James Taylor’s first hundred of the season, plus useful contributions from both Riki Wessels and Chris Read, helped Nottinghamshire into a position of dominance on the first day of their LV= County Championship match against Sussex at Horsham.
Taylor reached stumps with an unbeaten 163 to his name and shared in century stands with Wessels and Read as the visitors reached the close on 358 for five.
Wessels scored 94 and Read was undefeated on 54, having won the toss and elected to bat at the start of the day.
Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, felt his side got the sort of return they were hoping for.
“We felt that this was a day for batting and a pitch that isn’t going to get any better,” he said.
“I thought it was excellent today though and hopefully we’ve got a decent score, but we’ve got a bit more work to do tomorrow to see if we can put Sussex under pressure.
“James (Taylor) has a good record against Sussex and played very nicely,” Newell continued. “We all felt that he’s been playing better in the last couple of weeks than he had been. He’s worked hard with the coaching staff to get his form back and that all came to fruition today.
“Once he’s in, he’s the sort of player who makes himself very hard to get out.”
Overnight rain had given way to a glorious morning by the time Chris Read successfully won the toss, after announcing a side that showed two changes from the Middlesex game.
James Taylor was recalled to the championship side after injury and there was a first start of the season for slow left-armer Gary Keedy, with Michael Lumb and Jake Ball being omitted.
Alex Hales, who scored a one-day century on the same ground last season, didn’t fare so well as he nicked Ollie Robinson in the sixth over to fall for 3.
Chris Nash, at second slip, juggled the ball twice before managing to cling on to remove the opener.
A bad start was made worse when Brendan Taylor fell, leaving Notts on 14 for two. The former Zimbabwe international was trapped lbw by Matt Hobden for seven
Steven Mullaney pulled Robinson behind square for six in the 13th over but then became the third player to fall in the first hour, edging Robinson behind for 15.
The first four of the day eventually materialised in the 19th over, with Wessels chopping Hobden firmly to the third man fence. Off the back of his 97, made two days earlier in the NatWest T20 Blast against Durham, Wessels was clearly in fine touch and he set about Peter Burgoyne, with a vicious sweep for six, when the spinner came on just before lunch.
His fifty came up two balls after lunch, arriving in 48 balls with seven fours and a six.
James Taylor had survived a confident lbw shout very early in his innings but was then totally untroubled as he manipulated the bowling, scampering singles and twos and supporting Wessels in an impressive stand of 144.
Toiling through the heat of the day, Sussex’s bowlers were desperately in need of a breakthrough and it arrived unexpectedly when the right-hander was within half a dozen of his hundred.
Wessels had twice prospered by lifting the bowlers back over their heads for boundaries but picked out Luke Wells at mid on, when looking for a repeat, leaving the batsman looking dejectedly at his bat as he trooped off, head bowed.
The old maxim ‘one wicket brings two’ reared its’ head as Robinson then plucked a sharp caught and bowled to send Samit Patel back for nine, a couple of overs later.
Taylor’s fifty had come from 119 balls, with five fours and he then pushed on with back to back fours to go past his previous highest score of the season, 61.
Chris Read was watchful before tea, taking 22 deliveries before getting off the mark but then ended the session in style by pulling Hobden for a huge six which was well-caught in the crowd.
Both batsmen made the most of the early stages of the final session, with Taylor advancing to his 18th first class hundred, with the milestone having come from 190 balls with 12 fours.
Read was put down, a rare blip from Sussex with Ed Joyce spilling the chance at slip off Luke Wells. The let-off enabled the Notts captain to progress to his fifty without further alarm, getting there from 117 balls, with nine boundaries and a six.
The second new ball was safely negotiated and Taylor received a welcome present from Hobden, as a wild throw flew away for four overthrows to bring up his 150.
By stumps the pair had added 172 together for the sixth wicket and Notts have 14 overs on the second morning in which to look for 42 more runs for maximum batting points.
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