Hampshire batsman Tom Alsop believes 270 is a good total after setting up a fine day for the county with his highest score in the Specsavers County Championship.

Alsop's 72 - and a tenth-wicket partnership of 35 between James Tomlinson (21no) and Mason Crane (10) ensured Hampshire had a total to bowl at after beign asked to bat first by Nottinghamshire.

The 20 year-old left-hander said: “We felt really good about our total, a few lads were saying 250 would be a good score on this deck. It offers a lot and it has a bit of up-and-down bounce.

“If you put it in the right areas there is a bit of invariable bounce. It does look like it might flatten out but that might help Mason."

In the context of a low-scoring game, Alsop's 72 may be as valuable as a century.

“It would have been nice to go on here at my home ground but hopefully as the game goes on the 72 will be worth a little bit more," he said.

“I felt comfortable in the middle order. Growing up I have always been around the top six, but opening at the beginning of the season was a good experience.

“It was nice to come in later, put my feet up for a bit, but it was a nice place to bat.

“I do like opening as you are straight in and there is no waiting around for wickets but batting at six allows you to see the bowlers and see how the pitch is playing.

“First team cricket is difficult enough as it is but putting your own mark on it and coming in with two 150s has given me a lot of confidence.

“It was challenging coming in with the ball still swinging but that is where opening early season has helped."

Nottinghamshire left-armer Harry Gurney, extracted serious swing to take the wickets of Alsop, Ryan McLaren and Tino Best in the space of nine deliveries during a devastating spell (7-0-10-3) with the second new ball ten overs old.

 “We’ve not finished the day in the ideal way but we still have some good players still to come in, Dan Christian is in next," he said.

“Hopefully we will put on some partnerships tomorrow and get near parity and bowl well again second innings.

“We came out after lunch and the ball was nipping around. As a unit, for the period we were out there, we stuck to the task well – we kept them to two and a half an over and when you get those clusters of wickets keeping on top of the run rate pays its dividends.

“We will certainly miss Jake [Ball] with the ball in the second innings. Brett [Hutton] is an all-rounder, which is a bonus in some ways.

“It is there for everyone to see that Bally is bowling well at the moment. It will be a loss and hopefully we will go up to Durham and get in the squad [for the second Test against Sri Lanka].”