LINCOLNSHIRE captain Paul Cook believes a positive approach from the top order batsmen will ensure his side seal the Minor Counties Championship title today.

The Imp County ended the third day yesterday on six without loss in their second innings chasing 254 to win, exactly the same total they scored in the first innings.

With the fourth-day pitch at Dean Park, in Bournemouth, likely to offer turn for Dorset spinners Max Waller and Jack Leach, Cook (pictured below) believes the best tactic is for his side to play with their normal, attacking style.

"We are definitely going to play positively," he declared.

"We don't want to be nudging and nurdling around like their top order did, we want to be playing our shots.

"The top order are all attacking batsmen and that is how we are going to play."

Apart from Vikram Atri who scored a century on Monday, the Lincs top order failed to fire in the first innings, something Cook is determined they will put right today.

"We've got a lot of lads in the top order, myself included, who have got something to prove in this game, as we didn't come off in the first innings," he said.

"We're all determined to put an individual score on the board to help the total. We don't want to be relying on the bottom order again."

Lincs could have been chasing a far smaller total as a superb middle session saw them reduce the home side to 130 for four at tea, then soon after the break Dorset were 159 for seven.

However, an 82-run partnership between number seven Matt Metcalfe and number nine Ed Denham saw them to a decent total of 262.

"I would have settled for chasing that score. We are happy to be chasing 250 on the final day," said Cook.

"After lunch I think that was the best session we have had all year.

"For them to come out of that session only four wickets down, I think they got away with it a bit.

"We had a few real close shouts which weren't given again. We thought they could have been six down going into tea.

"Fair play to their two lads, they batted really well. But we stuck with it, waited for the new ball and then got them all out."

There were concerns before the game that the Dean Park pitch would not last four days, but it played fairly well yesterday and provided yet another evenly-balanced contest between the two sides.

"The pitch was all right. Considering we are going into the fourth day it is playing quite well," said Cook.