Opener Ben Slater hit a century on home debut for Nottinghamshire, but Yorkshire’s bowlers hit back impressively from late afternoon onwards to ensure day one at Trent Bridge ended encouragingly.
Matthew Waite, making his first Specsavers County Championship appearance since April, claimed three quick wickets as Notts slipped from 182-0 to 205-3 just before tea.
Tim Bresnan and Jack Brooks later struck twice with the second new ball, including Ben Duckett caught behind for 80, as Notts, who still hold the advantage, slipped from 292-3 to 331-7 and closed on 332-7 from 93.5 overs.
Slater top-scored with 109 off 184 balls on a murky day and shared a near double century stand with ex-White Rose overseas batsman Kraigg Brathwaite (71).
All-rounder Waite, 22, was Yorkshire’s standout performer with his bustling seamers having come in as one of six changes from last week’s defeat to Somerset. He finished with 3-72 from 21 overs.
Brathwaite spent the closing weeks of last summer at Emerald Headingley, and he has penned a similar overseas deal at Trent Bridge, where play took place under floodlights all day.
The no frills Bajan had to navigate a testing opening half hour after stand-in captain Adam Lyth, Yorkshire’s fifth Championship skipper in 11 games this season, had opted to bowl following an uncontested toss.
Bresnan and Brooks were unlucky not to strike early, with a number of plays and misses and Slater dropped on six at square-leg by Waite following a miscued pull at Brooks.
But the visitors erred afterwards on what looks to be a good pitch, despite overhead conditions, before improving late in the day.
Slater, a left-hander with a passing resemblance in stature and mannerisms to how Andrew Gale used to be at the crease, was the aggressor as 38 came off three overs from Waite, debutant Mathew Pillans and Brooks as the score advance from 40-0 after 21 overs to 78-0 after 24.
Slater reached 50 off 78 balls before lunch and 100, his fourth in first-class cricket, off 162 afterwards.
Pillans (0-90 from 18.5) looked rusty in his first Championship outing of the season, while leg-spinner Josh Poysden was either too full or short in his five overs.
Waite, back fit again having been dogged by an ankle injury this summer, gave Yorkshire hope in the closing stages of the afternoon when he struck three times in a little over six overs.
He had Brathwaite lbw with one that angled back, Jake Libby in similar fashion and Slater caught behind flicking down leg, leaving the score at 205-3 in the 63rd over.
Slater, making only his second appearance since moving from Derby, has now scored his last two centuries against the White Rose after an early season 50-over ton in a defeat at the County Ground.
Duckett turned down a move from Northants to Headingley last week.
He accrued his first 24 runs in boundaries and reached 50 off 56 balls – only his third time to 50 in this season’s Championship.
Brooks bowled captain Steven Mullaney (39) with the second new ball as the score fell to 292-4 in the 82nd over before Bresnan had Duckett caught behind driving (318-5 in the 87th).
He then had Tom Moores caught low down at cover by Jeet Raval three runs later before Brooks had Luke Wood caught behind.
Lyth is captaining Yorkshire for the first time this week following David Willey’s withdrawal due to a back injury. Bad light ended play 10 minutes early.