We’re all done here at Hove – the rains came with Somerset having faced 25 overs of their innings losing two wickets in the process. Tom Abell undone by Chris Jordan and losing his off stump then the ever reliable Steve Magoffin removed Tom Cooper who’d been looking to run every ball – he went for a brisk 31 from 28 whilst at the other end Trescothick passed 1000 runs for the season.
Weather tomorrow looks grim so I’ll bring some quiz questions for the blog.
Graham Hardcastle with another update
You can’t keep Gareth Berg out of the game. He has just taken a smart low catch at mid-wicket to help Ryan Stevenson dismiss Gary Ballance for 30 following a miscued pull. Ballance had shared 51 for the second wicket with Alex Lees, who is 20 not out, after the early dismissal of Adam Lyth. Hampshire weren’t a million miles away from a third wicket almost immediately after a dicey single taken by Andrew Gale to get off the mark. Yorkshire are 52-2.
Graham Hardcastle writes from the Ageas Bowl
Not good news for Adam Lyth, who fell for a second-ball duck when he loosely drove at Fidel Edwards and edged to third slip, where James Vince took a smart waist high catch to leave the score at 0-1 after two balls of the Yorkshire reply. The champions have since reached tea at 21-1 after 10 overs in reply to 400-9 declared, with Gary Ballance making 14 of them.
Ballance has suffered the same fate as Lyth in terms of being left out of England’s Test squad for the forthcoming tour of the UAE to play Pakistan, but so far the luck has gone his way in this innings. He was dropped at gully on nine by Will Smith off Edwards.
Graham Hardcastle writes from Hampshire v Yorkshire
Well, that was fun!
After a slow first day and a bit, this game has sprung into life with both sides claiming maximum bonus points when it looked highly unlikely a couple of hours ago. Hampshire have declared their first innings on 400-9 after 108.5 overs, which included 77 runs inside the last seven overs of the innings as Gareth Berg hit six fours in nine balls on the way to 27 not out. The former Middlesex man even hit four successive boundaries off Jack Brooks in the 108th over to break the back of the ‘chase’ of five points. Liam Dawson finished with 140.
The only thing left for Yorkshire to achieve this season is a record points haul in the two-divisional era, so they will have been delighted to claim five wickets in the last ten overs of the innings to pick up three bowling points.
Graham Hardcastle writes...
Hampshire, at 354-6 after 105 overs, need 46 off five overs to clinch the maximum five batting points, something you would have got long odds on at the start of play today. Dawson is 135 not out and is 35 away from a career best score. He has Ryan McLaren for company.
Graham Hardcastle reports from Southampton
Rod Bransgrove has spoken of his pride at being honoured by Hampshire today by having the main Pavilion at the Ageas Bowl named after him. The Hampshire chairman, 65 on Sunday, said: “This is quite overwhelming. My initial thought was ‘I am not dead, so maybe this could have waited’. But I saw some lettering going up the other day and didn’t think to ask what it was. It is an honour to be sandwiched in between Shane Warne and Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, two great players on and off the field.”
Well Sussex are all out for 409 having picked up maximum batting points, Somerset having picked up maximum bowling points so at the moment everyone is happy all round. Chris Jordan, who’d looked pretty scratchy this morning played very fluently post lunch including a huge six to bring up the 400. Somerset will be mightily relieved that’s all over, they’ve now been in the field for 3.5 days out of the last five. They were struggling a bit without Craig Overton who didn’t take to the field today.
The innings ended with a very good catch by Luke Ronchi who had to back pedal a long way to pouch a top edged skyer by Jordan.
The last four Sussex batsmen put on 238 and got Sussex from one batting point to full batting points and Somerset have been guilty of really not pressing home their advantage. With the weather forecast as it is, Sussex have probably made sure they won’t lose this game
Graham Hardcastle writes from the Ageas Bowl
Liam Dawson has completed his seventh career first-class century as Hampshire reach lunch on day two well placed at 292-4 from 97 overs. Dawson, who scored 99 on loan at Essex earlier this season, reached his milestone with the penultimate ball of the session. He will resume this afternoon on 102 not out.
Dawson and Sean Ervine have shared an unbroken 111 for the fifth wicket, and they can now comfortably reach a fourth batting bonus point for 350 in the next 13 overs. Ervine has been the one to really up the ante on the way to 41 not out.
Meanwhile, right at the start of the ongoing lunch interval, Hampshire have unveiled the newly named Rod Bransgrove Pavilion in honour of their chairman. The signs are already up at the back of the main Pavilion here, situated in the middle of the Shane Warne and Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie stands.
Is someone peeling onions in here, I appear to have tears in my eyes. Yes Michael Yardy has scored a century and the Hove crowd rose to their feet as one. It was a beautiful moment – they know that might be the last time they see him bat here at Hove.
He was out the next ball caught at fine leg by Hildreth and again the Hove crowd were on their feet as he walked off and Jamie Overton ran over to him to shake his hand as he departed. It’s emotional stuff and a lovely bit of romance – the sun has even come out.
Sussex now 363/8 with Jordan and Magoffin at the crease – the former not looking very comfortable at the moment. Somerset are having to manage without Craig Overton who hasn’t taken to the field today – we think he’s hurt his left wrist
Graham Hardcastle reports from the Ageas Bowl
Positive start to the morning session for Hampshire, who have just clinched a second batting bonus point at 252-4 after 86 overs. They have another 25 overs to get up to five points for 400 inside 110, although a maximum haul is unlikely. In a Sky interview before play, their captain James Vince hinted they would declare immediately and go in search of the three bowling bonus points.
Liam Dawson has reached his fifty and is now 70 now not out alongside Sean Ervine, who has 34. These two have added 73 for the fifth wicket, 34 of which have come in eight overs today.
We’re underway here at Hove and the second over of play has sent Zaidi on his way. Jamie Overton bowled his first ball of the day at full pace and it’s struck Zaidi on the pads – he’s gone for 91 and Sussex are 308/7. Chris Jordan has come to the crease in just his fifth LVCC match for Sussex this season after an extended injury lay off. He’s just been called into the England T20 squad for the UAE but has lost his place in the Test and ODI squads; that injury came at a very bad time and the Test and ODI teams have moved on.
Jamie Overton has started with a wicket maiden and the new ball has just been taken. Tricky period ahead for Sussex and Michael Yardy is on 65* in what is possibly his final innings at Hove. Given the weather forecast we may well not see him bat again in this match.
Graham Hardcastle writes from Hampshire v Yorkshire
As news comes through of the omissions of Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance from England’s Test squad for the early winter series against Pakistan in the UAE, the left-handers are out on the ground here beginning their pre day warm-ups with a spot of football. Lyth is a live wire with a football at his feet. He had trials as a teenager with Manchester City, while his brother played semi-professionally for Scarborough. Given he’s a Whitby boy, I’m not sure where Lyth’s love of Arsenal comes from, but they’re his team.
And still we have no cricket...
We have news of a proposed start time, writes Graham Hardcastle at the Ageas Bowl. The umpires will inspect again at 11.50pm with a view to starting at 12.20pm and lunch being taken an hour late at 1.30pm. The umpires will now decide how many overs are to be bowled in the day.
There’s going to be another inspection here at 11.30am. The pre match football is in full flow and Peter Trego is noticeably better than anyone else. In other news, the Battle of Britain fly past should come over the top of the county ground if we can see them through the gloom.
Good morning from Hove where it’s gloomier than a Christmas Day episode of Eastenders. It’s dry though and we’re going to have an inspection at 11.
When we do resume this match it’s quite nicely poised. It was a bit of a scrap yesterday – Somerset got themselves well on top and then let their foot off the gas although it has to be said they were grim grim conditions to be bowling in. I was surprised how little Trrescothick bowled Jack Leach even despite the conditions. Both Overtons bowled well on the whole – they’ve come on leaps and bounds this season.
Ashar Zaidi’s innings was by no means chanceless but it was a brave counter attacking innings that has got Sussex right back into this match.
It’s not cricket weather though. There’s a group of primary school children here at Hove today, this might put them off cricket for life.
Graham Hardcastle sets up the day
Good morning and welcome to the county blog. I write this scene-setter from the Ageas Bowl, where it is raining steadily and I would a predict a delayed start until near lunchtime between Hampshire and Yorkshire, maybe afterwards.
The chances are that we are going to get some more rain at some point during the next three days, meaning someone is going to have to play extremely well to win this match. Or extremely badly to lose it! When play does get underway here, Hampshire will resume on 219-4 from 78 overs after a safety first approach to their batting in difficult conditions yesterday.
Lizzy Ammon is positioned at Hove for the relegation clash between Sussex and Somerset, a match which Hampshire will have one eye on given they started this round of fixtures second bottom in Division One and eleven points away from safety. Sussex closed yesterday on 303-6, also from 78 overs.
Elsewhere in Division One, bottom side Worcestershire closed day one against Durham at 223-4 from 83 in what looks like, from afar, an identical day to Hampshire and Yorkshire. There was no play at Edgbaston yesterday between Warwickshire and Notts.
In Division Two, leaders Surrey had much the better of the opening day against second-placed Lancashire in the potential title decider. Visitors Surrey will resume on 262-4 from 83.2 overs thanks mainly to Zafar Ansari’s 99 at the top of the order against an attack including James Anderson, who struck once upon his return to action following a side strain. Could it be enough to earn him a Test spot for the UAE when the squad is announced this afternoon?
Morning all,
Today we are back with Lizzy Ammon in Hove for Sussex v Somerset and Graham Hardcastle in Southampton for Hampshire v Yorkshire. Here are their reports from last night:
Sussex v Somerset
Sussex’s Ed Joyce feels the relief after recovering against Somerset
Since the County Championship was split into two divisions in 2000, Somerset and Sussex have spent far more time in the top division than out of it but both are in a relegation scrap. The Sussex captain, Ed Joyce, who returned to the side after a neck injury, won the toss and made what seemed to be a slightly surprising choice to bat first on a day that appeared to suit the bowlers and, when his side subsided to 171 for six, he may have questioned whether it was the right decision.
Hampshire v Yorkshire
Jimmy Adams helps Hampshire get off to solid start
Hampshire’s batsmen took the view that slow but steady wins the race during a hard-fought opening day against the lately crowned champions, Yorkshire. Jimmy Adams led an obdurate first-innings display for a county battling hard against relegation with 52, while the middle-order pair, Will Smith and Liam Dawson, contributed 46 and 47 not out respectively.
Enjoy the cricket
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