Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor helped England Lions to establish a first innings lead with a fine knock of 118 against West Indies.
Samit Patel scored four runs as the Lions posted 341 in response to the tourists' 147.
"I'm really pleased and it's about time to be fair because it's been a tough season so far," said Taylor.
"I've scored some gritty runs and it was ideal to score some runs at the right time. I dug in and I think we put on a hundred for the last two wickets which has put us in a really strong position for the rest of the game."