Patterson-White turns the screw as Yorkshire face final-day battle

Liam Patterson-White claimed the key wickets of Adam Lyth, Dawid Malan and James Wharton during the third evening to keep league leaders Nottinghamshire on course for another Rothesay County Championship victory having set Yorkshire a 463-target at Headingley.

Yorkshire made a confident start to their unlikely pursuit, reaching 114 for one after tea, with opener Lyth contributing 44.

But Patterson-White's left-arm spin was introduced, and after 11 balls he had removed Lyth caught behind cutting and Malan bowled for 12 playing back to one that turned appreciably. He later had Wharton lbw for 58.

Struggling Yorkshire are aiming to avoid a fourth defeat in seven Division One games and closed on 176 for five from 56.3 overs, needing 287 more. Nottinghamshire are chasing a fourth win in seven.

The visitors, for whom Dillon Pennington struck in the day's final over, declared their second innings on 393 for eight midway through the afternoon, Joe Clarke top-scoring with a fluent 94 off 121 balls.

Ben Coad finished with with three for 64 for Yorkshire as they were set the task of achieving the highest successful run chase by any side in first-class history at Headingley and also the county's highest at any venue.

Hampshire chased 404 to win here in 2006. In 2005, Yorkshire had chased the same target to beat Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Notts started the day on 227 for three, leading by 296, with Clarke on 73 - his second half-century of the fixture.

It wasn't entirely plain-sailing progression for the visitors during the first half of a day interrupted by a couple of brief morning rain showers.

But the hard work had been done with the bat during the afternoon and evening sessions of day two, putting them into a position where a defeat was highly unlikely.

Clarke fell narrowly short of what would have been a deserved second century in as many matches, ending a 95-run fourth-wicket stand with Jack Haynes when he was trapped lbw on the back pad by Jordan Thompson - 268 for four.

That wicket fell just before the new ball was taken, and just afterwards Haynes was brilliantly caught behind one-handed by Harry Duke for 43 off an inside-edge.

Kyle Verreynne edged Jack White to second slip just before lunch, where Notts reached at 318 for six, leading by 397.

The visitors became increasingly aggressive after the break, with Patterson-White and Lyndon James both holing out to mid-on and mid-off against White and Coad. The latter fell to an excellent diving catch on the run from White at mid-off as the score slipped to 333 for eight, a lead of 402.

The lead was then boosted to the tune of 60 inside eight overs as Brett Hutton, in particular, and Pennington went in search of quick runs prior to a declaration.

Hutton crashed four fours and two sixes in 44 not out off 26 balls as Yorkshire had to contend with the loss seam-bowling all-rounder Thompson midway through his 16th over with what looked like a side issue.

Yorkshire will be sweating on his fitness ahead of the start of the Vitality Blast later this week.

The White Rose then started their chase well.

Opener Lyth's 44 meant he followed Notts' opener and captain Haseeb Hameed to the 700-run mark in Division One this summer. They are the two batters leading the way in the top-flight.

Lyth shared 40 with Fin Bean, who was first to go for 17 when trapped lbw by Pennington.

Either side of tea, the left-hander then shared 74 for the second with Wharton.

However, Patterson-White's intervention - getting Lyth and Malan - dampened any rising Yorkshire hopes, leaving the score at 132 for three in the 31st over.

Wharton reached his fifth fifty of the season off 75 balls, but he followed not longer after as he was trapped in front playing forwards against the same bowler with the score on 160.

Patterson-White finished with an excellent three for 25 from 14 overs, and Pennington had Duke caught behind with what proved the day's final ball to further strengthen Nottinghamshire's position.