NOTTINGHAMSHIRE will need to surpass their third highest fourth innings total of all time if they are to beat Kent on the final day of a cut and thrust Frizzell Championship match at Trent Bridge.

The first division leaders were set a massive target of 416 from a possible 117 overs, but now face a mammoth task having lost opener Martin Bicknell in the closing stages of Sunday night’s play.

The former Surrey left-hander fenced at a lifting delivery from new overseas recruit Andrew Hall to be caught at second slip and leave the Division 1 leaders with a mountain to climb if they are to prevent Kent from recording their first win.

It was just about the first thing that had gone right for Hall since his arrival from the Caribbean and a largely inactive tour of the West Indies.

Having bagged a pair on his Kent debut, he was caught at long leg hooking in the first innings and padded up to a straight one in the second, he suffered further misfortune with the ball.

In an aggressive stint in fading light he found the shoulder of Jason Gallian’s bat only to see the ball evade Min Patel at gully and Matthew Walker at point to go for four.

But in his next over the South African found Bicknell’s edge for Hall's former Test team-mate Martin van Jaarsveld to complete the dismissal with a sharp catch at second slip.

Shortly afterwards drizzle and lightning bolts sent the players scurrying from the pitch with the hosts on 46 for one, needing a further 370 to force an unlikely last day win.

Earlier Kent had strengthened their position in the match by reaching 298 for eight in their second innings at a healthy rate of almost 4.2 an over before David Fulton’s declaration.

Fulton led the way with his second half-century of the game, but Rob Key, Matt Walker and Darren Stevens all missed out on joining their skipper.

The icing on the Kent cake came with an attractive eighth wicket stand worth 72 in 17 overs between little and large partners Simon Cook (38) and Patel (37 not out).

It was an unusually fluent end to an innings that promised much and offered little by way of match-winning knocks with only one man passing 50.

Key was disgusted to give up his wicket to a wild drive, then Walker and Stevens followed suit and continued the overall pattern of the game by adding to their own downfalls.

Walker fenced at a wide out-swinger from Mark Ealham then Stevens, who has yet to convert several good starts into a major innings, missed a slog sweep to go leg before.

On a pitch that offers help to seamers and spinners alike and with excessive bounce to be extracted by the quicks, Kent must now rate their chances of toppling the leaders quite highly.

SCOREBOARD

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Read b Sidebottom 57
RWT Key c Hussey b Sidebottom 32
M van Jaarsveld c Read b Sidebottom 0
M J Walker lbw b Newby 50
D I Stevens lbw b Ealham 33
A Hall c Gallian b Newby 0
N O’Brien c Read b Sidebottom 64
S J Cook b Patel 0

M M Patel c Read b Ealham 22
A Khan c Fleming b Sidebottom 19
M J Saggers not out 12
Extras 11

Total 301 all out after 102.2 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-81, 2-85, 3-126, 4-159, 5-167, 6-189, 7-192

Bowling: Sidebottom 27.2-9-61-5, Newby 20-6-79-2, Ealham 24-5-69-2, Clough 17-2-45-0, Patel 14-2-37-1.

Nottinghamshire first innings

D J Bicknell run out (Fulton) 63
J E R Gallian c O’Brien b Cook 18
A Singh c Hall b Saggers 11
S P Fleming c Fulton b Khan 24
D J Hussey c O’Brien b Cook 23
C M W Read c van Jaarsfeld b Cook 0
M A Ealham c van Jaarsveld b Cook 0
S R Patel c Khan b Hall 12
R J Sidebottom c Cook b Khan 0
G D Clough not out 14
O J Newby c Walker b Cook 11
Extras 6

Total 184 all out after 64 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-80, 3-118, 4-134, 5-135, 6-146, 7-146, 8-166, 9-168

Bowling: Saggers 17-3-66-1, Khan 12-1-38-2, Cook 18-5-44-5, Hall 16-3-33-1, Patel 1-0-2-0.

Kent second innings

D P Fulton c Read b Sidebottom 51
RWT Key c Hussey b Newby 32
M van Jaarsveld b Clough 0
M J Walker c Read b Ealham 48

D I Stevens lbw b Patel 47
A Hall lbw b Patel 0
N O’Brien b Patel 8
S J Cook c Ealham b Newby 38
M M Patel not out 37
A Khan not out 5
Extras 32

Total 298 for eight declared after 72 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-77, 2-78, 3-136, 4-181, 5-188, 6-209, 7-216, 8-290.

Bowling: Sidebottom 14-4-35-1, Newby 15-1-78-2, Ealham 15-2-47-1, Clough 7-0-39-1, Patel 21-6-73-3.

Nottinghamshire second innings

D J Bicknell c van Jaarsveld b Hall 17
J E R Gallian not out 22
A Singh not out 7
Extras 0

Total 46 for one after 11 overs

Fall of wickets: 1-37.

Bonus points: Kent 6 points, Nottinghamshire 3 points.