LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Trent Bridge:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Durham 218 and 87-4, Nottinghamshire 559-8 dec
Notts 8 pts, Durham 2 pts
Match scorecard

Chris Read (left) and Ali Brown both hit their first centuries of the season

County champions Durham are facing the prospect of a first defeat since August 2008 after Nottinghamshire batted themselves into a winning position.

Ali Brown and home skipper Chris Read both hit centuries and Paul Franks made 64 as Notts piled up 559-8 declared, to earn a 341-run first innings lead.

Brown (134) and Read (124no) put on 217 for the seventh wicket at Trent Bridge.

Notts then struck four times before the close to leave Durham in a mess on 87-4, still 254 runs adrift.

If the weather holds, Notts will start the final day as short-priced favourites to wrap up a fourth straight Championship win - and take over from Yorkshire at the top of Division One.

It could have all been a lot different earlier in the day after Notts lost three early wickets to slip to 226-6.

Notts skipper Read survived one chance on 87 when he was caught off a Ben Stokes no-ball, hitting 15 fours and a six on his way past 10,000 career runs.

But Brown, hitting his second hundred for Notts and the 46th of his first-class career, helped him put on 237 in just 42 overs.

That proved to be Nottinghamshire's second-highest seventh wicket stand - 226 of which came in the afternoon session.

In a chastening day for the defending champions, England bowlers Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett both conceded 100 runs.

Then came Read's declaration on the stroke of tea, giving his bowlers 32 overs to have a go at the visitors - and they reaped an unexpectedly high reward.

Last season's top Durham run scorer Michael Di Venuto shared a stand of 49 with Kyle Coetzer before Darren Pattinson removed him for 29.

Skipper Will Smith and former captain Dale Benkenstein followed cheaply and then Durham also lost Coetzer just before the close when he was lbw to Charlie Shreck for 45.

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