Nottinghamshire have positioned themselves for their first victory of the County Championship title defence after a commanding performance against promoted Glamorgan at Trent Bridge, highlighted by Joe Clarke's impressive century.
On day two, the Division One champions swiftly dismantled Glamorgan's batting lineup, taking six wickets in under an hour and a quarter to bowl them out for 113. Seamers Fergus O'Neill and Brett Hutton were instrumental, each claiming four wickets.
Opting not to enforce the follow-on despite a 166-run lead, Nottinghamshire faced early trouble in their second innings, stumbling to 8-2. However, a resilient 177-run partnership between Clarke and Ben Slater (70) steadied the ship. Clarke's 136, his first century of the season and 25th in first-class cricket, propelled the hosts to 284-9, setting a daunting target of 450.
"The day played out less well for England's Ben Duckett, who was run out for just a single after scoring 25 in his first innings back with Nottinghamshire, as he looks to rebuild confidence following a disappointing Ashes series," noted observers.
Glamorgan's hopes of a comeback were dashed as they collapsed from 81-4 overnight, losing their last six wickets for a mere 26 runs. O'Neill's early strikes set the tone, while Hutton efficiently cleaned up the tail, leaving the Welsh county with a mountain to climb in the remaining days.