Ben Slater expressed personal disappointment at falling short of a three-figure score, but felt Nottinghamshire’s batting line-up showed the application required as they moved towards 300 on day two against Durham.
The opener top-scored for his county with 92 as Notts made 297/5, trailing Durham’s 378 by 81 runs at stumps.
“I’m happy to have started the season like that – and I’d have taken 92 at the start of the day,” he said.
“But as a batter you want to score hundreds, so to fall a few short in the way I did… I’ve been kicking myself for the past few hours.
“Overall, I think the game is quite evenly balanced. With the five wickets we have remaining, we want to get past their score tomorrow and put the pressure on in their second innings.”
Slater was aided by the likes of Freddie McCann (79), Joe Clarke (37) and Jack Haynes (30) in securing Notts’ first batting bonus points of the season, while the left-hander also shared a half-century stand for the first wicket with Haseeb Hameed.
“We knew it was a decent pitch, and if we got in we could score quickly,” he said.
“As a batting group, we knew we had a job to do today to try and get close to their total, and I think we’ve stood up today and shown a bit of fight.
“And we know how good a player Freddie is and how he can score runs. He did it at the back end of last year, but this is probably the first time he’s played this level in April when it can be difficult.
“I think he’s shown there why he’s so highly regarded, and he’s started the way he finished last year.”
Slater is moving into his eighth summer as part of the Notts setup – and the 33-year-old feels his game has matured in recent seasons.
“My game has evolved over the years, and I feel like I’ve got into an especially decent spot in the last couple of years,” he said.
“This winter, it’s been about concentrating on what works and grooving it to get to where I want to be for this first game.”
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