Patel takes career best 7-68 but Notts draw with Hants
Last updated on .From the section Counties
| LV= County Championship Division One, The Rose Bowl |
| Match Drawn. Hampshire 213 & 171, Nottinghamshire 183 & 198-6 |
| Hampshire 7pts, Nottinghamshire 6pts, |
| Match scorecard |
Samit Patel took a career-best 7-68 but county champions Nottinghamshire were forced to settle for a draw against bottom side Hampshire at The Rose Bowl.
Notts came close to inflicting a sixth defeat of the season on their hosts after bowling out Hampshire for 171, to set a target of 202 to win in 72 overs.
But, with a controversial wicket still offering assistance to the spinners, they finished four runs short on 198-6.
Adam Voges made 79, while opener Riki Wessels weighed in with a dogged 43.
Winless Hampshire, who have only picked up 47 points in nine Championship matches, later discovered for the state of the pitch at The Rose Bowl after 26 wickets fell in two days, mostly to the spinners.
The pitch was found to have "demonstrated excessive turn" - and the deduction only increases Hampshire's relegation fears.
Hampshire began the final day at 86-6, with a lead of 116, and Patel already in possession of a 'five-for', but he was made to wait for his next breakthrough as the home side rallied.
In total, they added 85 precious runs for the last four wickets, fuelled chiefly by reserve wicketkeeper Michael Bates (31) and Chris Wood (28).
But Patel removed both men, Bates being last out, to finish with match figures of 11-111, his seven-wicket second innings haul bettering his previous best 6-84 against Sussex two years ago.
Nottinghamshire looked in trouble when they lost Neil Edwards in the last over before lunch to a slip catch off Tahir.
Worse was to follow soon after the restart when David Griffiths bowled Alex Hales and Notts were reduced to 14-3 when Patel was caught behind.
Wessels, who batted almost 63 overs for his 43, and Voges repaired the damage with a stand of 130 for the fourth wicket.
But, against some tight bowling and excellent fielding, they went too slowly to force victory, putting pressure on the later batsmen.
Notts still required 42 from the last four overs. But, having whittled that down to 11 from the last, Mullaney, searching for the boundary his team required, was stumped by Bates off Tahir.
Read and Andre Adams then needed six off the last three balls but could only manage two between them.
