Adams celebrating as Red Rose champions wilt

Nottinghamshire secured their third win of the LV= County Championship season by wrapping up a convincing 185-run victory over struggling Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Resuming the final day on 39-5, needing a further 289 runs for what would have been an unlikely victory, Lancashire were bowled out for 142 in their second innings before lunch.

Andre Adams, who took a career-best 7-32 in Lancashire’s first innings, recorded his sixth 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket as he finished with 3-18 off 12 overs, Stuart Broad claimed 3-67 and England team-mates Graeme Swann and Samit Patel took two wickets apiece.

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It leaves last season’s champions Lancashire third from bottom of the Division One table having lost three and drawn one of their opening four fixtures.

Gareth Cross and Luke Procter, the not out batsmen overnight, survived the opening 40 minutes of the day before Adams struck, trapping wicketkeeper Cross lbw for 19.

The New Zealander had a hand in the next wicket, too, as a delivery from Broad seemed to loop up off the forearm of Tom Smith – who was batting with a runner having suffered a hamstring injury on the opening morning of the match – and Adams took a comfortable catch at third slip to leave Lancashire 88-7.

Procter tried to lead a fightback for the home side as he and captain Glen Chapple, who launched Swann for six over mid-off to take his side into three figures, put on 39 for the eighth wicket.

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But the England off-spinner got his revenge off the last ball of the 45th over when Chapple, who had reached 26 from 27 balls, went down the pitch, missed, and was bowled.

James Anderson, having fallen to a first-ball duck to his friend Swann in the first innings, survived seven deliveries in his second before he was caught by Alex Hales at slip off the first ball he faced from another England team-mate, Patel.

With nine-wickets down just before the interval, Nottinghamshire – who clinched the 2010 title in the last Championship match to be played on this renovated ground – were allowed to delay the lunch break and complete the victory.

The visitors confirmed the 19 points when Simon Kerrigan chipped a delivery from Patel straight to Broad at mid-on, leaving Procter not out on 41.