Nottinghamshire reached stumps on 131 for two on the second day of their LV= county championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
James Taylor, with an unbeaten 54, and Michael Lumb, undefeated on 50, added 84 together in the closing 21 overs of the day.
Earlier, the home side had closed their first innings on 463 all out, with Laurie Evans making a career-best 178 and Ateeq Javid contributing 83 during a seventh wicket stand of 199.
“Maybe we got into setting too many funky fields." Mick Newell
For the second day running only six wickets fell, something that Mick Newell hopes will continue.
“If it happens again, it means we will still be batting tomorrow night,” said the director of cricket.
“Maybe we got into setting too many funky fields and tried to be too clever for our own good because Warwickshire’s game plan is obvious, it’s consistent and it’s what won them the championship last year.”
Resuming their first innings on 254 for six Warwickshire’s Laurie Evans and Ateeq Javid made steady progress for the first half hour of the day but were then nearly undone by a run out.
Immediately after a short stoppage, whilst the umpires changed the ball, Evans, on 93, pushed Andre Adams straight to Harry Gurney at mid on. The shy narrowly missed with the batsman well out of his ground.
Evans century (260 balls 14x4) arrived off the bowling of Gurney, a square cut for four as the reigning champions collected their third batting bonus point – just two bowling points for their visitors.
On passing 129, the batsmen achieved the highest Warwickshire seventh-wicket stand against Notts, beating the score set by Ashley Giles and Dougie Brown, at Trent Bridge ten years ago.
Former Surrey man Evans, having achieved his first championship century, then cut loose. He took Patel for three consecutive fours and brought up his 150 (297 balls 19x4, 2x6) during a David Hussey over that went for 18 runs.
Javid brought up his own fifty (163 balls 4x4) just before lunch with the home side on 383 for six at the interval.
An upper-cut over third man, off Gurney, brought Evans his third maximum during the early stages of the afternoon but that proved to be his penultimate scoring shot.
With the stand worth 199 Evans (178) was beaten by the flight of Samit Patel and was comprehensively bowled – leaving to a huge ovation from the home supporters.
Keith Barker helped take the total up to 450 before Notts struck for an eighth time, with Ajmal Shahzad getting a deserved first wicket as Javid (83) edged behind, two short of his career best score.
Luke Fletcher grabbed his second wicket of the innings as Jeetan Patel (6) missed with an ugly swipe across the line.
At 3.20pm on the second afternoon Boyd Rankin (0 not out) eventually entered the action for the first time but his stay was brief as partner Keith Barker (23) mistimed a pull to Steven Mullaney on the leg side, to give Luke Fletcher figures of three for 57, Adams had 3-64 and Patel 3-123.
Nottinghamshire’s reply got off to a dreadful start as Mullaney (0) was given out leg before wicket to Chris Woakes, the first ball of the innings.
Michael Lumb almost perished at the start of the next over but was put down by Jeetan Patel at third slip off Barker.
Alex Hales began brightly, confidently putting three boundaries away but on 17 – in Patel’s first over – he failed to play a shot to the off spinner and was also sent on his way by umpire Trevor Jesty.
James Taylor looked in the mood from the word go and set about Boyd Rankin in impressive style, hitting the big fast bowler for three consecutive fours.
Taylor made 40 of the first fifty he added with Lumb – relishing the opportunity of batting on a decent surface in warm, sunny conditions.
In the final ten minutes of the day both batsmen brought up their fifties and then ensured they were there at the close to push on during the third morning.