Honours were left even on the opening day of LV= Insurance County Championship action at Trent Bridge, after a century opening stand from Nottinghamshire was canceled out by a Lewis Gregory-inspired Somerset streak. 

The half-centuries from Ben Duckett (75) and Haseeb Hameed (65) proved increasingly valuable as Notts slipped to 186/6, before a positive 32 from Tom Moores countered the visitors’ charge and a late cameo from Dane Paterson took the hosts to their first batting point of the season. 

The hosts, who finished 256 all out, then took two wickets in the evening session to swing momentum in Notts’ favour before time was called with home side 228 runs ahead.

Having lost the toss, Duckett and Hameed’s unbeaten start belied the typical early april conditions, and the pair did well to negotiate tricky early spells from Craig Overton, Josh Davey and Peter Siddle before the tempo grew.

Duckett, in particular, found a fluidity which only increased with the introduction of Jack Leach before the lunch break. 

Indeed, the England opener reverse swept his Three Lions team mate for six into the Fox Road stand to bring up his fifty off 61 balls and take Notts to the first break 106/0. 

His departure for the addition of a further 19 Notts runs, along with rain interruptions, brought an unwelcome disruption to the hosts’ flow. 

Hameed was caught behind following a plucky 151-ball vigil to give Gregory his first wicket, before the all-rounder claimed the scalp of Ben Slater for 15, top edging a pull, and bowled Lyndon James the very next ball.

Siddle joined the party with wickets of Clarke (8), caught at slip, and Mullaney (12), pinned LBW, to see a middle-order wobble for Notts prior to Moores’ rearguard. 

The wicketkeeper bat slashed four fours and two sixes to relieve pressure on the Green and Golds and inch his side towards their first batting point. 

That was a marker achieved by Notts’ last pair - Dane Paterson, who struck textbook lofted drives to reach double figures before falling, and Brett Hutton - after Moores had been pinned lbw by Gregory for 32 and Broad feathered behind without scoring. 

An eventful opening over in reply bowled by Broad saw a vocal lbw appeal turned down, and Tom Lammonby’s edge beaten, before Hutton claimed the scalp of Sean Dickson struck in front.

Lammonby was given his marching orders soon after too, having been adjudged to feather through to Moores to give Hutton his second.