Andy Carter enjoyed a dream return to his old stomping ground by claiming four wickets on his Hampshire debut in their crucial Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Carter, who left Nottingham for Derbyshire last September before switching to Hampshire last month, took four for 52 as the home county were bowled out for 245 in 75 overs.

The tall fast bowler rocked Notts with a burst of three wickets for just six runs in 12 deliveries at the start of the day.

That helped reduce Notts to 91 for six in reply to Hampshire's 319 and they could have been facing a much bigger first-innings deficit but for captain Chris Read, who made an unbeaten 70 from number eight to help his side get within 74 runs of their opponents.

Batting for a second time, Jimmy Adams reached the close on 68 not out as Hampshire ended on 106 for one, for an overall lead of 180 Notts had begun the day on 39 for one but soon lost their nightwatchman, Jake Ball, plus Riki Wessels and Steven Mullaney in a fiery early burst from Carter.

Ball hoisted his first delivery of the day to midwicket, without adding to his overnight score of 14. Wessels tried to take on his former team-mate and lifted a bouncer into the hands of Mason Crane on the fence and Mullaney chopped a rising delivery onto his stumps.

The home side were left in further trouble when Brendan Taylor clipped Gareth Berg to square leg and Samit Patel hobbled off lbw after being hit on the foot by a full-pitched delivery from Brad Wheal, leaving the hosts six down without having yet brought up their 100.

Michael Lumb became Carter's fourth victim, caught behind for 39, after adding 54 with Read.

The Notts skipper shared in another useful partnership with Luke Wood, who added 27 out of the 48 they put on together before falling to a short-pitched delivery from Ryan McLaren, which deflected via bat and helmet to Adams at slip.

A missed stumping by Lewis McManus, from the bowling of Liam Dawson, reprieved Imran Tahir on five and he responded by launching Crane's leg spin for the only maximum of the innings.

The unlucky Dawson had bowled 19 overs without success before getting his eventual reward by polishing off the innings with successive deliveries to remove Tahir and Harry Gurney.

In the final session of the day Hampshire captain Will Smith was dismissed lbw for the second time in the game, trapped by Gurney for 20, but his opening partner Adams brought up a stylish 50 from 82 balls, with nine fours.

Adams and Tom Alsop ensured there was no more success for Notts before the close to leave bottom-placed Hampshire holding a substantial advantage over the side immediately above them in the table with two days of this Division One match still remaining.

Stand-in captain Dawson said: “It was a very good day for us. This is obviously a massive game and to be so far ahead in the game puts us in an extremely strong position going into day three.”

“The plan now is bat and bat. Scoreboard pressure. We’ve got to look to bat all day and see where it takes us. If we bat well it’ll give us a big lead going into after tea tomorrow and the final day.”

“Carts (Andy Carter) bowled brilliantly for us. He bowled with decent pace and to get four wickets for us on his debut was a great effort.”