NEW England selector Mick Newell did not have to look further than out of the Trent Bridge pavilion window to see a glorious exhibition of Ian Bell's talents – but a former plumber from Lincolnshire was not to be upstaged on a day which ended with Nottinghamshire in dire trouble.
In-form Bell once again showed he has no intention of being a scapegoat for the miserable winter by peppering a bowler's nightmare of a short boundary, pilfering 122 runs, 93 of which crossed the rope on the Bridgford Road side of the ground.
Warwickshire were all out for 263, thanks in part to Andy Carter's figures of five for 55 from 13.2 overs, his best effort in a Notts shirt.
Carter, who in his previous career was more concerned with leaking pipes than leaking boundaries, would probably not even have played in the game but for Andre Adams' ongoing calf problems.
There can't be many outside the Carter family who see him as an England prospect, but he does have a Lions tour under his belt – when Newell was the coach in 2011 – and at 25 there is still time for the seamer, unlikely as it sounds right now.
The Notts director of cricket's primary focus will be on his own team though – and they start day two in all the mire on 43 for six – an innings summed up by a woefully comical run out of night watchman Luke Fletcher as he and Samit Patel did the Hokey Cokey before Fletcher seemingly decided he would be out not in.
Steven Mullaney, Phil Jaques, Michael Lumb, James Taylor, Riki Wessels and Fletcher all went on a wicket that offered plenty according to Bell, Chris Wright taking three for seven off eight overs, Notts 220 behind at the close.
Chris Read was passed fit to lead the team after a shoulder injury, meaning Notts were unchanged. Read won the toss and chose to bowl under a cloudy sky with a decent breeze.
William Porterfield had scored 23 of Warwickshire's first 26 runs when Harry Gurney was introduced to the attack. He got more joy than the opening pair of Peter Siddle and Fletcher, swiftly troubling the otherwise immaculate – at that stage – Porterfield.
The Notts seamer was soon celebrating the first wicket of the day as Varun Chopra went for a pedestrian two off 29 balls, edging through to Mullaney at second slip after a tentative prod – 33 for one.
As Gurney tired after seven overs (one for 15), Carter came on and took a wicket with his third ball. He banged it in short and Laurie Evans could only guide it straight to Taylor at short leg. He went for 13, the score 61 for two.
That brought Bell to the crease in front of England coach Peter Moores and he was soon into his stride with some glorious drives off Fletcher.
Bell was not without scares though. Twice he whipped the ball off his pads to Jaques at mid-wicket when on seven and 15, each time the ball appearing to fall inches short. Porterfield moved to 50 off 66 balls, throwing into a drive that flew to that short boundary.
What had begun so well had started to look a little more ragged for Porterfield and his time was up just before lunch for 56, his checked shot giving Mullaney a caught and bowled chance that he snapped up. That left Warwickshire 94 for three at the interval.
Siddle finally had his first wicket in his 40th over for Notts when he found the edge of Ateeq Javid's bat, edging to Wessels at first slip for a duck, the score 107 for four.
Warwickshire were in trouble when their fifth wicket fell on 118 – a beauty from Carter squaring up Tim Ambrose (6) and clipping the off bail as it left him off the pitch.
That brought the England duo of Bell and Chris Woakes together as they looked to stem the momentum. They did so with a partnership of 74 at 4.72 an over.
Woakes was out for 27 as he edged Fletcher through to Wessels. The visitors were 223 for six at tea, Bell on 97.
When play resumed Bell passed his century, a classy leg glance off Gurney taking him to 103 off 136 balls. He followed that up with his second six to take the visitors to 250.
However, they had lost two quick wickets before that. First Keith Barker was lbw to Gurney for nine when he played across the line. Then New Zealand international Jeetan Patel went for five when he too was leg before wicket, this time to Carter.
Bell's sublime stand was up when he went for 122 offering no shot to Carter, the bowler able to get a full view of the off stump cascading towards the slips, Warwickshire 259-9.
The innings was over soon after for 263, Fletcher taking a fine catch at mid-off to remove Wright for two and give Carter his five for.
That was the high point of the day for Notts as they lost Jaques with the score on two, trapped in front off the bowling of Wright. It got worse when Mullaney followed for four, the victim of a fine catch from Bell at third slip off Wright again, Notts seven for two.
It was 17 for three when Lumb went for one off 30 balls, shouldering arms as Barker sent his off stump flying. That became 17 for four as the top order collapsed, Taylor unhappy to be given lbw to Wright for six.
An awful evening session saw Wessels become the 15th wicket of the day, lbw to Oliver Hannon-Dalby for eight, Notts 36 for five. Then Fletcher went amid terrible confusion with Patel as they looked to turn one into two. For a neutral it was comical, for a watching Newell it was anything but.
Notts star man: Andy Carter
The seamer was arguably only in the side due to an injury to Andre Adams, but he grabbed his chance with both hands by recording career-best Notts figures of five for 55. His ball to remove Tim Ambrose was superb, but no doubt he will have taken most pleasure from bowling Ian Bell, but not before he had scored 122 runs.
Eye catching moment: Bell played an array of outstanding shots, not least in his first over with three slick cover drives off Fletcher all finding the short boundary. However, the most eye catching of his shots saw him hoist the ball high into the New Stand for his second six of the day, taking Warwickshire to 250 in the process.
One for the purists: As good as Bell was, arguably the shot of the day came from Chris Woakes as he smashed a cover drive on the up for four off the bowling of Gurney. To Gurney's credit he came back with a beauty, which Woakes missed. He will have been disappointed not to score more having looked in good touch.
Key battle: Luke Fletcher v Ian Bell
England star Bell clearly liked the look of Fletcher as he scored 33 of his 122 runs off Fletcher, a strike rate of 137.5. That included six boundaries, but in fairness Bell scored at a run a ball off Carter as the bowlers struggled to lay a glove on the Warwickshire number four.
![Notts v Warwickshire, day one report: Awful evening session undoes Carter's fine work]( "Notts v Warwickshire, day one report: Awful evening session undoes Carter's fine work")
