Bowlers prosper on first day of Kent friendly

Sussex’s bowlers will take plenty of encouragement from the first day of their pre-season friendly against Kent after taking 13 top-order wickets at The 1st Central County Ground on Thursday.

In his first outing since undergoing hip surgery during the off-season, Ollie Robinson bowled ten overs without difficulty, picking up three for 18.

At one stage he had the remarkable figures of three for none from six overs as he wreaked havoc amongst Kent’s batsmen, who it was agreed would bat for the entirety of the day’s 90 overs.

Robinson struck with the third ball of the day, a length delivery that nipped back and sent Sean Dickson’s off-stump cartwheeling.

Robinson had the ball moving the other way for his second dismissal, a full-pitched outswinger that made its move too late for Daniel Bell-Drummond to do anything about it crashing into his wicket.

🏏WICKET! An absolute 🍑from @ollierobinson25 to bowl Bell-Drummond for 10. The Kent man looked in fine fettle, but not much you can do about a ball like that!

The Rig has two and is yet to concede a run from his 21 balls!

Kent: 16-2 off 6.3 (Crawley 5*, Rouse 0*) #gosbts pic.twitter.com/KI1pvMRzzG

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) March 28, 2019

A winter of recuperation in the groundsman’s shed, the Hove off-stump was being given very little time to adjust to another season of battery from Sussex’s leading wicket-taker of 2018.

Chris Jordan struck next - Adam Rouse caught down the legside by Ben Brown for a duck - before Robinson was at it again. This time it was a shorter delivery that did the business as Zack Crawley sent the ball ballooning off the back of his bat to Michael Burgess in the gully to leave Kent in dire straits at 19 for 4.

That became 20 for five two overs later when, bowling in a Sussex shirt for the first time this year, David Wiese lured Darren Stevens into a driving at an away-swinger. A thick outside-edge headed straight to Danny Briggs at point.

Wiese had his second when Kent’s Ollie Robinson’s chopped on in the 15th over of the day to become the fifth Kent batsman to depart in single figures.

Alex Blake and Callum Haggett staged a recovery of sorts by adding 42 for the seventh wicket, before Haggett was bowled by a Luke Wells leg-break that turned dramatically out of the footholds.

☝🏽WICKET! A mini recovery from the visitors who added 42 for their seventh wicket before @luke_wells07 gets some wicked turn out of the footholds to bowl Haggett for 11.

He's not called the Eastbourne Warne for no reason!

Kent: 73-7 off 28.3 (Blake 35*, Dickson 0*) #gosbts pic.twitter.com/DcDbNgZKHq

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) March 28, 2019

Then seven runs later and with Kent having reached 78, Dickson faced the ignominy of being dismissed twice in a session when Danny Briggs had him leg before with the final ball before lunch.

After lunch, Blake and his new partner, the returning Crawley showed some resolve as they collaborated on a 114-run partnership.

The pair timed the ball sweetly on another remarkably flat wicket given the time of year and were adept in picking the gaps in an aggressively set field.

Crawley reached his fifty off 79 balls but departed three overs later. It was Luke Wells that broke through ten minutes before tea with a skilful leg-break that took Crawley’s defensive edge and presented Jordan with a simple catch at first slip.

Blake brought up his hundred two balls before tea, which Kent reached at 200 for nine.

Abi Sakande was given the first over after the break and immediately looked threatening, bowling with pace and good control following a winter of hard work in the Aerotron Indoor School.

He was rewarded in his third over when he nipped one back sharply to remove Blake’s off-stump and send Kent’s centurion on his way for 105.

☝🏽WICKET! @AbiSakande, bowling with good pace and bounce, forces an error of judgement from Blake. He leaves one that crashes into the top of off and knocks it out of the ground. He's gone for 105.

Kent: 217-10 off 69.3 (Bell-Drummond 9*, Rouse 0*) #gosbts pic.twitter.com/PigwztrIP4

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) March 28, 2019

Sakande had another two overs later in his spell; this time a pitched-up delivery that appeared to beat Rouse for pace before pegging back his middle-stump and sending him back to the dressing room with a pair in the same innings.

That made it 231 for 11, which became 245 for 12 when Stevens’ second innings ended in similar fashion to his first as he carved one to Wells in the ring; Danny Briggs the bowler this time.

Spin brought the thirteenth and final wicket of the day as well, as Academy leg-spinner Will Collard beat the other Ollie Robinson’s defence to trap him lbw for seven in his second trip to the middle with Kent finishing on 278.

☝🏽WICKET & STUMPS: Academy leg-spinner @Will_Collard polishes off a solid day for the Sussex bowlers by pinning the other Ollie Robinson in front for ten.

We will bat all day tomorrow.

Kent: 278-13 dec. off 88.1 (Bell-Drummond 52*) #gosbts pic.twitter.com/dSWuVDX4kE

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) March 28, 2019

Sussex will have their chance to bat all day when play resumes at 11am on Friday.