Sussex have plenty of work to do on the final day of their Championship match at home to Nottinghamshire.

The division one leaders at the start of the match will go into the final three sessions of the game 354 runs behind after an enthralling day at the County Ground.

Nottinghamshire, having recovered from 112-6 to post 356 in their first innings, closed on 304-9.

All three results are still possible but Nottinghamshire certainly have the edge at this stage and Sussex will be battling hard to retain their unbeaten start to the season.

Beginning the day on 290-6, Sussex’s last four wickets were blown away inside four overs.

Chris Jordan was first to depart, being run-out at the non-striker’s end after a mix-up with Ben Brown off the fourth ball of the morning.

Then Harry Gurney took centre stage by claiming a hat-trick, ripping through Brown, James Anyon and Monty Panesar all to slip catches as Sussex were dismissed for 306.

With a lead of 50, Nottinghamshire lost two early wickets, Magoffin having Alex Hales caught at mid-wicket by Luke Wright off his first delivery and then removing Michael Lumb to leave the visitors on 24-4.

However, James Taylor (97) and Australian Ed Cowan (81) then put on 151 for the third wicket to seemingly take the game away from Sussex, only for a good fightback in the final session from the hosts.

Chris Nash began it, dismissing Cowan in the penultimate over before tea, but Chris Jordan was the central character with a fiery spell of three wickets in 21 deliveries.

Monty Panesar then got in on the act, trapping Chris Read lbw, and Steve Magoffin (4-60) took two wickets in two balls but a quickfire 56 not out from the veteran Paul Franks helped Nottinghamshire to 304-9 at the close.