Sussex's eight-year stay in Division One of the LV County Championship remains in peril after a nip and tuck opening day against Nottinghamshire.

Half-centuries from Mark Wagh and Chris Read left Notts on 294 for eight at the close, with Piyush Chawla picking up three for 51.

The visitors went into the final round of matches needing a victory as well as other results to go their way to have any hope of avoiding relegation.

But Wagh's patient 67 and Read's unbeaten 78 - the ninth time the Notts skipper has passed 50 this season - will not make things easy, with the hosts chasing the runners-up spot for the second year running.

Sussex captain Mike Yardy won the toss and chose to bowl first on a Trent Bridge surface that has tended to offer most assistance to seamers on the first day.

Given the fragility of the Notts top order, this seemed a reasonable idea, but the visitors did not get off to the start they were looking for as openers Bilal Shafayat and Alex Hales put on 70 for the first wicket.

That was the second-highest opening partnership of the season for Notts and Shafayat in particular coped with the swinging conditions well, bringing up the 50 with a cut for four off Robin Martin-Jenkins.

Hales also built on the good impression that has seen the 20-year-old post three half-centuries in the last three Championship fixtures to reach 33 before he was lbw to an in-swinger from Jason Lewry.

Shafayat then edged Dwayne Smith to Yardy at first slip straight after lunch before a 51-run partnership between Wagh and Samit Patel advanced the score to 137 for two.

Two wickets in six balls put Sussex back on top, Samit Patel playing on to Martin-Jenkins before his younger brother Akhil, making his Championship debut, was lbw fourth ball to Smith.

Ali Brown only made 10 before chasing a delivery outside off-stump for a sharp catch by Rory Hamilton-Brown at second slip off Martin-Jenkins, but as so often during the season, Read steadied the ship with a combination of watchful defence and attractive strokes on both sides of the wicket, including 10 fours and a six.

With little happening for the seamers, Chawla's leg-spin came into play, bowling Wagh with a big leg-break to end the right-hander's 163-ball innings.

The India international then removed Mark Ealham lbw and bowled Andre Adams just before the close to raise Sussex's hopes again, although they will need to dismiss Read quickly when play resumes.