Brett Hutton feels a team effort has laid a positive platform for Notts after two days of their Rothesay County Championship fixture at Somerset.

Hutton, who took three first-innings wickets on his return to the side, feels the contest is well-poised after Ben Slater’s 15th First-Class century underpinned Notts’ innings.

“It’s obviously nice to get back in the team and get a few wickets, but we’ve shared it around,” he said.

“Everyone has put the effort in, and we’ve all shared the rewards.

“We were okay with the Somerset total, even if we would have liked it to have been bit less, but we worked hard for our chances.

“Now, with the way our lads have batted, I think we are in a good place.”

Slater’s ton followed a run of six successive fifties for the Notts opener, and Hutton feels the innings could be of significance in the context of the game.

“Ben’s century was great to watch. It’s always nice as a bowler and teammate to watch someone get the runs that they want,” he said.

“But it’s more the fact that he’s put us in a strong place. If you bowl a team out for 380 and at the end of the day you’re 200/3, you’re thinking ‘if we have a good day tomorrow we’ll be in a really good spot’.

“The main thing is he’s set us up nicely to move into tomorrow.”

Liam Patterson-White shouldered a significant workload with the ball on day one, with his fellow spinner Jack Leach doing similar for Somerset on the second day.

But Hutton still sees a role for the seamers in the second half of the contest.

“Everyone can see that spin is going to play a big part over the next couple of days and the team who handle it best may well come out on top,” he said.

“If we can get a first innings lead it will be key and the way the lads have set us up now gives us a great chance of achieving it.

“Seamers have got a simple job, but it’s all about effort.

“As long as you run in hard, hit the pitch as hard as you can, and bowl to a plan as well as you can that’s all you can do.”

*******