeps Nottinghamshire's title defence on track

Needing four more wickets in the Rothesay County Championship title race at Trent Bridge to complete victory over Hampshire before the visitors could muster 117 more runs, reigning champions Nottinghamshire got home in seven minutes into a delayed lunch. They remain four points behind leaders Somerset, one ahead of Warwickshire.

Hampshire had inched forward by just seven before Olly Stone, in the day's sixth full over, pulled out a double-wicket maiden. Seven balls later, his yorker to new batter Kyle Abbott left the South African palpably LBW and the end beckoned - only for the last pair to survive 20 overs.

A brilliant catch by substitute fielder Ben Martindale at point finally undid last man, the debutant Manny Lumsden for 21, leaving Scott Currie unbowed on 44. Stone, with a final 6 for 28, has claimed 25 wickets at 12.48 apiece in his last four matches, bursting into rampant form at exactly the right time.

He earlier ended impressive resistance from 18-year-old England U-19 batter Ben Mayes when Kiwi wicket-keeper Mitchell Hay, full length to his right, pulled of an outstanding one-handed catch that would not have carried to slip. With Mayes gone for 25, Eddie Jack departed second ball before Abbott's swift demise.

On a pitch of impressive pace and carry, with the odd one lifting if a divot was found, it was a match relished by fast bowlers - and also by glovemen. Ben Brown's ten catches in the match equalled the Hampshire record of dismissals behind the stumps, shared with three others, and Hay's introduction to English cricket brought him seven.

A late signing when Kyle Verreynne was one of the South Africans summoned back for early international preparation, Hay 'enjoys' the bizarre, niche distinction of being one of 17 batters in world cricket (Joe Root is another) to have finished on 99 not out in a one-day international. A win on first championship outing was perhaps less frustrating.

No more than five points have separated the top two in the title race since May 18 and so it remains with Notts trailing Somerset by those four, potentially decisive points, as we go into the final two rounds. It is a matter of debate - and weather invariably has a say in autumn - but Notts, who next visit Hove to meet a Sussex side whose home record this season is strong, arguably have the hardest run it.

They finish at home to Yorkshire from September 24. Somerset for their part are away to Yorkshire before concluding at home to Surrey whilst the third contenders, Warwickshire, play two of the sides, Essex and Leicestershire in the present bottom three. Each of the trio must assume the other two will win twice and treat every point like gold dust.

For their part Hampshire, permanently lodged in the relegation zone since April 27, have the formidable task of trying to close a 32-point gap on eighth-placed Essex if they are to evade second-division cricket next year for the first summer since the 2014. Realistically this means at the least winning one and drawing the other of their reamaining matches against Leicestershire at Grace Road and then Sussex at home.

Only Somerset have bettered Hampshire's present run of eleven first-division summers without break in that period (there was no championship in 2020): every other side has dropped down for at least one campaign. They have finished within the top three in four out of the last half dozen tables but only avoided relegation by one point on the final day last year. It would be some achievement to do so again.