Sussex vs Worcestershire: Day 1 match report

England pace bowler Ollie Robinson produced a superb performance in front of his new team-mate Steve Smith as Sussex collected maximum bowling points in the LV=Insurance County Championship encounter with Worcestershire at New Road.

 Much of the pre-match attention focused on Smith and his three-match tenure with Sussex ahead of the forthcoming World Test Championship final with India and the Ashes.

 But the former Australian captain spent much of the day looking on admiringly at second slip of the skills of someone who will be one of his adversaries during the five game series.

 Robinson was a class above any other bowler on display, bowling an immaculate line and extracting extra bounce and he finished with 7-59 from 17 overs as Worcestershire were dismissed for 264 after being put in.

 He picked up the first four wickets to fall and then wrapped up the innings with the final three in the space of seven balls.

 But in between half centuries from Adam Hose, his first for his new county, Matthew Waite and Joe Leach helped Worcestershire to recover from 44-5.

 Sussex did well to negotiate the new ball for the loss of only Tom Clark in reaching 63-1 from 20 overs before bad light ended day with Smith due to bat at number five tomorrow.

 Robinson made the initial breakthrough in his first over from the New Road End when Ed Pollock drove at a delivery and edged a shoulder high catch to third slip. 

 Azhar Ali was given a testing time by the 29-year-old in between collecting boundaries from a late cut and back foot cover drive.

 But Robinson accounted for the former Pakistan Test batter lbw with a ball which nipped back and in the same over Jack Haynes was undone by a delivery which nibbled away and first slip did the rest.

 Jake Libby had taken advantage of the short boundary on the pavilion side of the ground by flicking Sean Hunt off his legs for six.

 But he became Robinson’s fourth victim when losing his middle stump to a ball slanted into the opener.

 At that stage Robinson had figures of 5.3-0-25-4 and Worcestershire’s plight worsened when Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira nicked a ball of extra bounce from Fynn Hudson-Prentice to third slip.

 Robinson came out of the attack after a spell of 7-0-30-4 and Hose, on his home debut after his move from Warwickshire, and fit again keeper-batter Gareth Roderick launched a counter-attack.

 Hose had made the switch from Edgbaston to play more red ball cricket and he produced a series of impressive drives and flicks off his legs and punished Sean Hunt for three successive boundaries.

 He reached a 67-ball half century with eight fours and was given good support by Roderick during a partnership of 92 in 22 overs.

 The stand was broken and there was little Roderick could do about a peach of a ball from Hunt which bounced and moved away with keeper Oli Carter accepting the chance.

 Hose’s was bowled by a fine yorker from Henry Crocombe but further resistance came from Matthew Waite and Joe Leach.

 Waite, who has moved from Yorkshire on a three-year contract, looked full of confidence after scoring his maiden first class century against Derbyshire at the Incora County Ground.

 A 40 ball half century included three sixes and Leach was also in typically pugnacious form in completing fifty from 45 deliveries and the 100 partnership spanned just 13.4 overs.

 But Robinson’s return wrapped up proceedings in double quick time in bowling Waite, having Leach taken by Smith at second slip and trapping Ben Gibbon lbw.

 When Sussex batted, Clark aimed a drive at Tongue and was caught behind but Ali Orr remained solid on an unbeaten 33.