James Pattinson produced an impeccable display of bowling to put Sussex on the back foot in Nottinghamshire’s LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Trent Bridge, despite the hosts being dismissed inside 62 overs on the first day.

Ben Slater, Steven Mullaney and Pattinson helped salvage what proved to be a competitive first innings score for Nottinghamshire who were bowled out for 240, before the Australian took three wickets in the final session - including a four over spell in which he took two wickets and conceded three runs -  to leave the visitors 94/5, trailing by 146.

In the morning, England seamer Ollie Robinson had put his side in the ascendancy with the wickets of Haseeb Hameed, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke, reducing Notts to 41/3 before the hosts battled back. 

Slater scored 55, and Mullaney 70, with the captain sharing a stand of 65 with Pattinson to earn Notts their batting point. 

Buoyed by the momentum swing, Pattinson trapped Tom Clark and Oli Carter lbw, and comprehensively bowled Ali Orr, while Dane Paterson bowled Fynn Hudson-Prentice and had James Coles caught in the slips in a frenzied penultimate hour, with Sussex reduced to 49/5.

Archie Lenham (16*) and Cheteshwar Pujara (34*) remained resolute through the final 18 overs of the day, stopping the collapse for the away side.

In the opening blows of the day, Hameed was bowled leaving for five as Robinson jagged one back into the right hander, before Duckett clipped to James Coles as square leg for seven. 

Clarke then feathered through to Ollie Carter behind the stumps for one, leaving a rebuilding job to Slater and Lyndon James. 

The pair managed that for 10 overs, adding 34 and pouncing on the opportunity to drive anything full. 

The approach did for James ultimately, however, when he was lured into an attempted straight drive off Aristides Karvelas, only to edge to Tom Clark at second slip for seven. 

Slater proved belligerent as others fell around him, bringing up his 50 off 86 balls, including seven fours and one six, the majority of which were stroked through the shorter PKF Smith Cooper Stand-side boundary. 

He and Mullaney saw the Green and Golds through to lunch, but their partnership was broken four overs after the break when Robinson produced an excellent delivery which nipped away from Slater, breaching his defenses and disturbing the off stump to leave Nottinghamshire 105/5. 

A sixth wicket partnership worth 39 prior to the demise of Tom Moores - caught behind off the bowling of Shaun Hunt - preceded a short stay at the crease for Liam Patterson-White, cueing the arrival of Pattinson and the start of a crucial stand. 

Both the Australian and his captain remained positive, the former driving his fourth ball handsomely down the ground for four to set the tone. 

Mullaney reached his half-century off 75 balls, including seven fours and one six, before 10 off the 54th over, and 13 off the 56th, gave the hosts a batting point. 

Pattinson was dismissed for 39 two overs later, edging Ben Currie to Clarke, and the left hander wrapped up the innings with the wickets of Mullaney and Paterson, adjudged lbw and caught behind respectively.

The momentum had shifted enough, though, for Sussex's top order to falter, a sixth wicket stand worth 44 halting the slide.

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