Sussex vs Leicestershire | Day One

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

Sussex bowled out Leicestershire for 328 on the opening day of their Rothesay County Championship match at Hove, as Tom Clark and Daniel Hughes survived a tricky five-over spell to leave the hosts three without loss in reply at the close of play.

Leicestershire, the only side in the first division without a win this season, were put in after Ollie Robinson won the toss for the first time but after putting on 92 for the first wicket they slid to 209 for seven.

They were part-rescued by their tail, with the last three wickets adding 119, including an eighth wicket stand of 73 between captain Ian Holland (63) and Tom Scriven (50).

Off-spinner Jack Carson was the most successful Sussex bowler with figures of four for 40 but the stand-out performer was captain Ollie Robinson, who bowled heroically well, sending down 24.4 overs in five separate spells, and was unlucky to take only three wickets.

Robinson may have questioned his decision to bowl first on a green looking pitch as Leicestershire’s impressive and stylish openers Rishi Patel and Jake Weatherald batted with easy authority.

The right-handed Patel caught the eye with some handsome back foot drives, while the Australian Weatherald, shorter and left handed, worked the ball away with a series of neat flicks and cuts, although he was dropped at fourth slip, a difficult chance, when he had 16 and the score was 26.

The bowling in the first session was unimpressive, apart from the excellent Robinson, who found movement but bowled without any luck.

Then, shortly before lunch, Sussex had two slices of good fortune. In the 22nd over, Weatherald called for a quick single but then sent Patel back and Patel, on 45, was beaten by Jack Leaning’s direct hit from point.

Four overs later, at 108, Weatherald was out, making room to cut a short ball from Carson but slapping it straight to Tom Clark who pulled off a fine low catch in the covers.

After lunch Leicestershire were made to fight much harder for their runs. Sussex bowled markedly better only to see their fielding fall apart, with three dropped catches in quick succession.

Jonny Tattersall, the Yorkshireman who has had loan spells with Gloucestershire, Surrey and now Leicestershire, had been in good form with 200 runs in three innings. But now he was dropped on 12, 12 again and 19.

He was first put down by the normally reliable Clark at second slip, off Henry Crocombe, bowling down the hill with some pace. Then, two balls later and much to his frustration, Crocombe had Tattersall dropped by Coles at first slip. On both occasions the fielder got both hands to the ball.

Tattersall enjoyed a third let-off when, pulling against Fynn Hudson-Prentice, he was put down by Dan Ibrahim running in from long leg. But the batsman had added just one more when he offered yet another slip catch and this time Leaning accepted the chance at third.

Captain Holland and the in-form Steve Eskinazi found runs hard to come by. Eskinazi was dropped at mid-off on 14 off Carson, a difficult chance, but next ball he was caught at slip by Robinson.

Then Carson struck twice in the space of three balls. First he had Ben Cox brilliantly caught by Charlie Tear at a very close short-leg and then he had Ben Green lbw for a duck.

Holland and the impressive Scriven, who made his first fifty of the season, rescued the innings with a 16 overs partnership. And there was just time for one more drop – Leaning missing Ajaz Patel at slip off Robinson – before the end of the innings.