Fergus O’Neill claimed four wickets as Nottinghamshire seized the initiative against bottom side Hampshire on a rain-afflicted day one at Utilita Bowl.

After Haseeb Hameed opted to insert the hosts on a green strip, O’Neill led the visitors’ attack with a return of 4/32 from 15 overs, reducing the Rose and Crown to 152-6 at stumps.

Josh Tongue and Lyndon James also claimed a wicket each as Notts took the upper hand despite three rain delays that shaved in excess of 40 overs off the day’s allocation.

The hosts had registered just one batting bonus point from a possible 25 leading up to this clash, and it didn’t take long for O’Neill to make his first inroad on an overcast morning.

Toby Albert was the man to go, pinned lbw for five, and number three Fletcha Middleton was soon following him too as he nicked through to Kyle Verreynne for a 14-ball duck.

Jake Lehmann then became O’Neill’s third scalp as the Victorian sought some revenge for his Sheffield Shield final defeat to Lehmann’s South Australia by trapping him in front for four.

There was time still before the first rain delay, that brought about an early and extended lunch break, for James to have Tom Prest caught behind by Verreynne for 11.

Hampshire were 68-4 when the first precipitation arrived, and a resumption shortly after 2:00pm did not bring any further joy to the hosts as O’Neill struck again.

This time it was top-scoring opener Nick Gubbins who fell for 36 to Verreynne’s third catch of the innings, but only eight overs were possible before the weather intervened again.

That delay turned out to be the shortest of the day, with the players back on the field only half an hour later, and once again, the resumption brought about a wicket.

Home captain Ben Brown was the batter in question and Tongue was the bowler to get him, caught off a half-hearted pull by substitute fielder Sam Seecharan at fine leg for 29.

However, it was shortly after that, once Hampshire had tiptoed past three figures, that the heavens really did open and the day was interrupted for over two hours.

Upon the final resumption of a day for which the term stop-start was practically invented, Delano Potgieter and Felix Organ shepherded Hampshire through 4.3 overs.

It had been planned that there would be 15 overs to conclude the day, but naturally, the weather had the final say, and bad light officially brought an end to play just after 6:20pm.