An innings of 68 from Steven Mullaney helped Nottinghamshire post 273 for nine at stumps on the first day of their LV= county championship match against Surrey at Trent Bridge.
Earlier, James Taylor had made 47 and Michael Lumb had added 44. Stuart Meaker took four of the wickets to fall.
Lumb felt that honours were just about even by the close.
"It was a bit tough early on but Steven Mullaney played very well and put a good score on the board.” Michael Lumb
“I think so, yes. Perhaps even slightly in our favour, having been inserted in bowler friendly conditions," he said.
“We stuck at it – it was a bit tough early on but Steven Mullaney played very well and put a good score on the board.”
The left-hander admitted it had been a tough morning session to negotiate. “Unfortunately we lost Alex early on and then we had to graft as they didn’t give us much. They’ve got a very disciplined attack – a couple have played international cricket – and they certainly knew what they were doing.
“My dismissal was a leading edge, it just stuck in the wicket a little bit. It’s disappointing because I was feeling pretty good.”
Notts were rocked by the enforced absence of Chris Read, missing with a stiff neck. Riki Wessels assumed the ‘keeping gloves and James Taylor took over the captaincy.
Taylor’s opposite number Gareth Batty won the toss and asked the home side to bat first and was soon celebrating a success.
Alex Hales (4) opened with a boundary down to third man but was then yorked by Jade Dernbach, whose pacy delivery uprooted both middle and leg stumps.
Dernbach tried to surprise Michael Lumb with a slow dipping delivery first up – and was perhaps a little unlucky to have it called as a no-ball.
Ed Cowan got off the mark with an inside edge for two down to fine leg, the only runs to come from Tim Linley’s first six overs.
Only 24 runs had been eked out during the 15 overs bowled during the opening hour of play but occupation of the crease was looking paramount against an accurate attack.
Cowan (15) was very restrained and almost made it to lunch before a rapid delivery from Meaker ripped through his defences and knocked back his off peg.
Lumb clipped away for a boundary at the start of the afternoon session and was beginning to motor towards his third fifty-plus championship score of the summer.
On 44, however, a leading edge off Meaker flew out into the off side where Linley clutched a fine catch.
Samit Patel (35) joined Taylor and shared in an hour-long stand of 60 before nicking Linley to Gary Wilson at first slip.
Riki Wessels (1) was put down at third slip by Vikram Solanki before he’d got off the mark but the reprieve was short-lived as Meaker blasted a ball into his off stump.
Taylor’s fine knock ended on 47 when he inside-edged Linley back on to his stumps and Paul Franks (4) then feathered Meaker through to ‘keeper Davies.
After tea Steven Mullaney and Ajmal Shahzad combined in an eighth wicket stand of 66.
Mullaney’s fifty (95 balls, 1x5, 6x4) arrived soon after Surrey had taken the second new ball but after more than an hour and a half together he then lost Shahzad (8), nicking Dernbach to Davies.
Surrey claimed a ninth wicket late in the day as Mullaney’s fine innings came to an end with Linley collecting his third wicket with the first leg before decision of the match.