Between the elements, Nottinghamshire and Loughborough University, the persistent rain came out the clear winner.

After the Green and Golds amassed 370/7 and took two first innings wickets on the first day, only 37 deliveries were possible across the rest of the fixture.

For Head Coach Peter Moores this places an added importance on the final few days of the pre-season schedule, as Leicestershire visit Trent Bridge from tomorrow.

“We’re looking to get some extra miles in the legs of our bowlers,” said Moores.

“We had a really good first day against Loughborough, our batters got a run out and we got a solid spell into the four quicks.

“The rest of the game was frustrating and we couldn’t out of the blocks, so hopefully we can get some decent cricket against Leicester across the next few days.

“We’ll be working hard to prioritise some players for time in the middle or overs for the bowlers and there will be some changes to the order to facilitate that.”

A trip to the Ageas Bowl marks Nottinghamshire’s return to Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship from Thursday 6 April.

After five weeks of fine tuning in the tent down at Lady Bay, the pre-season schedule has upped intensity according to Moores, especially for the bowling unit.

“Naturally, competition makes you ask a bit more of yourself and that’s what we’re looking for,” said Moores.

“The tent is brilliant practice with a lot of volume, but we bowled 20 overs on that first evening, all the lads ran in hard and they could feel it the next day.

“This block has allowed everyone to get to the refinement stage and just getting used to being out in the middle.

“Our aim is that the eleven that face against Hampshire, which will be a tough side to pick, walk out feeling relaxed and ready to play.”