Nottinghamshire 241 (Patel 100, Finn 4-54) and 24 for 0 lead Middlesex 247 (Gubbins 75, Ball 5-66) by 18 runsScorecard It was more constrictor than cobra, more glacier than waterfall but, if Middlesex do go on to win the County Championship title this season, they may look back on Nick Gubbins innings here as a key contribution.With Yorkshire passing 400 at Leeds and Middlesex reeling at 81 for 5, this could have been the day their title challenge fell away. But through Gubbins skill and determination, they will resume on day three with the match in the balance and their first Championship title since 1993 still attainable.Gubbins has already contributed heavily this season. With 1122 Championship runs at an average of almost 60, he is not only his clubs highest run-scorer, but the fourth highest in the top division. He has played three fewer innings than all above him.But many of those runs have been scored on the slow and flat - the painfully slow and flat - surface at Lords. And while Angus Fraser, Middlesexs director of cricket, reasons that such surfaces may benefit his team in the long-term (they give batsmen confidence and teach bowlers the value of control, he suggests), they can also inflate the records of some of those playing there.Here, though, in conditions where the ball moved all day for the seamers and on a slow, used surface that provided assistance to two spinners with international wickets to their name, he was forced to prove his quality in far less benign circumstances. And, after an opening over hat-trick on the first evening, he did it under the pressure of knowing his team needed him more than ever.It was, as he admitted himself, a bit of a grind at times. He went, at one stage, 38 overs without a boundary and 80 deliveries over the accumulation of five runs. His share of the stand of 42 with Stevie Eskinazi was just five and his half-century took 187 balls.But it was, in its way, compelling viewing. Forced to play straight and wait for the poor ball - and Nottinghamshire made him wait a long time - he refused to be drawn into playing away from his body and refused to let his impatience or frustration change his approach. For a 22-year-old, it was an impressively disciplined, selfless effort. Without it, Middlesex would have been in deep trouble.Gubbins is a batsman with far more to him than grim defence and crease occupation. He made his breakthrough as a List A batsman (he averaged 56.50 in that format in 2015) and has scored his Championship runs at a rate of 53.27 this season. He has a a trademark force off the hips - a stroke he can play on the ground or in the air off a good length ball on off stump - that can make a bowler wonder why he bothers.But reasoning that he is in this game for the long-haul, he has decided that such strokes are, for now, low-percentage. He has decided, like many top-order players before him, to play within himself (that shot forces my head too far over to the off side, he explains) and concentrate on a tight defence before worrying himself about domination. In conditions like this such a method will serve him - and, one day perhaps, England - well.There were still some elegant shots. When Brett Hutton dropped short he was cut, when Jake Ball - a little off colour, despite the five-wicket haul - he was driven. Imran Tahirs odd loose balls were similarly punished. As Gubbins put it: I never really felt I had dropped anchor, but they bowled very well, had in out fields and we had to battle hard to reach parity.It was no surprise to hear that he has been spending time with Nick Compton. There were times here when this was much like watching Compton of 2012 vintage: a watertight defence and love for batting slowly breaking down the bowlers and feeding off their mistakes. Its old school but it works.Such feats of concentration and mental and physical endurance can wear any player. It may be that both Compton and Jonathan Trott one day look back on their careers and reflect that they simply exhausted themselves. But, for now at least, Gubbins has the energy and the talent to relish the battle. If he can sustain it, he will be prove of great service to country as well as club.Notts looked far better than a bottom of the table team. Hutton produced a beauty to account for John Simpson - the ball swung in, pitched and moved just enough to beat what appeared to be a perfectly respectable forward defensive stroke and hit the top of off stump - while Harry Gurney bowled impressively dry and delivered four maidens in succession at one stage.If Dawid Malan felt himself unfortunate to be given out leg before - he held his head in his hands with disappointment - James Franklin felt to a loose upper cut to deep backward point and Eskinazi was well beaten by Imran. Gubbins fine innings was eventually ended by Huttons first over with the second new ball, when he was forced to play another beauty that swung in, held in the pitch and took the edge.Notts are not out of this game. With a potent leg-spinner to call upon, Middlesex face a tough challenge in the fourth innings on a used pitch. If Notts can just bat a little better in their second innings - and they started brightly - the great escape remains a distant possibility.Meanwhile Mick Newell, who is soon to be director of cricket at Nottinghamshire, hinted that a place could be found for James Taylor on the clubs coaching staff. Taylor, who was forced to retire with immediate effect in April after being diagnosed with a serious heart condition, has made no secret of his desire to try his hand at coaching.Notts have missed not just his runs, but his experience and spirit this season. While a role as a full time coach seems unlikely, it seems a part-time position mentoring young batsmen - especially in white ball cricket - could be created.Hes interested and theres scope for him to work with us, Newell said. I think he can work with young batters like Tom Moores. We lost a lot of mental toughness when he went. It was a big loss. Discount Air Jordan Australia Online . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. Wholesale Air Jordan Australia Free Shipping . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. http://www.airjordancheapaustralia.com/ . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. Authentic Air Jordan Australia Shoes . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Nike Air Jordan Australia Outlet . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks finally got a shutdown performance from their bullpen, then benefited from a bases-loaded walk to end a long night and a four-game losing streak.Welington Castillo drew a one-out walk to drive in Paul Goldschmidt with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning, sending the Diamondbacks to a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.Goldschmidt led off the inning with a single off Blaine Boyer (1-2) and moved to second on Jake Lambs single. One out later, David Peralta reached on an error to load the bases and Castillo walked on a 3-1 pitch from Boyer.It was a tough pitch. I am glad he didnt swing at it period because it might have been a double play ball, Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale said. That was the zone all night. We saw that. That was at the bottom a little bit below the knees. He wasnt calling that. He (umpire Jeff Kellogg) was very consistent that way.Boyer had some words for Kellogg as he headed into the dugout.I asked him how his familys doing, and he said theyre doing good, Boyer joked. Thats what we do as pitchers, right? We think the umpires are wrong every time. Im sure that call could have gone either way. Its 100 percent on me. I didnt make my pitches when I needed to make them and that one hurts.Reliever Adam Loewen (1-0) struck out two in a scoreless inning for his first win with the Diamondbacks. Loewen and five other relievers held the Brewers scoreless on two hits for five innings after three rocky outings from the bullpen in a series sweep by Washington.The bullpen, that was a big night for us, Hale said. Everybody looked good that came in did the job. The whole group. We have been tying to figure this thing out. To have some success is what you can build on.Yasmany Tomas hit two solo home runs, going deep for the third straight game, for Arizona. He has a major league-leading six multi-home run games this season.The Brewers failed to score in the top of the first despite a leadoff double by Jonathan Villar, who took third on an error by Tomas in left field. Villar was thrown out at home plate on a ground ball to shortstop, ramming into Arizona catcher Castillo on the tag.Tomas homer in the second put the Diamondbacks up 1-0.It is all about the way I am working. I am working really hard to make a good selection, on a good pittch, Tomas said through a translator.ddddddddddddilwaukee tied it in the fourth on a two-out single by Orlando Arcia, his first major-league hit and RBI. Hernan Perez scored on the play.Arcia was awarded third base when Diamondbacks second baseman Jean Segura, a former Brewer, threw the ball from Arcias hit into the Milwaukee dugout before time had been called. Segura was charged with an error.He just threw the ball in right away. The play wasnt over yet, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.Tomass 21st home run of the season cleared the right-field fence in the bottom of the fourth, giving Arizona a 2-1 lead. But the Brewers drew even on a long pinch-hit home run to lead off the seventh by Keon Broxton off Diamondbacks starter Braden Shipley.Peralta took extra bases away from Arcia in the top of the ninth, reaching up to catch a fly ball near the fence. Kirk Niewenhuis dove to take a hit away from Castillo in the bottom of the ninth.Chase Anderson allowed two runs and four hits in six innings against his former team, striking out five and walking two.Shipley walked six in six-plus innings, allowing two runs and four hits.TRAINERS ROOMBrewers: OF Domingo Santana has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 8 with right elbow soreness. ... INF Will Middlebrooks (lower right leg strain) is eligible to come of the 15-day DL on Aug. 9 and RHP Jacob Barnes (right elbow soreness) on Aug. 10.Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke is set to come off the disabled list in time to start next Tuesday in New York against the Mets. Hes been out with a left oblique strain since late June. ... OF A.J. Pollock, who suffered a fractured right elbow just before the season started, was set to hit in a local minor-league game Friday night and could make his season debut before Sept. 1, Hale said. ... OF Socrates Brito was reinstated from the 15-day DL and optioned to Reno after the game.UP NEXTBrewers: RHP Matt Garza (2-4) will make his second start of the season against Arizona. Hes 5-2 with a 2.88 career earned run average in nine appearances against the Diamondbacks.Diamondbacks: Patrick Corbin (4-10) faces Milwaukee on Saturday. Hes 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA in five career games against the Brewers. ' ' '