Persistence with the ball from Nottinghamshire’s bowling attack reaped little reward on a testing opening day of their Vitality County Championship contest with Durham.

Freddie McCann’s maiden First-Class wicket and a three-wicket haul for Lyndon James were highlights for the visitors, but hundreds for Ben McKinney and Alex Lees - a first for the former - fired the hosts into a commanding position, Durham posting 393/5 at the close of play as the bowlers battled on.

Making four changes from their previous red-ball fixture at Lancashire, skipper Hameed handed Freddie McCann his First-Class debut with Brett Hutton (making his 100th club appearance), Luke Fletcher and Matthew Montgomery making up the other alterations.

With a brief but considerable downpour unfolding in the final hour before play, Notts chose to bowl first after winning the coin toss, as Olly Stone and Brett Hutton occupied the two ends for the first overs.

But their hopes of making the most of the early moist conditions slowly dried up as Alex Lees and Ben McKinney gave away very few chances in the morning session; a partnership of 50 on the hour mark was a sign that the openers were in little mood to be shifted from the middle.

Durham were safely through to lunch unscathed - 121 without loss - but were very nearly undone early into the restart as James, looking directly into the sun, was a hair’s length from taking what would have been an important catch with McKinney on 75.

That chance came back to haunt Notts, 19-year-old McKinney driving McCann into his off-side to bring up a maiden First-Class century, backed up well by fellow opener Lees to Nottinghamshire’s frustration.

But the partnership eventually came to an end, and likely not in the way which Freddie McCann would have imagined, as McKinney top-edged McCann into the palms of Hameed at mid-wicket for the simplest of catches with Durham 189/1.

While the likes of Olly Stone, Brett Hutton and Luke Fletcher continued to rotate in search of a quick second dismissal, it was Lyndon James who got the next breakthrough, an erroneous leave allowing James to shave the bail off Scott Borthwick’s off-stump.

He followed up with another in his next over, sending Ollie Robinson back to the dressing room after an eight-ball cameo as Calvin Harrison only needed to stand still for a catch in the slips, simultaneously earning Notts their first bonus point of the contest.

But just as the Green and Golds might have felt that fortunes were changing, Lees had other ideas and marched onwards to a patient century after tea - having faced 224 balls - with his side closing in on a 300 total.

Lees built another ton-heavy partnership, this time with Ashton Turner, to cement things further for the hosts, and the new ball taken with 16 overs of the day remaining appeared to do little in changing the outlook of the innings.

That was until Brett Hutton chipped in with his first wicket of the match, and his first in the County Championship since April due to a lengthy spell on the sidelines, clattering the stumps of centurion Lees to the visitors’ relief.

James then managed to squeeze in a third for himself just before stumps to round off an efficient personal performance, top-edged by Graham Clark to Hameed, but by the close Durham left the more pleased with their day’s work - posting 393/5 - while Haseeb Hameed’s side will ponder their plan of attack for day two in Chester-le-Street.