Another ruthlessly efficient bowling performance from Nottinghamshire swept them to their fifth victory of the Specsavers County Championship season and strengthened their lead at the top of the Division Two table.

After being bowled out for 134 in their first innings Leicestershire struggled just as badly the second time around, and with Ben Raine unable to bat due to injury, they succumbed for exactly the same total, to lose by an innings and 280.

Luke Fletcher took three for 16 and James Pattinson bagged three for 38 as the match was wrapped up just after lunch on the third day.

Clint McKay hit his way to an unbeaten 41 from 24 balls but by then the contest was almost over.

Head Coach Peter Moores was more than happy with the Nottighamshire performance. 

“It was a real good win," he said. 

"Credit to the groundsman; I think he got the pitch right. There was some pace in it and it went through nicely.

"There was a very good batting display based around an outstanding innings by Samit Patel, backed up by partnerships all the way through the innings and then obviously two very good bowling displays.”

Moores also hailed the performances of Samit Patel and James Pattinson.

“You have purple patches but what is really nice is when there is a hunger to really cash in when you are in that form," he said. 

"The really impressive thing about Samit for me is his desire to go big and make a real difference, both in one-day and four-day cricket.

"In this game he wanted to bat right the way through and make sure we got a significant score, so credit to him and the way he is playing at the moment.”

“Leicester have been unfortunate because we’ve had very strong bowling attacks both times and the lads have bowled really well.

He added: "Jimmy leads the attack and there’s a total commitment to the game. It’s lovely to see an international bowler do that at first class level. He plays at 100 per cent whatever the situation might be.”

Stuart Broad only bowled one over before leaving the field but by that stage the visitors were five wickets down and spiralling to their second heavy defeat against Notts this season.

Broad’s absence was due to a niggling heel injury that will be monitored over the next few days but Moores assured that the seamer could have carried on if he was needed.

“If the situation was different he could have pushed through,” he said.

“But there was no need to, so he went off so he could have treatment on it.”

Pattinson had helped himself to five Foxes wickets during the previous day and needed only five deliveries to add to his tally as Leicestershire began their second innings after being made to follow-on 414 behind.

The Australian speedster took eight wickets when the sides met at Leicester in early April and another four in the Royal London One-Day Cup clash between the two sides at Welbeck.

He made the early breakthrough by having Paul Horton caught behind for six.

Jake Ball also struck in his opening over, with Brendan Taylor taking a sharp catch at third slip to remove Harry Dearden, who has fallen for 12,0,6 and 0 against Notts this season.

Mark Cosgrove made 22 before falling lbw in Luke Fletcher’s first over to leave the innings in tatters at 49 for three.

Fletcher struck twice more, dismissing Colin Ackermann by the same method and then had Mark Pettini caught at second slip.

Steven Mullaney removed Ned Eckersley for 20 and with the final ball of the morning session Pattinson nipped out Lewis Hill to bring the finishing line even closer.

Hill had received treatment earlier in the over after being struck on the helmet and had earlier survived a catch at slip after the umpires ruled it had come off the fore-arm rather than the glove or bat.

McKay hit Mullaney for two sixes in a bold act of defiance but at the other end Dieter Klein was yorked by Pattinson and then Gavin Griffiths nicked Ball into the hands of second slip, condemning Leicestershire to their heaviest innings loss since 1932.

Nottinghamshire gained the full 24 points from their victory and face promotion rivals Kent under the Trent Bridge floodlights next week, whilst Leicestershire only gathered two bonus points ahead of their next fixture against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

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