Bob Willis Trophy: Nottinghamshire on top against Leicestershire

Peter Trego was the pick of the Nottinghamshire bowlers, taking 3-46 as he dismantled the Leicestershire top order

Tom Taylor and Ben Mike scored half-centuries to help Leicestershire recover from 54-5 to reach 222 on the first day of their Bob Willis Trophy match against Nottinghamshire.

Taylor made 57 while fellow all-rounder Mike finished unbeaten on 51 before Nottinghamshire openers Haseeb Hameed (34 not out) and Ben Slater (12 not out) put on an unbroken stand worth 48 in response.

A greenish pitch, heavy cloud and a strong wind meant it was a good toss for Steven Mullaney to win, and the Nottinghamshire skipper put the home team in to bat.

The ball swung and seamed from the start and, although Foxes opener Sam Evans had an early reprieve when he was badly dropped at second slip by Mullaney in Zak Chappell's first over, he did not last much longer, flicking indeterminately at a delivery from Peter Trego (3-46) to give Lyndon James catching practice at third slip.

Harry Dearden also left the field berating himself after clipping a Trego inswinger into the leg side and seeing Samit Patel take a low catch at mid-wicket, reducing the home side to 15-2.

In-form Leicestershire captain Colin Ackermann then received a delivery from Trego that pitched in line and swung sharply away to take the edge, Mullaney making up for his earlier miss in the slips.

Opener Hassan Azad had also made just four off 40 balls when he sliced an attempted drive off James to backward point.

Chappell picked up the first wicket after lunch, when he found the edge of George Rhodes' bat, presenting wicketkeeper Tom Moores with a straightforward catch to leave the Foxes on 54-5.

Taylor joined Harry Swindells in wresting the initiative back from the bowling side. He was fortunate to be dropped on six at mid-off off Chappell, and twice came close to being run out on 47, but hit six fours and a huge straight six in reaching his half-century off just 60 balls.

Their 81-run stand was broken when left-arm spinner Samit Patel found enough turn to trap Swindells lbw for 33, and only two more runs had been added when Taylor ran out of luck, cutting left-arm seamer Tom Barber high to third man.

But Mike played beautifully, finding support from James Weighell, on his debut on loan from Durham. Mike too hit six fours and went to his 50 by hooking Barber for a huge six out of the ground.

Leicestershire should have picked up at least one wicket of their own before the close. Rhodes put Slater down, a two-handed chest-high chance at third slip but Hameed played fluently as Notts finished the day trailing by 174.

Match report supplied by PA Media.