Brett Hutton and Conor McKerr each collected three wickets as Nottinghamshire enjoyed a strong first day against Oxford UCCE at The Parks.
Playing the final match of their 2025 pre-season programme, the Green and Golds dismissed their hosts for 214, with the returning Hutton, who took 3/25, and McKerr, with 3/53, pulling the strings.
Openers Ben Slater and Ben Martindale then ensured a serene end to the day, confidently advancing to 64 without loss in the 20 overs before stumps.
Rob Lord and spinner Farhan Ahmed had also returned a brace apiece, as Oxford lost four for 49 in their middle order to be bowled out inside 64 overs.
The damage started when Hutton pinned Zaid Faleel lbw with the very first ball of the game, before McKerr and Lord followed up to see off Aditya Kumar and Gabriel Gallman-Findlay, respectively, before lunch.
Max Wood and Amogh Karpe put together a useful partnership of 54 for the fourth wicket to provide the attack with a challenge, but Hutton rose to it by having the former lbw for 32.
Karpe held out for 47 as captain Ayush Patel became Hutton’s third victim - and his second golden duck - of the day, again lbw, before himself falling to McKerr via a Freddie McCann catch.
Tom Cheater was pinned lbw by Lord before Ahmed wrapped up the tail, bowling Tom Mousley and having last man Daniel Geddes caught by James Hayes, either side of McKerr trapping Sravan Konidena lbw.
Martindale and Slater then took up the mantle of eating into the lead with ease, being watchful when required, but also unfurling expansive shots when required, with Slater striking Justin Clarke for six.
Konidena and George Taylor tested the pair with tight spells, conceding just 15 runs from their combined nine overs, but the Green and Gold duo were equal to the questions being asked.
They ended the day by reaching stumps with little alarm and with almost a third of Oxford’s total already ticked off, for no loss.