Nottinghamshire had to wait until the second half of the day before getting their rewards on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Hampshire at Newclose Cricket Club.

The hosts had been 112 without loss, after being asked to bat first, but Notts roared back to leave the score on 288 for six at stumps.

Joe Weatherley made 66 for Hampshire as first-class cricket returned to the Isle of Wight after an absence of 57 years, but no-one else passed 50 despite all of the top five getting into double figures.

All four of the Notts seamers picked up wickets and could be proud of their efforts, with Steven Mullaney (2-42) and Jake Ball (2-57) recording the stand-out figures.

The Nottinghamshire team showed two changes from that which lost at Essex last week, with Jake Libby and Ball both returning, in place of Samit Patel and Zak Chappell.

Patel’s absence ended a streak of 95 consecutive county championship appearances, stretching back to the start of the 2013 season.

Stuart Broad and Luke Fletcher shared the new ball, with Hampshire’s openers having to negotiate a testing burst under cloudy skies.

Weatherley twice rode his luck after nicking Fletcher to gully; one just brushing the fingertips of the leaping Chris Nash, who then dived full length to his right but couldn’t quite scoop up the next involuntary nick.

Mullaney joined the other three seamers in bowling tight attacking spells but the breakthrough wasn’t forthcoming, with lunch taken with the hosts on 88 without loss.

In the nine previous championship matches played on the island there had only been one century opening stand but that tally was doubled by the Hampshire top two, shortly after Weatherley had reached his 50.

Ball eventually produced the perfect wicket-taking delivery to send back Weatherley, as the bounce and swing forced a snick behind to Tom Moores. 

Oli Soames, who has played some of his recent club cricket for Plumtree in Nottinghamshire, had a life on 28, driving Mullaney to point but Libby couldn’t hold on. The same bowler was then left equally disappointed as Ajinkya Rahane got the benefit of the doubt as his second ball thudded into his front pad.

Mullaney sent down a spell of 18 challenging overs on the spin, broken only by lunch, which yielded only 22 runs.

Typically, the next wicket came at the other end, with Rahane picked off in the gully by Nash for 10, from the bowling of Broad.

Many of the players then dramatically dropped to the ground as a swarm of bees flew low over the square.

Notts picked up their first bowling point immediately after tea.

With just the second ball of the session Soames edged Ball to Matt Carter at second slip for 44, leaving the home county on 161 for three.

Mullaney’s return to the action brought him the wickets that his earlier spell had deserved.

His opposite number as captain, Sam Northeast, was pinned lbw for 33 and Tom Alsop was caught tickling down the leg-side for nine.

Liam Dawson was the final wicket to fall, losing his off peg to Fletcher for 25 soon after the second new ball had been taken.

Aneurin Donald, with an unbeaten 35, and Ian Holland, who is 23 not out, saw the hosts through to stumps without further loss.

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