1.21pm Batsmen's nerves were jangling again at Trent Bridge today, reports Mike Averis, as Nottinghamshire and Sussex entered the third and possibly final morning of a game in which everyone bar Matt Prior has struggled against a swinging ball moving around off a two-paced pitch. The value of Prior's 131 in the Sussex first innings has became more and more apparent as only two batsmen have passed fifty in seven sessions of play and three more wickets fell for 44 runs this morning before Prior steadied the Sussex ship and eased the lead to a handy 182 with five wickets.
Mike Yardy, dropped on Wednesday evening, added only 12 to his overnight score of 31 before he drove the ball back at Charlie Shreck to be caught and bowled. Murray Goodwin went four balls later, trying not to play Darren Pattinson, but getting a glove to one which moved back. And Chris Adams just about avoided another duck - his first scoring shot found a handy gap in the cover - before Mark Ealham's medium pace kept low, leaving the Sussex captain bang in front and 114 for five. By lunch Prior was on 25 and Luke Wright had managed one life - he was put down by Graeme Swann at first slip - and 18 runs and Sussex were 156 for six.
1.34pm It is three years since Mark Butcher opened the innings for Surrey, writes Paul Weaver at The Oval. Perhaps he should do it more often. Today he became only the fourth Surrey batsman to score a double century against Yorkshire, joining Jack Hobbs, Tom Hayward and Alec Stewart in a very special group. He was on 189 when Surrey resumed this morning on 396 for five. He was on 205 when he clipped Tim Bresnan hard and low to midwicket where Adil Rashid took a good catch. He had batted for six and a half hours and faced 289 deliveries and looked in splendid touch.
That made it 425 for six. Matt Nicholson was seventh out at 454 when he was bowled off his pads by Bresnan and Rana Naved, making his debut for Yorkshire, took the last Surrey wicket to fall when he bowled Jimmy Ormond. Surrey declared soon after that, at 466 for eight, in order to have a quick dart at the Yorkshire batsmen before lunch. It paid off because Pedro Collins struck when he had Joe Sayers lbw with only 22 on the board. It's going to be a long haul for the Yorkshire batsmen this afternoon and there's plenty of bounce to encourage the Surrey bowlers.
4.12pm On Tuesday, when wickets were tumbling around him, Matt Prior took 115 balls over his second century of the season, writes Mike Averis at Trent Bridge. Today he buckled down for three hours to produce a half century which brought the first whiff of a possible Sussex victory. There were just six boundaries and this time Prior needed his share of the seemingly endless charity being offered by Nottinghamshire's catchers. On 34, just before the new ball was taken, Prior played into and out of Matthew Wood's hands at short leg and 10 runs later he became one of the three chances put down by Will Jefferson standing at second slip.
Mushtaq Ahmed made good use of his life, clattering three unorthodox fours in an entertaining 20, but one chance that did stick was Luke Wright's attempted heave to leg, which went off bat and then pad into the slip cordon. Prior was the last man out, immediately before tea, bowled by Graeme Swann, for 64, then the second highest score of the game, during which he faced 142 balls and occupied the crease for 211 minutes. There were eight boundaries, including a six off Charlie Shreck over backward point. The last three wickets fell in four deliveries without a run being scored, leaving Nottinghamshire to chase 286 for their third victory of the season.
4.14pm Yorkshire have batted positively against some good quality Surrey bowling this afternoon, notes Paul Weaver. At tea they were 155 for three after 39 overs. Yorkshire do look a little short of classy batsmen, with Anthony McGrath and Jacques Rudolph obvious exceptions. McGrath was certainly the pick of their batters in the middle session today, with 54 from 54 balls (I've left my calculator in my car so I can't give you his precise scoring rate but it sounds as if it was pretty good).
He hit 11 fours and looked in no trouble against Pedro Collins and Saqlain Mushtaq. He was second out at 101, lbw to a delivery of full length from Collins. Adam Lyth, a left-hander who is playing his second game for the club, scored a determined, workmanlike 40 before he drove at an off-spinner and was well caught by Butcher at slip. Saqlain really is back to something approaching his best. He went into this game on top of Surrey's bowling averages with 18 wickets at 18.77.
