Ben Duckett’s commanding first century of the 2024 season led Nottinghamshire through a promising first day of their Vitality County Championship dual with Warwickshire.
The Notts and England opener cruised to an unbeaten 197 from 230 deliveries by the end of play, with Jack Haynes (74) and Ben Slater (65) also making important contributions with the bat.
Fresh from participating in part of the second string’s victory over Derbyshire in midweek, Olly Stone was named in the team for the first time in 2024 having recovered from injury setbacks, set to face his former county.
The visitors won the toss - four out of four for new club captain Haseeb Hameed - and elected to bat first as the Green and Golds look for their first win of the new campaign.
With Ben Duckett also returning to the Notts XI after missing the previous weekend's trip to Taunton, Hameed and Duckett began brightly as the latter found the ropes in each of the first two overs.
But the opening partnership ended prematurely as Hameed drove to Warks skipper Alex Davies at short cover to depart for two runs.
Notts, in response, recovered from the early loss as Bens Slater and Duckett looked to build an influential partnership. Duckett found himself in fine fettle in the morning session, as he fashioned his second half-ton of the season, from just 59 deliveries, a drive to the boundary at deep point being the pick of his five fours.
The Green and Golds surpassed 100 before lunch, posting 110/1 at the break, and came out to a quicker tempo with 28 runs tallied off the first five overs of the afternoon session.
Slater, too, stepped up next to clinch his half-ton, the left-handed pair putting together a 146-run partnership, but he departed for 65 after feathering Olly Hannon-Dalby in behind to Michael Burgess.
The wicket of Slater was a turning point for the hosts, who then took heroes of Somerset Will Young and Joe Clarke - both falling to the same fate as their predecessor - in quick succession as 161/1 became 177/4 while Ben Duckett was awaiting his opportunity on 99 not out.
Duckett’s first century of the season did eventually become realised with the arrival of Jack Haynes at the crease, nudging Hassan Ali around the corner to fine leg as the England star received a warm applause for his 126-ball ton.
The pair added 50 between them before the second interval, recovering well from the uneasy spell largely cultivated by Will Rhodes.
The loss of Young and Clarke did little to steer the visitors off-course. Haynes and Duckett went on to secure the biggest partnership of the day, surpassing 150 as Notts earned a second batting bonus point with six wickets in hand.
But as the clouds closed in and a new ball was taken under gloomier conditions, Warwickshire again came back fighting as Haynes (lbw b Hannon-Dalby), Lyndon James (c Burgess b Hassan) and Calvin Harrison (b Hassan) were sent walking for the expense of just six runs.
In came Olly Stone against his former county, and he made clear his intentions as he drove Hassan exquisitely to long on in his first over at the crease, while Duckett climbed into the 190s as he eyed up a sensational double-ton.
The evening session, though, continued to favour the home county as Hannon-Dalby made use of his wicketkeeper once again to see off Stone for eight runs and claim his fourth wicket of the contest.
Bad light brought the day to a slightly premature end with 89.5 overs played, Notts posting 367/8 after a good day’s work at the crease. Duckett, on 197, and Pennington, on 5, will look to further strengthen the first innings in the morning of day two.