Homegrown batter Freddie McCann posted the third century of his fledgling first-class career to defy Hampshire on day one of their Rothesay County Championship clash at Trent Bridge.
In only his 13th innings in the Championship so far, the 20-year-old England Lions left-hander made 138 as the current Division One leaders posted a respectable 333 after being asked to bat first on a pitch that offered plenty of encouragement to Hampshire’s seam attack, with no other batter passing 33.
Hampshire openers Mark Stoneman and Fletcha Middleton had two overs to face at the close, including one from former teammate Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistan fast bowler who is making his debut for Nottinghamshire.
McCann, a Nottingham-born product of the county’s academy pathway, scored 154 against champions Surrey in only his second match after making his first-class debut last August, adding 130 against Warwickshire before the end of the season.
He hit 15 fours and a six and shared partnerships of 78 with Kyle Verreynne, 71 with Lyndon James and 59 with Liam Patterson-White after his side had been 82 for four at lunch.
Four wickets in that opening session had represented a decent return for Hampshire’s decision to put Nottinghamshire in, although it took until the last 35 minutes for the rewards to come.
Until then, Nottinghamshire’s openers had survived some testing bowling from Kyle Abbott and James Fuller in particular. Ben Slater was dropped twice in the slips off Abbott - on one and nine - and needed treatment for a blow on the forearm inflicted by Fuller. Yet somehow he and skipper Haseeb Hameed pair survived 19 overs for 62.
The picture changed with a double-wicket maiden from Fuller that began with Slater caught at extra cover by a leaping Nick Gubbins and ended with Nottinghamshire 63 for two after a cracking delivery with bounce and late movement had Hameed caught behind.
The last two overs of the session saw Abbott, nought for 14 from seven overs in his first spell, gain the success he was due as Joe Clarke and Jack Haynes were both leg before, beaten past the inside edge playing forward, four wickets having fallen for 20 runs in 48 deliveries.
Nottinghamshire recovered to 195 for five at tea, the only wicket to fall in the middle session that of Verreynne (33), who became a third lbw victim for Abbott, trying to work to leg. Yet Hampshire continued to count the cost of sloppy work in the field with James given a life on one when Fuller could not hold on at third slip off Abbott after McCann had survived what looked a hard chance to gully off Fuller on 18.
Nonetheless, Nottinghamshire could congratulate themselves for showing resilience. Abbott always looked dangerous, regularly beating the bat, and in the circumstances it was a superb innings by McCann, back in the side in place of England’s Ben Duckett, who is unavailable.
In the event, James could not add heavily to Hampshire’s pain, falling to Liam Dawson on 33, bowled giving himself room to cut.
Patterson-White played well until, having also made 33, he made the unwise decision to shoulder arms to Abbott, with the new ball, who completed the 43rd five-wicket haul of his first-class career when Brett Hutton was caught behind.
Wheal dismissed Farhan Ahmed, caught at first slip, before McCann finally fell to a catch on the square cover boundary off Fuller.