Centuries from Chris Read and Billy Root lit up the penultimate day of the Specsavers County Championship season and helped Nottinghamshire move closer to securing promotion back to the top flight.

In a season that has been full of many highs for the county, Notts produced their most stunning batting performance of the campaign to post a first innings score of 477 against Sussex at Hove.

Notts had been 65 for five, replying to the hosts’ score of 565, before Read and Root had joined forces on the second evening.

When they were parted, on the third afternoon, they had added 242 together and steered the side towards the draw they need to go up.

Read, playing the final match of his career, scored 124, with his younger partner contributing 132.

Significant contributions followed afterwards, from the lower four batsmen in the order, to seal maximum batting points, avoid the possibility of being asked to follow on, and take the county a long way towards the draw they require to achieve first division status.

Play began on time, under cloudy skies, with Notts resuming on 108 for five in their second innings.

Root had played impressively in reaching 31 on the second evening, whilst Read was unbeaten on 13, just eight runs away from becoming the 24th player to reach 15,000 first class runs for Notts.

Had a script been written by the vast number of Nottinghamshire supporters in attendance, it probably wouldn’t have entailed a first hour that delivered more than 80 runs, two half centuries and another Read milestone – but that’s what was delivered.

The first two overs of the day produced 15 runs – two of them coming from a waist-high delivery from Stuart Whittingham that earned him a ticking off.

Both batsmen embraced the early momentum, scoring a flurry of boundaries and some eagerly-gathered ones and twos.

Read duly passed 15,000 runs and drew level with Root when both were on 47.

The young left-hander, whose only first-class century came at Hove as a Leeds-Bradford MCCU player, reached his 50 from 67 balls, with six fours.

His captain followed, getting to his half century with eight boundaries and from only 55 deliveries.

Read gave Sussex a glimmer of a chance on 70 when he pulled Abi Sakande to midwicket but Tom Haines, on as a sub fielder, couldn’t grasp the chance.

The 39-year old nipped ahead of his junior partner when both moved into the 80s and was first in the race to three figures.

A short ball was pulled handsomely high over the long leg rope for six, to bring up a majestic hundred from only 108 balls.

The joy from both batsmen was evident and spectators from both sides rose to give Read a standing ovation.

Root’s own ton duly followed, made from 116 balls, with 13 fours and lunch arrived with Notts on 285 for five, with the morning session having produced 177 runs.

Sussex eventually separated the two centurions by having Read caught on the leg side fence by Phil Salt, from a vigorous pull off Jofra Archer, who had been presented with his county cap during the lunch interval.

Sakande then ended Root’s stay, with an lbw shout, which umpire Saggers carefully weighed up before confirming.

Brett Hutton hit 31 and Luke Wood made 32 as the fifth batting point was brought up for reaching 400 but Chris Jordan snaffled a sharp return catch to dismiss Hutton and Chris Nash bagged a slip catch off the same bowler to send Wood back.

From 404 for nine Notts still required 12 runs to save the follow-on but it was easily achieved as Matthew Carter and Harry Gurney set out about a last wicket stand that eventually materialised 73 runs.

Both players passed their previous best, comfortably, and batted through the extended 30-minute period that delayed tea.

Resuming afterwards, the first ball of the session was another high ball from Whittingham that saw him removed from the attack.

Gurney had played some delightful shots, including a couple of elegant cover drives and two clips through midwicket for four.

He was left unbeaten on 42 when Carter was last out, for 33, nicking Sakande behind.

There were still more than 30 overs remaining in the day but bad light prevented Sussex from beginning their second innings.