Graham Hardcastle sends his final report of the day from Taunton
We have 16 overs left in the day, and Yorkshire are 141-5, leading by 94, with Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid trying to rebuild following three wickets in a seven-over spell for Craig Overton. They have put on 24 for the fifth wicket, and have plenty to do to ease the tension in the visiting dressing room.
Graham Hardcastle reports from Taunton
Game on again. Yorkshire have lost two wickets in eight balls in the early stages of the evening session and are now 114-4, leading by 67. Craig Overton had Jack Leaning caught at deep backward square-leg and Andrew Gale caught at second slip with successive deliveries at the end of the 39th over and the start of the 41st.
The door is now firmly ajar for Somerset, who are attacking Jonny Bairstow and Glenn Maxwell, a man still searching for his first Yorkshire run after a two-ball duck in the first innings.
We have a result in Hove
It’s all over. Chris Jordan has won the match for Sussex on his first match for them this season. He’s deposited Rankin over long off into the stands for six to give Sussex a one wicket victory over Warwickshire.
What a dramatic session. What a bizarre match dictated by a slightly dodgy pitch but it’s been great fun.
So Sussex win by 1 wicket, Jordan leaves the pitch to a hero’s reception.
Au revoir from sunny Hove.
Graham Hardcastle writes from Taunton
Somerset have their second wicket, that of Will Rhodes neatly caught at first slip by a diving Jim Allenby off the part-time spin of Johann Myburgh with the score on 82. Yorkshire, now 49 ahead, are 96-2 from 36 overs at tea.
Rhodes looks a competent replacement for Adam Lyth despite not being a recognised opener, yet he just can’t seem to cash in following a number of starts. He made 40 here, which is his fourth score in the forties in eight Championship innings this season. Jack Leaning has moved to 44 not out and looks in supreme touch following his first-innings 123.
Lizzy Ammon reports from Hove
Scenes, as they say, here at Hove. The fifty partnership between Brown and Cachopa ended when the latter had a bit of a brain fade and carted Jeetan Patel’s first delivery down to long on where the tallest man on the park – Boyd Rankin – was standing. Brown and Jordan then put on a further 55 before Brown mistimed a pull to Patel off Boyd Rankin. He sunk down on his haunches mortified.
Oli Robinson came out guns a blazing determined to play with attacking intent as Brown and Jordan had been. He went for eight caught behind with Sussex still needing 17. Chris Jordan was then dropped at long off by Keith Barker and then the very next ball Magoffin lost his off stump to Rankin meaning Sussex were nine down still needing 15.
Jordan has just brought up his half century from 33 deliveries and Sussex now need six to win after four byes have just sailed over Ambrose’s head.
Drama in Hove.
Lizzy Ammon reports
There’s a 50-run partnership between Ben Brown and Craig Cachopa who have played really positively and put the pressure back on to Warwickshire. They’ve taken the score to 98/5 with the runs required down below 100 now.
Oh Jeetan Patel has come on from the Cromwell Road and Cachopa has holed out to the tallest man on the park, Boyd Rankin, who was at long off. So Sussex now 98/6 with 92 still required.
This is fun although you wouldn’t want wickets like this all the time
Graham Hardcastle reports from Somerset v Yorkshire
Yorkshire are into the lead at Taunton having lost only Alex Lees for one, caught behind off Peter Trego in the second over of the innings. They are now 52-1 in the 15th thanks to a solid second-wicket stand between emerging pair Jack Leaning and opener Will Rhodes.
Left-handed Rhodes, 20-years-old, is chasing his first Championship fifty as a top order replacement for England’s Adam Lyth, with this being his fifth match. Leaning scored a fine 123 in this match and is being watched by his father Andy, a former Bristol City goalkeeper and the newly appointed goalkeeping coach at home club York City. Jack’s parents were not present on Sunday to witness his ton.
Graham Hardcastle reports from Taunton
Wow. We have just witnessed a quite remarkable half hour before lunch thanks to the Overton twins, Jamie and Craig, who have handed Somerset a 47-run lead on first innings and made mincemeat of Yorkshire’s bowling attack during a tenth-wicket stand of 76 in just 35 balls.
Jamie hit three sixes in 50 off 19 balls and Craig added 31 not out off 25, each hitting four fours in an over off Steve Patterson and Adil Rashid. Yorkshire now have some work to do after lunch to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, although I just have a feeling that Somerset will rue their decision not to play a spinner.
More from Lizzy at Hove
Things are not going well for Sussex. Ed Joyce, having been dropped by Trott on 0, was given LBW first ball after lunch. Then Luke Wright got an absolutely unplayable ball from Rikki Clarke; it popped up fiercely off a length and all Wright could do was glove it straight to the hands of second slip. They are 48/5 needing another 142 and Warwickshire firmly in the box seat. The pitch hasn’t got any better although the overheads are a bit more friendly today.
This match isn’t much longer for this world.
Lizzy Ammon’s lunchtime report
It’s lunch here at Hove and Sussex’s chase, as suspected, is not easy. They’ve lost three wickets. Those of Luke Wells, Chris Nash and Harry Finch. Wells started well but was dropped by Laurie Evans in the gully and then quickly edged to the slips for 19. Harry Finch managed to make just one before having his bails trimmed by Chris Wright.
They’ve amassed just 38 for the loss of those three wickets. This will be an intriguing afternoon. One Sussex spectator has told me this is the worst pitch he’s seen at Hove in the fifteen years he’s been coming here.
Graham Hardcastle reports from Taunton
You have to feel for Tom Cooper, Somerset’s Australian Dutchman. The search goes on for his first hundred in county cricket after falling for 99 as Somerset edge towards parity on first innings. Cooper was caught behind down leg off Liam Plunkett, and followed the same way as Alex Barrow just a couple of overs earlier against Steve Patterson. Somerset are now 427-9 replying to 438. The same thing happened to me in a second XI club cup final on 49 going back ten years or so. But I strongly suspect Cooper feels a heck of a lot worse now than I did that day.
Graham Hardcastle writes from Taunton
Somerset are now 50 behind at 378-6 having lost two wickets this morning, one to Liam Plunkett and one to Steve Patterson. Plunkett bowled Alfonso Thomas four balls into the day and Patterson got Jim Allenby the same way for 31. Australian-born Dutch international Tom Cooper, 88 not out, is closing in on his first century in county cricket.
Off the field and away from all of the Jason Gillespie hullabaloo yesterday, it was nice to learn that the spectator struck on the head by a Tim Bresnan six late on Sunday’s opening day is in high spirits and good health. Welshman Mel Pillar had to have four stitches in a wound, but he returned to the ground yesterday and accepted the signed match ball from Bresnan.
Word has it that Bresnan tried to throw the pen back up to the Yorkshire dressing room, only to miss and nearly hit another spectator!
Lizzy Ammon writes from Sussex v Warwickshire
Warwickshire are all out for exactly 200, a lead of 189. It was a heroic effort from Westwood but he only managed to score two runs before being bowled by Magoffin and then Chris Jordan bowled Boyd Rankin with a full straight ball.
So Sussex will need 190 to win and whilst that doesn’t sound very many, it certainly won’t be easy. The innings scores have been 180, 191, 200.
Rikki Clarke was the pick of the Warwickshire bowlers in the first innings but interestingly Boyd Rankin only bowled two overs in the first innings; it will be intriguing to see if Varun Chopra trusts him more this time round.
Lizzy Ammon reports
Ian Westwood has come out to bat. They’ve strapped him up, poured some painkillers down his throat and he’s come out to bat after Rikki Clarke was caught in the slips by Harry Finch for 34. But it’s very clear he shouldn’t be out there, he’s just been hit in the ribs by a short ball. He is in pain. He isn’t right. He’s braving it out but that doesn’t seem very sensible to me. Fair play for bravery but not sure how sensible it is.
Updated
Lizzy Ammon reports from Hove
Good morning from Hove for what will almost certainly be the final day of this match. 27 wickets have fallen in five sessions in this match which has been totally dominated by the ball on a suspect pitch. They’ve relaid one side of the square here and it doesn’t appear that it’s gone entirely to plan. A second XI match was abandoned earlier this season because it was deemed dangerous. Two weeks ago the pitch for the Middlesex match was deemed “below average” and some felt that Sussex were lucky to get away with it not being marked poor. The umpires have rated this one below average so far and if they move that to a poor marking there will be a report to Lord’s by umpires, captains and the cricket liaison officer Tony Pigott.
Warwickshire currently lead by 172 with Rikki Clarke staging something of a counter-attack but balls are moving about a foot off the seam. Some deliveries are rising steeply, some are shooting along the ground. Variable bounce really doesn’t make it a fair contest.
Warwickshire only have ten batsmen available to them as Ian Westwood can’t bat. Trying to chase anything over 200 is going to be a real struggle for Sussex.
Graham Hardcastle sets up the day
Good morning and welcome to the county blog, where we have Lizzy Ammon at Hove for what is almost certain to be the final day and myself at Taunton.
That old chestnut, the big first hour, will rear its head here at the start of day three, with Somerset currently 129 runs behind Yorkshire at 309-4 in their first innings. Yorkshire erred in line and length too often yesterday, forcing Andrew Gale to describe their performance as one that does not befit a champion team. James Hildreth, in particular, enjoyed himself on the way to 82 off 61 balls, although he fell shortly before close. If Tom Cooper can lead a strong morning with the bat, Somerset could put the visitors under some pressure this evening and tomorrow.
At Hove, Warwickshire lead by 169 with three second-innings wickets in hand on a suspect pitch which has seen only Sussex opener Luke Wells pass 50.
Elsewhere on the circuit, Worcestershire are in control against Durham at New Road in the only other Division One fixture. Lancashire veteran Ashwell Prince yesterday scored his third hundred of the season as the Division Two leaders moved into a strong position against Derbyshire in golf country at Southport and Birkdale, while Kent and Surrey are virtually level pegging after two days at Beckenham.
Morning all,
Today we have Lizzy Ammon at Hove for Sussex v Warwickshire and Graham Hardcastle at Taunton for Somerset v Yorkshire. Here are the reports from yesterday:
Somerset v Yorkshire
Somerset frustrate Yorkshire after Tim Bresnan completes rare century
A surprised but delighted Andrew Gale believes the England and Wales Cricket Board have “missed a trick” by overlooking his Yorkshire coach, Jason Gillespie, for the vacant England job. The Yorkshire captain was told the 40-year-old Australian would be staying at Headingley shortly after the warm-ups before a second day that Somerset had much the better of thanks to a strong response to the champions’ first-innings score of 438.
Sussex v Warwickshire
Warwickshire edge ahead of Sussex as players duck and dive at Hove
Despite only 65 overs being possible on the second day, this match has moved on apace towards its conclusion. The pitch, however, has been the deciding factor in a game dominated by the ball. It will almost certainly be marked below average or poor by the umpires; batsmen have struggled throughout against steeply rising deliveries followed by ones that shoot along the ground.
Enjoy the cricket.
