A feast of runs in the sunshine at Lord's produced a magnificent seventh wicket partnership, which ended just one short of a double century, took Nottinghamshire to 409 for eight at stumps.

In the process, Kevin Pietersen reached an unbeaten maiden first-class century and his stand with Paul Franks broke the seventh wicket record of 177 for Nottinghamshire against Middlesex which had stood since 1885.

Franks, who hit his first half-century of the season fell fifteen short of what would also have been a maiden first-class hundred. He was dismissed straight after the second new ball was taken by Tim Bloomfield who trapped him leg before wicket and then with the next ball brought about a similar dismissal of Andy Harris and Nottinghamshire were 390 for eight.

Franks played with ease and confidence as the innings progressed and he hit so freely that in one over from off spinner Paul Weekes he took four boundaries.

But the day belonged to the six-foot-four-inch tall, South Africa born Pietersen whose entertaining, unbeaten innings of 135 lasted over four hours and containined eighteen boundaries and two sixes. With his unblemished, 187-ball innings, he brought great comfort to Nottinghamshire who were beginning to struggle on 134 for four when he came to the crease.

He settled into fluent strokeplay quickly and used his feet well against the two spinners and took advantage of the short boundary on the mound stand side of the ground. His timing was perfect in his cuts and he drove elegantly on either side of the wicket. The finest shot of his innings was when he came down the wicket to drive Phil Tufnell to the extra-cover boundary.

Middlesex pace bowler, James Hewitt, brought into the side in the absence of their injured captain Angus Fraser, had earlier struck twice after Nottinghamshire had elected to bat.

After half-an-hour's play the visitors were 38 for two with Hewitt claiming the wickets in his fourth and eighth overs. Guy Welton was the first to go, pushing off the back foot to be caught in the cover.

Hewitt then removed Greg Blewett who mistimed his pull and top-edged to square leg for 12. But a third wicket partnership, between left-handers Darren Bicknell and Usman Afzaal which brought the hundred up on the board in the twenty eighth over and seemed to be developing so well, was broken three overs before lunch.

Bicknell, having faced 96 balls and hitting five boundaries, was caught at slip from a top edge as he attempted to sweep. He had scored 38 and Nottinghamshire were 106 for three. After lunch Middlesex claimed three more wickets.

Hewitt took his third having Afzaal caught at second slip for 43 and with the next two falling cheaply, Nottinghamshire had lost three wickets in a space of an hour to be reduced to 191 for six before Pietersen and Franks took charge dominated the play.

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