Nottinghamshire scored 320 on the first day of their LV= County Championship match against Durham at Trent Bridge, with James Taylor top-scoring with 97.
In reply the visitors had reached 34-1 by stumps.
On the day that his latest call-up for Lions duty was confirmed Taylor played a majestic innings, batting for just over four hours before falling just short of his second consecutive century.
Throughout the afternoon session Taylor shared a partnership with Steven Mullaney, who made 80 from juyst 100 deliveries.
“It was nice to get an opportunity”, he said. “Obviously it was disappointing not to kick on as it was a bit of a soft dismissal really but if you’d have offered me 80 at the start of the day I’d have taken it.”
Mullaney felt it wasn’t really an advantage knowing that he’d be starting his innings immediately after the lunch break.
“I prepared for the innings just as I would any other. It’s been going alright for me this season and hopefully it will continue. I worked on what I’d been doing throughout the winter and during pre-season and luckily it came off today.”
Paying tribute to his batting partner, Mullaney said he’d been having a lot of chats recently with Taylor.
“Too many really,” he laughed. “I’m living with him at the moment. He’s in the form of his life and showed real grit and determination in his teeth. He’s trying to get back to the top level and he’s got an opportunity next week with the Lions. Hopefully he’ll go well there but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be a big run-scorer this year.”
Nottinghamshire contributed to their own downfall during a morning session which produced 98 runs for the loss of four wickets.
Alex Hales (2) shouldered arms to one that nipped back from Graeme Onions and would, in the opinion of umpire Peter Willey, have gone on to hit the stumps.
Samit Patel (17), playing his 100th first class match for Nottinghamshire, ensured Durham went to lunch on a high by lifting Ben Stokes into the hands of Scott Borthwick at backward point.
Stokes’ day improved considerably after spilling Ed Cowan at third slip from the fifth ball of the opening over, bowled by Onions. He was then harshly dealt with on his introduction into the attack, with James Taylor picking him off for three consecutive boundaries before he claimed his first wicket, that of Michael Lumb (9) also to a leg before decision.
Cowan had recovered from his early scare to play a succession of sumptious shots, blazing his way to 40 out of the first 44 before falling to a stunning catch in the gully by Will Smith off Onions’ bowling.
Onions, returning to the scene of his 9-wicket haul a year ago, could have claimed a third wicket early in the afternoon but Stokes spilled a sharp chance off Steven Mullaney, again at third slip.
Mullaney had only 6 runs to his name at the time and the score was on 111 – the dreaded ‘Nelson’ but he made the visitors pay for giving him a life. Playing shots all around the wicket he raced to his half century from just 48 deliveries, with ten boundaries.
Two mighty sixes into the Hound Road Stand, both off consecutive Gareth Breese deliveries, brought up the 100 partnership, shortly before Taylor reached his own fifty (118 balls, 7x4).
Ironically 111 was on the board again when Durham made the eventual breakthrough – the size of the partnership between Mullaney and Taylor.
Mullaney had made 80 of them but nicked the first ball of a Mark Wood spell to Breese at slip. The same bowler accounted for Chris Read (2) shortly afterwards, in similar fashion, although this time it was Stokes at second slip who completed the dismissal.
Taylor moved within sight of his century during an enterprising partnership of 84 with Stuart Broad (46), who hit two sixes during a 49-ball cameo.
Within sight of the second new ball Notts lost both batsmen to successive deliveries. Taylor (97) edged behind off Breese, playing his first championship match since May 2010.
At the start of the next over Broad also fell to a catch by Breese at slip, this time off Stokes.
Ajmal Shahzad (2) and Luke Fletcher (2) both fell in quick succession to Chris Rushworth and the second new ball.
In the ten overs that remained in the day Durham lost Mark Stoneman (30) to a full delivery from Shahzad but Will Smith and nightwatchman Rushworth ensured there would be no further alarms.