As they set off in pursuit of a target of 393, Lancashire tripped up almost immediately when Paul Horton was run out from the third ball, sent back firmly by Karl Brown, his opening partner. The throw came in from square leg, where Mark Wagh completed a fine personal day, having earlier hit an attacking century that set up the declaration.

With David Hussey, Wagh added 141 in 24 overs for the fourth wicket, reaching his hundred from 131 balls, with eight fours and three sixes.

Hussey added 74 to the 126 he scored in the first innings, a tidy aggregate of 200 runs in his first championship match back with Nottinghamshire. If Australia need to call on a back-up batsman, he will be among the leading contenders.

In the morning, Lancashire had been bowled out for 285, losing their last four wickets for 24 runs, two of them to Ryan Sidebottom. Today, he will hope to bowl Lancashire out and keep his dream of Ashes selection alive.

Mark Ealham, with his skiddy swing, took the last two wickets to fall to finish with five for 31. Ealham will be 40 next month, but he is a bowler far too often underestimated by batsmen.

Without Sajid Mahmood, who is away with England Lions, Lancashire's attack looked toothless on an unforgiving pitch. Gary Keedy, the left-arm spinner, found turn, but it was too slow to cause consternation. Even when Keedy switched to bowl over the wicket into the rough, hoping to stem the flow of runs, Hussey was able to shuffle into line and drive him high into the second tier of the Radcliffe Road stand, a mighty blow.

Complementing Hussey's muscle, Wagh played with rather more finesse, driving languidly down the ground and pulling with ease. He, too, drove Keedy straight for six and reached his hundred by hitting him over the rope at midwicket. He had made 131 from 177 balls when he fell to a tumbling catch by Mark Chilton at mid-on off Kyle Hogg.

In the hot sun, Lancashire's fielders began to wilt and Nottinghamshire, building on their first-innings lead of 103, eventually declared on 289 for seven, leaving themselves six overs to start their push for victory.

Horton's self-inflicted demise gave them exactly the start they wanted and it looks like a scrap for survival for Lancashire today.

Nottinghamshire: First Innings 388 (D J Hussey 126, A D Brown 54)

Second Innings
W I Jefferson b Newby 2
B M Shafayat c sub b Keedy 30
M A Wagh c Chilton b Hogg 131
S R Patel lbw b Hogg 1
D J Hussey b Chapple 74
A D Brown c Sutton b Chapple 7
*† C M W Read not out 21
M A Ealham c Sutton b Keedy 5
R J Sidebottom not out 0
Extras (b 8, lb 5, w 1, nb 4) 18
Total (7 wkts dec, 67 overs) 289
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-72, 3-79, 4-220, 5-230, 6-275, 7-280.
Bowling: Chapple 16-2-69-2; Newby 6-0-32-1; Keedy 27-1-98-2; Hogg 13-1-49-2; Croft 3-0-21-0; Brown 2-0-7-0.

Lancashire: First Innings (overnight 237-6)
†L D Sutton c Read b Sidebottom 34
*G Chapple b Sidebottom 55
K W Hogg not out 17
O J Newby b Ealham 4
G Keedy c and b Ealham 0
Extras (b 1, lb 6, w 2, nb 10) 19
Total (107 overs) 285
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-31, 3-112, 4-126, 5-158, 6-186, 7-261, 8-274, 9-283.
Bowling: Sidebottom 26-8-60-2; Pattinson 18-7-55-1; Shreck 27-5-86-1; Ealham 18-6-31-5; Patel 18-4-46-1.

Second Innings
K R Brown not out 11
P J Horton run out 0
K W Hogg not out 11
Extras 0
Total (1 wkt, 6 overs) 22
Fall of wicket: 1-1.
Bowling: Sidebottom 3-0-8-0; Pattinson 3-0-14-0.
Umpires: R A Kettleborough and G Sharp.