County Championship: James Taylor puts Notts in command

James Taylor now has 19 first-class centuries

James Taylor staked his claim for an England call-up as Nottinghamshire made Sussex toil at Horsham on day one.

Taylor hit his first ton of the season, finishing unbeaten on 163, to help Notts recover from a shaky start.

The visitors won the toss and batted, but Oliver Robinson (4-81) had them wobbling on 30-3.

But Taylor led the fightback, putting on 144 with Riki Wessels (94) and an unbroken 172 with skipper Chris Read (54 not out) as Notts closed on 358-5.

Both Nottinghamshire openers were back in the pavilion early as Robinson had England's Alex Hales caught by Chris Nash for three, and Matthew Hobden trapped Brendan Taylor lbw for seven.

And when Steven Mullaney was caught behind by Ben Brown, off Robinson, Read may have been regretting his decision to take first bat.

However Wessels took the fight back to Sussex, hitting 13 fours and a six in his 119-ball knock before Robinson had him caught by Luke Wells.

After two boundaries, Samit Patel (9) was soon gone as he offered Robinson a return catch and his fourth wicket to leave Notts on 186-5.

But home hopes were dampened as Taylor brought up his century off 190 balls, and Chris Read steadily compiled his fourth half-century of the season, off 117 balls,

Having played the anchor role, the imperious Taylor then moved up a gear, needing just 50 more balls to reach his 150 and leave Notts on top at stumps.

Sussex bowling coach Jon Lewis said:

"Ollie Robinson has done very well for us this season and today was a continuation of that really.

"He swings the ball both ways and has good control of that skill, and when you have those attributes you are always going to take wickets.

"He's got a good attitude and is great to work with, and he's not afraid to try things.

"There was a little bit in the wicket early on, but you have to give credit to the way Riki Wessels and James Taylor played to put them in a strong position."

Nottinghamshire coach Mick Newell said:

"James (Taylor) has got a good record against Sussex, and in the last couple of weeks he's been working hard trying to get his form and confidence back.

"Once he got in we thought he would be hard to get out and so it proved. He's played very nicely to put us in a strong position.

"I was impressed with the response of James and Riki Wessels. They were aggressive and positive, and as conditions improved during the day, we cashed in.

"We think the pitch is going to spin so it's important to build on this position tomorrow."