Nottinghamshire will face a huge challenge when they take their turn to bat for a second time in their Specsavers County Championship match against Hampshire at The Ageas Bowl.

The home county dominated the second day and reached stumps on 253 for four, an overall lead of 364.

James Vince, who made 74 on the first day, produced a high-quality innings of 147 on the second afternoon, sharing in a partnership of 171 with Tom Alsop, who remained undefeated on 63.
 
Earlier, Luke Fletcher had top-scored with a season-best score of 43 as Notts were bowled out before lunch for 166. West Indian pace bowler Fidel Edwards claimed six for 50 for the hosts.
 
Steven Mullaney made a confident start to the day, with an elegant boundary clip off his legs from the first ball.

Edwards had taken three wickets on the first evening and soon added another scalp to his collection by pinning Samit Patel leg before wicket for his overnight score of six.

Edwards, generating great pace from the Pavilion End, should have continued his success but Riley Rossouw spilled an edge off Riki Wessels at first slip.

The drop wasn’t too costly as Wessels fell for 11 to Kyle Abbott; umpire Russell Warren taking an age to give his second lbw of the morning.

Mullaney had looked in complete control until nibbling at Gareth Berg and providing wicketkeeper Alsop with his second catch of the innings.

The counter-attack came when Fletcher and Billy Root joined forces around midday.

On the ground where he registered a score of 92 in only his fifth first class match in 2009, Fletcher went after his shots, particularly against Abbott; hitting the South African for fours either side of the wicket before launching him over the midwicket ropes for six.

Dale Steyn had to pull out of a delivery and leave the field midway through an over, with Liam Dawson completing it.

Dawson’s next involvement was as a catcher, claiming Fletcher in the deep to end a stand of 51 and give Edwards his fifth wicket.

That soon became six as Matt Carter fell for nought, with the fall of the ninth wicket extending the morning session and delaying the lunch break.

Root punished Dawson with a six over midwicket but when the left-hander tried to launch Abbott away he was taken by a back-peddling Edwards at deepish mid-off.

Hampshire’s second innings began after lunch and they were soon two wickets down. Mark Footitt swung the ball spectacularly to demolish Jimmy Adams’ stumps before a run was scored and then Matt Milnes pinned Joe Weatherley lbw.

The third wicket produced a partnership of 49 runs and was broken when Mullaney dismissed Sam Northeast (12) for the second time in the match; Wessels taking the catch.

Vince’s second 50 of the match came in 65 balls and he was unbeaten on 77 at tea.

His third championship hundred of the season arrived from 139 deliveries, with 11 fours and a six.

Alsop moved to his 50 and the partnership had spanned 45 overs before Milnes bowled the Hampshire skipper late in the day.

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