Sussex vs Hampshire | Day One

By Paul Weaver, ECB Reporters’ Network supported by Rothesay.

The match between the second team in the championship’s top division and the one second from bottom went to form at Hove as Sussex bowled out Hampshire for 191 in 60.4 overs.

Hampshire have taken only three batting points this season – all the other sides in the division are in double figures – and opener Nick Gubbins was the only batter to pass fifty.

Sussex skipper Tom Haines maintained his side’s dominance with a 57-ball 52 before Hampshire kept themselves in the match by dismissing both openers and then dismissing Jack Leaning lbw for a duck shortly before the end of the opening day.

The first session belonged to Sussex, which looked unlikely when Hampshire, who chose to bat, were 54 without loss after an hour’s play.

Neither Sean Hunt nor Dom Goodman posed difficult questions and though Jaydev Unadkat was unlucky, and conceded just nine runs from his eight overs, Sussex did not exert real control until Tom Price came on at the sea end and was joined by Haines at the Cromwell Road end. They were the pick of the bowlers.

Hampshire, for whom spinner Andrew Neal made his first-class debut, lost their first wicket in the 17th over when Toby Albert inside-edged Price onto his stumps. It was Price’s 100th first-class wicket.

At 65 Haines was jubilant after bowling his old Sussex opening partner Ali Orr, the batsman playing forward and inside the line of the ball.

In the last over before lunch Jake Lehmann, in prolific form this season, was furious with himself after being given out lbw to Haines for ten and Hampshire were 83 for three at the interval.

A double strike by Price after lunch set Hampshire back on their heels. Gubbins had just reached his fourth half-century of the season when, attempting to pull, he got a top edge and keeper John Simpson took a difficult, swirling catch.

Two balls later Price got one to straighten and former Sussex captain Ben Brown had his off stump knocked back for a duck.

Three overs later off-spinner Jack Carson got one to turn and the left-handed Delano Potgieter, playing his last match for Hampshire 

Tom Prest and Felix Organ responded to the difficult situation with some perky, positive batting, seeking runs and running hard.

But Organ fell at 142. Goodman returned for a second spell from the Cromwell Road end and was fortunate not to have his first delivery called a wide. Organ tried, and failed, to reach it. He just managed to reach the next ball but steered it straight to Carson at gulley.

Prest deserved a fifty but was one run short when he backed away to play through the off-side and was bowled by a quicker arm ball from James Coles.

Unadkat finally got a deserved wicket when he had Neal caught in the gulley and the innings ended when Eddie Jack was caught on the deep midwicket boundary off Carson.