Brett Hutton and Olly Stone claimed two wickets apiece, but Nottinghamshire endured a tough day in the field against Sussex in Hove.

Hutton ended the day with figures of 2/53 and Stone returned 2/61, but 89 for Tom Clark and further fifties from Charlie Tear and Tom Price saw the hosts close on 308-6, leading by 68.

It wasn’t the case that the visitors spent all of the 104 overs of an extended day - owing to yesterday’s rain shower - in the field, in fact facing the first ten balls of the day with bat in hand.

Last-wicket pair Hutton and Mukesh Kumar were able to add eight runs to the overnight score, before Jaydev Unadkat claimed his fourth scalp, that of the former, to wrap things up on 240.

Aiming to take quick early wickets to make their lower-order resistance on the first evening count, the visitors did strike gold when Stone had Tom Haines caught by Ben Slater at midwicket for 13.

Youngster Tom Giles then followed that example by pinning Haines’ fellow opener George Thomas lbw for 16, leaving the hosts to take lunch on 87-2.

However, a third-wicket partnership between Clark, who went to fifty in 73 balls, and Tear, who made his in a comparatively slower 120 deliveries, stunted the progress.

Clark was uprooted midway through the afternoon as he chopped on when facing Hutton, and Oli Carter followed when he flicked Stone to Joe Clarke at square leg for 13.

There was time before tea for Tear, accompanied by John Simpson, to hit his half-century, after previously spending 17 consecutive balls marooned on 49, with the hosts taking tea on 198-4.

Tear did not add to his score after the second break as Liam Patterson-White, who bowled 30 overs throughout the day, turned one past his defences to knock his off-stump out of the ground.

A subsequent 60-run stand between Simpson and Price proved frustrating, though Hutton’s removal of the latter, also bowled, for 34, provided a lift shortly after the hosts had taken the lead.

Price, though, continued on in the face of the attack’s efforts, and would reach fifty in 106 balls before ending the day unbeaten on 56, with Jack Carson, on 27, for company.