James Taylor scored his first LV County Championship hundred of the season as Nottinghamshire eventually dominated an absorbing first day against Sussex at Horsham.

The 25-year-old has had a modest season by his standards but he clearly enjoys facing the Sussex attack. His unbeaten 163 was his third score of over 150 against them, following 163 in 2012 and 204 in 2013, and helped his side reach 358 for 5 at stumps.

There were two periods in the game when Sussex had control. Ollie Robinson, who finished the day with four wickets, helped reduce Notts to 30-3 before returning in the afternoon to claim Rikki Wessels (94) and Samit Patel in successive overs.

That left Notts 186-5 but Taylor and his captain, Chris Read, wrested the initiative for their side after tea by extending their sixth wicket stand to 174.

While Wessels deserved credit for his aggressive counter-attack it was the understated but effective way with which Taylor went about his business which most impressed.

His first 50 runs took 119 balls but he went to his hundred from 71 more before accelerating once he’d reached the milestone with some eye-catching shots, particularly through the off side.

By stumps he had faced 247 balls and hit 23 fours, having batted for five hours 40 minutes so far. It was his tenth score of over 150.

It is three years since Taylor played the last of his two Tests and he lost his England one-day place for the recent series against New Zealand. But as the inquest into England’s hammering in the second Test begins, the 25-year-old will be hoping that this innings can be the start of a productive end to the season.