Mark Ealham took seven second innings wickets as Nottinghamshire secured top spot in Division One by beating Yorkshire.
Lyth heroics in vein as deadly Ealham inspires Outlaws
LV County Championship - Division OneTrent Bridge
Nottinghamshire 213 (M J Wood 58) & 350 (B M Shafayat 62, S R Patel 60, M A Wagh 60, G P Swann 57, A U Rashid 4-96) v Yorkshire 161 (C E Shreck 5-58) & 290 (A Lyth 132, M A Ealham 7-59)
Nottinghamshire (18pts) beat Yorkshire (3pts) by 112 runs Mark Ealham took seven second innings wickets as Nottinghamshire secured top spot in Division One of the LV County Championship with a 112-run win over Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. The evergreen all-rounder ripped through the Tykes' batting order before a seventh-wicket partnership of 93 between Adam Lyth and Tim Bresnan threatened to propel the visitors to the most unlikely of victories. However, when Andre Adams trapped Lyth in front for a career-best 132 and Ealham removed Bresnan the following over, Notts' place at the Division One summit was imminent. Ealham then went on to dismiss both Deon Kruis and Matthew Hoggard in identical fashion to complete a dramatic final day victory and help Notts leapfrog Kent, Somerset and Durham at the top of the table. The Notts all-rounder's best figures for 12 years now mean that Yorkshire find themselves perilously poised just 11 points above the relegation zone with seven games remaining. Day Three Yorkshire suffered a late batting collapse to leave themselves with a lot to do heading into the final day of their Division One clash with Nottinghamshire. Set a target of 403 in the final four sessions, the visitors were making good progress when Chris Taylor (48) and Adam Lyth were at the crease. The duo put on 73 following the early loss of Joe Sayers but, with an unlikely run chase suddenly becoming a possibility, they lost three wickets with the score stuck on 75. Mark Ealham claimed all three, including Jacques Rudolph and Andrew Gale for ducks - as the Tykes closed on 107-4, Lyth unbeaten on 35. They still need another 296 to win after Notts managed to make 350 in their second innings despite losing overnight batsman Mark Wagh early after he had added only four runs to his overnight total of 56. Samit Patel (60) and Graeme Swann (57) both notched half-centuries against a Yorkshire attack that was minus the injured Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. Day Two Nottinghamshire out-performed Yorkshire to take charge on day two of their LV County Championship Division One match at Trent Bridge. Dominance was secured both batting and bowling, with Charlie Shreck (5-58) earning his team a 52-run first-innings lead. Then, Bilal Shafayat (62) and Mark Wagh (56no) shared a second-wicket stand of 103 as the hosts moved to 146-2 by stumps. Yorkshire resumed on a shaky 72-5 and then slumped again, this time to 95-8 before handy ninth and 10th-wicket stands carried them to 161 all out. Matthew Hoggard then managed an early breakthrough in Notts' second innings by pinning Matt Wood lbw on the back foot. Thereafter, though, Shafayat and Wagh dug in and became increasingly untroubled, with the latter reaching his 50 in three balls fewer than his partner's 125. Shafayat went in freak circumstances, to a catch by Rana Naved-ul-Hasan running round from mid-on to collect a ricochet as the batsman hit a drive straight back at Hoggard. Day One Nottinghamshire's record of low first innings totals at Trent Bridge continued as they were bowled out for 213 by Yorkshire on day one, but they still hold an advantage after the visitors crumbled to 72-5 at the close. The Division One match may not last too long if the opening day is anything to go by, with 15 wickets falling in what was undoubtedly a day for the bowlers. Notts opener Matthew Wood was the only man to reach fifty as he made 58 while Adam Voges and Graeme Swann made the only other notable partnership of 59 for the fifth wicket. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan took 3-65 while Matthew Hoggard and young spinner Adel Rashid both took two apiece. 213 looked anything but challenging for Yorkshire but they struggled badly after Chris Taylor's dismissal put them on 1-1 early on. Charlie Shreck and Mark Ealham both struck twice and despite a fifty partnership between Adam Lyth and Jacques Rudolph Yorkshire closed on a poor 72-5 and in deep trouble. Still 141 runs behind with just five wickets left, Yorkshire will have a job to get back on level terms on day two, if Notts' bowlers continue in the same fashion.