Ross Taylor was delighted to score his first century for Nottinghamshire on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Essex at Chelmsford.

Taylor’s 146 was the stand-out innings as the visitors made 311 for six but the New Zealand international said he didn’t have the best preparation before batting.

“I’ve felt really good in the nets on some occasions and then gone out and had a few starts before getting out. Today, I had a poor net, so it was nice to have a bit of early luck and contribute to a score.”

Arriving in the middle on 60 for two, Taylor took some time to find his best form.

“I think it’s fair reflection, the first fifty was very scratchy and I had a bit of luck," he said. 

"If you bowled the ball in the right area, then some stayed a bit low and some swung nicely for a lot of their bowlers.

"The odd ball took off a little bit as well, so you have to try and get into a rhythm and then you have to trust it.”

Seven of Taylor’s first 10 boundaries were scored through third man – and the Nottinghamshire player was surprised the area wasn’t cut off.

“I kept hearing Waggy (fellow New Zealander Neil Wagner) talking out there and saying “He scores a lot of runs down there.”

“Actually, I tried not to play it today but as it worked out it was one of the only scoring shots you could play because once you pitch the ball up you never really felt comfortable.”

With Billy Root for company, the fourth wicket pair added a priceless 122 runs together and Taylor admitted that there’s a chemistry between himself and the young left-hander.

“I’ve really enjoyed it with him today, not only batting with him but being with him." 

He’s a great character to have around the changing room. He calls me ‘Fossil’, so I call him ‘Fossil’ back.

“We had a bit of banter out there and it was unfortunate that he got a good ball today but that partnership was handy. Not only the runs we scored but being able to keep them out there for as long as we did.

“The wicket is going to deteriorate a little but if we can get a competitive score, then hopefully we can get make early inroads with the new ball.

“I think anything over 350-360 is par. We’re going to have to work hard in the morning with those four wickets and hopefully we can get some more partnerships going.

“Anything over 350-360 will certainly put pressure on the opposition.”

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T20 returns to Trent Bridge on 4 July with a 2017 Finals Day rematch of Notts Outlaws v Birmingham Bears. Tickets are £10 in advance for adults, £7 for over-65s & under-21s and £5 for under 16s. Secure your seats now.