AN unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 58 in eight overs between Samit Patel and Ashwell Prince helped Notts edge the first session of day two of their crucial County Championship clash with Hampshire.

By the lunch break, the hosts had moved on to 114-3 in their first innings in reply to 203 with Patel on 37 not out and Prince on 16 not out.

The hosts had looked in some trouble at 56-3, but Patel played aggressively from the off, scoring his runs from just 31 deliveries.

Prince was also very positive, as the pair counter-attacked just when Notts needed it.

Hampshire began the day by adding just four runs to their overnight 199-9 before Charlie Shreck claimed his fourth wicket.

Left-hander James Tomlinson (3) attempted to cut a ball slanted across him but succeeded only in steering it into the arms of keeper Chris Read.

Notts would have hoped for a solid start in reply but lost their first wicket without a run on the board.

Trying to negate the swing of Dimitri Mascarenhas, Bilal Shafayat failed to get fully forward and was trapped lbw for a duck to a ball that shaped back in.

By the 10th over, Notts had recovered a little with Will Jefferson and Mark Wagh having both opened their boundary account, leading to the introduction of James Tomlinson.

The left-armer is the leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket this season, but went for six in his opening over.

But there was a let-off for Jefferson on 17 in the next, after Mascarenhas had switched ends, when Sean Ervine failed to take a routine edge at second slip.

Suddenly the runs were flowing as Notts swept past 50 with Jefferson's clip off Jefferson through mid-wicket for three.

But in-form Wagh was on the end of a tough decision with the score on 56, given out lbw to Tomlinson for 29 when a ball that straightened seemed to pitch outside leg stump..

And it was two wickets in as many overs when Jefferson (26) was also pinned in front, this time by Mascarenhas.

Patel got off the mark by punching Tomlinson through the legside for four and then drove through mid-off for another boundary.

He was equally harsh from leg-spinner Imran Tahir's first over, smashing the first three balls to the ropes to move onto 26 from just 14 deliveries.

Prince also took a heavy toll on Tahir, striking two boundaries through the leg side as the Pakistani's first three overs went for 26.

The run rate come the interval had risen to 4.56 runs per over.