Here are all the LV= Insurance County Championship 2023 Round 14 Day 1- Live Cricket Streaming, Scores, Match Reports, Stats and Reactions – September 10^th

Division One

Top Tournament Stats: LV= County Championship 2023 Division 1

Most Runs

Most Wickets

Fixtures

Points Table

Division One

Kent vs Nottinghamshire

Zak Crawley hit a “Daddy Hundred” as Kent reached 398 for four on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship fixture with Nottinghamshire at Canterbury.

The Ashes star cashed in after being dropped when he was on two, making 158 from 153 balls and hitting three sixes before he was caught and bowled by Calvin Harrison, who was Notts’ most potent bowler, claiming two for 104.

Daniel Bell-Drummond was Kent’s next highest corer with 60 while Jack Leaning and Harry Finch were unbeaten on 54 and 42 respectively at stumps.

Kent were barely recognisable from the side that lost by 321 runs at Trent Bridge in July. Of the seven changes, Crawley was back from England duty and there were debuts for spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Aron Nijjar, signed on-loan from Essex.

The major talking point, however, was the ongoing absence of club captain Sam Billings.

Billings had taken a break from red-ball cricket earlier in the season and although he was included in the squad, Leaning remained captain and Finch retained the gloves.

Nottinghamshire handed a debut to Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando, just 24 hours after he’d arrived in the UK and on a day when the temperature in Canterbury was 30 degrees, the same as in his native Katuneriya.

It looked like a vital toss to win and after choosing to bat Kent’s openers put on 95 in a partnership of almost diametrically opposed styles.

Crawley played like he was still in Ashes mode, riding his luck at times on a surface that wasn’t as dead as it initially appeared. He was put down by Dane Paterson at point in just the second over and responded by cracking Brett Hutton for four consecutive fours in the third.

He punched his way past 50 when he straight-drove Paterson for four while Ben Compton, after one expansive early effort, Geoffrey Boycotted his way to 18 before he was bowled trying to reverse sweep Calvin Harrison, four minutes before lunch.

Crawley brought up his century off exactly 100 balls when he nudged Lyndon James to point for a single and reached 150 when he pulled Fernando for one through fine leg before Harrison somehow clung on to a violent drive to remove him.

Bell-Drummond was out to the very next delivery when he tried to hook Fernando and went to an acrobatic grab by keeper Tom Moores, but Tawanda Muyeye pulled the final ball of the afternoon session for six to leave the hosts on 260 for three at tea.

Muyeye and Leaning put on 59 for the next wicket, before the former went for 35. Having edged Steven Mullaney for four he ran out of luck when he nicked the next ball to Harrison at slip, but Finch joined Leaning to earn Kent a third batting point and the skipper brought up his half-century when he flicked Mullaney to third man for four in the penultimate over.

 

Kent’s Zak Crawley said: “I knew we had this in us, we’ve got a good batting line-up and it was a good day to bat so we’re obviously very happy with the situation.

“I was trying to be positive and I got a bit of luck early. I made the most of it. The ball was doing a little bit but I tried to take a punt and it came off. I felt really good, I’ve felt good the whole build up this last week. I felt so relaxed and I knew I had that score in me.

“There was a little bit there for sure, there wee a couple of nicks that went through the slips which were dropped and it’s starting to spin a bit well so that’s good and that’s what we wanted from the pitch.

“It’s obviously a big game for us. We need to win a couple of games, or one game to stay up. One might be enough but two would be nice and this might be one of the only games I play so to come back and contribute is always nice.

(On his dismissal) “I was so surprised I couldn’t believe he’d caught it. It was the hardest ball I’d hit all day and I just thought it was four. I was a little bit stunned by it but it was a brilliant bit of fielding.

(On his ODI role). “I think that’s what everyone wants, to play for England in n=any format. I’d love to be involved in that white ball set up and hopefully I get a few runs and keep knocking on that door. It’s an unbelievably good team and there’s just talent coming from everywhere so you’ve just got to stay ahead of the game.

“What I’ve done well this year is not pay much attention to that (the pressure.) I feel like I’ve been relaxed, just been myself and playing cricket for the fun of it again, which you and lose sight of sometimes. Hopefully I can continue with that mindset because it’s a lot more enjoyable. Even when it doesn’t go your way you realise how lucky you are to be playing professional sport. If you stray away from that you can get bogged down.

“It suits me to play that way (as he did with England). There’s going to be times when you get low scores and it’s going to look pretty average but if I can have days like today I wouldn’t swap that.”

“I watch Kent all the time (when away with England.) Some of my best mates are in this team and I really want them to do well, all the lads to be honest. I watch every game and follow every game intently and always want the boys to do well.”

 

Notts’ Calvin Harrison said: “”It was obviously a tough day in the field and a long day but we worked hard and they batted pretty well on a good wicket, so it’s going to be important for us to come back strongly tomorrow morning.

“You’ve always got to be out there looking to take wickets, it’s an obvious attacking mindset but sometimes to do that you want to be holding the rate which probably we didn’t do through some patches.

“Coming into tomorrow we’re going to have to try and make it as difficult as possible for them to score and hold the rate back and hopefully the wickets will come as a result of that pressure.”

(On his first wicket) “I didn’t know what was going on to be honest. I was appealing for the lbw and I turned round and the bail was on the floor. I don’t know what happened. Compo said it had come off his elbow.”

(On the catch that removed Crawley) “It happened so quickly it was instinctive. It just went flush into my hand so it was nice to hold on to it.”

Warwickshire vs Northamptonshire

Olly Hannon-Dalby yet again carried Warwickshire’s bowling attack as Northamptonshire gritted their way to 200 for five on a weather-affected opening day of their LV=Insurance County Champions match at Edgbaston.

The visitors, put in, advanced smoothly to 171 for two as Emilio Gay (77, 146 balls) and debutant Karun Nair (78, 177) added 147 in 46 overs.

But Hannon-Dalby powered his side back into the game after tea with bowling of sustained accuracy and menace. His 19-7-29-3 on a placid pitch was worth many a five-for harvested in more helpful conditions.

The seamer’s excellence also nudged Northamptonshire towards Division Two in a match they desperately need to win to preserve their slender hopes of avoiding relegation.

After choosing to bowl, Warwickshire made the anticipated early breakthroughs as both openers fell in the first 61 balls. With Ricardo Vasconcelos ruled out injured, Hassan Azad opened with Gay but perished in careless fashion in the second over when he lifted Chris Rushworth to cover.

When Luke Procter edged Hannon-Dalby to second slip, Northamptonshire were 24 for two. Warwickshire, themselves in desperate need of a lift after a wretched few weeks, hoped that a clatter would follow but Nair and Gay rebuilt patiently.

Nair, recruited for the last three games to replace the departed Sam Whiteman, underlined his commitment to the cause by taking 23 balls to get off the mark. With Gay batting in composed fashion, the third-wicket pair added exactly 100 before the gathering munge – drizzle, low cloud and bad light – forced the players off for two hours.
Led by the indefatigable Hannon-Dalby, Warwickshire fought back in the last session as the visitors’ batting fragility showed itself. The Yorkshireman shaped a perfect away-cutter which took Gay’s edge through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess and had Richard Keogh dropped on nought in the slips then bowled him through a big drive.

Ed Barnard added the big wicket of Nair, who had become becalmed for 13 balls on 78, when his concentration at last wavered and he feathered an attempted loft to third man. Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus avoided further damage but Northamptonshire’s lower order needs to shine with bat and ball tomorrow if their side’s cadaverous survival bid is not to expire completely.

Warwickshire bowler Olly Hannon-Dalby said:

"It's probably about even-stevens. There was a period when Gay and Nair batted really well and kept us out and we weren't a million miles away but maybe just a smidge off it in the first two sessions. But we got our rewards in the last session. They didn't score many runs and we picked up three wickets in the session on what is a really goods cricket wicket. If you are patient with the bat you can get value for your shots and get some runs but, as a bowler, if you bang it in the right area enough times. there are wickets to be had.

"Craig Miles didn't get a wicket but bowled a brilliant spell to try to make things happen which was his role today. I benefited from that in my role which is to dry up the runs as much as I possibly can and try to hit a few people in the shins."

 

Northamptonshire batter Emilio Gay said:

"It was the sort of pitch where you felt you were never quite in. It was quite hazy this morning with a lot of rain about so the ball was doing quite a lot. 

"To rebuild after losing a couple of early wickets was vital and it was just a pleasure to bat with Karun, though it was disappointing for me to get out when I did because I set myself high standards and wanted to go on and get a hundred.

"Karun looked so calm and composed and nothing fazed him. It took him 21 balls to get off the mark but he just stayed in his bubble, which is important. He has probably not experienced much of English conditions and Duke balls so to come in and play like that in his first innings in those conditions against bowlers of the quality of Rushworth and Hannon-Dalby, says a lot about his quality." 

 Lancashire vs Middlesex

Middlesex’s Sam Robson batted over four hours for an unbeaten 56 but could not prevent Lancashire having by far the best of the first day of the LV= County Championship Division One match at Emirates Old Trafford.

By the time a combination of rain and bad light had shortened play by 38 overs, Robson’s relegation-threatened side had struggled to 132 for eight and their problems were in sharp contrast to the prosperity Kent were enjoying at Canterbury, where Zak Crawley’s century had helped Kent make up three of the seven points between the sides at the bottom of Division One.

However, Middlesex supporters could be grateful their plight was not worse. Their close of play position represented a recovery from 19 for five, the score when Ryan Higgins joined Robson to put on 64, the only substantial partnership of the innings to date.

Lancashire’s bowlers, on the other hand enjoyed a fine day. As though keen to capitalise on their opponents’ decision to bat first under cloudy skies, Tom Bailey took three for 24 from 16 overs, and both Will Williams and Luke Wood  picked up two wickets.  

Predictably, perhaps, Middlesex’s innings began dreadfully. Mark Stoneman was out for nought in the third over when he edged Bailey to the safe hands of Tom Hartley at fourth slip and nine balls later Joe Cracknell was bowled for one when Williams brought one back from outside off stump to defeat his loose drive.

Robson and Jack Davies then defied the Lancashire seamers for 45 minutes but that was merely the prelude to the fall of three wickets in 16 balls. Davies was caught by Phil Salt off Wood for four when he gloved an attempted pull down the leg side; Max Holden was out first ball when his hesitant push to a good ball from Wood merely edged a catch to George Bell at first slip; and then, having made just a single, the normally reliable John Simpson nicked a George Balderson delivery to Salt.

Ryan Higgins joined Robson and the sixth-wicket pair effected modest repairs either side of lunch with Higgins’ committed strokeplay a refreshing change from the indecision that had gone before. Seven overs after the resumption, though, he was bowled by Williams for a 50-ball 41 and by the time rain arrived to interrupt play for 90 minutes Josh de Caires had also departed, caught at first slip by Bell off Bailey for 14.

Play resumed under cloudy skies and with five slips posted but the next wicket fell in unconventional fashion when Jayant Yadav marked his Middlesex debut by pulling Bailey straight to Luke Wells at slip and departing for four. 

The visitors’ hopes of making a competitive first-innings total now rest on Robson, the only batter to have made a first-class century this season for a team that has gained just two batting bonus points in 12 innings.  

 

Lancashire swing bowler, Luke Wood, said:

If we had won the toss we would have bowled, so we are pretty happy with the result despite losing a bit of time.

We would have liked to have bowled them out but having them eight down for 132 was a good outcome. The new ball did a bit, the pitch got a bit flatter, and I thought we kept it tight for most of the day, so they didn’t really get away from us.

Bails (Tom Bailey) and Will (Williams) have been really good all year and collectively we bowled really well. I’ve not played since the first game of the season, so it was nice to back on the field with the lads and getting stuck in.

I was glad to come back today and make an impact. This will probably my only other Championship game with the Ireland series coming up, but going into next season I’d like to try and get in the four-day team for the majority of the season rather just a couple of games.”

 

Middlesex opener, Sam Robson, said:

It was very tough out there. The first session didn’t go to plan, we knew it would do a bit at the start but it was good bowling conditions and we were just waiting for the sun to come out.

But we lost a few early and the clouds just hung around and it was tough work.

Williams and Bailey deserve great credit. They didn’t give very much and they held good lines and lengths all day. And it was also one of those days when we were on and off because of the weather and that can be a bit tricky as well. But if we can get a few more tomorrow and then bowl well, we’ll see how we go.

Things got a bit easier when the sun came out briefly. Ryan batted beautifully and took them on. We got a bit of rhythm but then the clouds rolled in after lunch and the ball started moving around again.

You just have to hang in there as an opening batter. You do the hard work and then you hope that things get easier, but on a day like today we were just trying to fight our way back into the game  

   

Division Two

Top Tournament Stats: LV= County Championship 2023 Division 2

Most Runs

Most Wickets

Fixtures

Points Table

Division Two

Glamorgan vs Yorkshire

Glamorgan’s slim promotion hopes were further diminished as Yorkshire took control on day one of their LV= Division 2 County Championship clash at Sophia Gardens.

After defeat at Worcester last week, the Welsh county have to win their penultimate match with a full set of bonus points and hope that other results go their way if they are to remain in the promotion picture.

But that looks unlikely after Yorkshire closed on 330 for 3 at stumps with captain Shan Masood unbeaten on 113 and Finlay Bean hitting 11 fours on his way to 93 on a slow pitch that offered little assistance for the bowling side.

The White Rose county, who beat Derbyshire at Scarborough last time out, are aiming for a second successive victory as they look to climb off the bottom of the table.

The two sides drew at Headingley in May, with Yorkshire clinging on at nine down to frustrate the Welsh county.

Adam Lyth hit 174 in that second innings, and, after a delayed start in Cardiff due to rain, he put on 98 for the opening wicket with Bean after Yorkshire won the toss and elected to bat first.

Bean survived an LBW appeal from James Harris on 21, but there were few other scares for the visiting side as they made fairly rapid progress in the curtailed first session to walk off on 86 for 0 after 22 overs at lunch with Lyth on 45 and Bean 37.

It was a seventh successive half-century stand for the opening pair in Division 2, but the partnership didn’t last long after the interval.

Jamie McIlroy was unsuccessful in his appeal for LBW against Lyth in the first over after lunch, but he didn’t have to wait long for the breakthrough as Lyth chopped on and departed after hitting six fours in his 49 to leave Yorkshire on 98 for 1 in the 25th over.

Yorkshire didn’t let that unfortunate dismissal disrupt their flow as Masood joined Bean in the middle and he picked up the baton from Lyth in fine style as he raced to his half century in just 58 balls.

Bean proceeded in a slightly more sedate fashion. He brought up the 200 in the 45th over and progressed to 88 from 117 balls as Yorkshire cruised to 217 for 1 at tea.

The 21-year-old was denied a century as he was caught at slip by Colin Ingram off the bowling of Glamorgan skipper Kiran Carlson on 93 in the third over after tea, ending a stand of 127 with Masood.

James Wharton didn’t last long as he was given out lbw for 3, with McIlroy picking up his second wicket of a frustrating day and earning his side their first bowling point.

George Hill came in at number five and played a supporting role as Masood closed in on his first century for Yorkshire.

The pair secured a first batting point at 253 for 3 in the 59th over, before Masood made it to three figures off 132 balls in the 69th over.

And Hill completed his half century off 76 balls just before 6pm, having danced down the pitch to attack Carlson’s bowling on several occasions, to cap a satisfying day for the visiting side.

 

Jamie McIlroy, Glamorgan’s best bowler with 2 for 41 off 17 overs

“It was a tough day out there. There’s not a whole lot of pace in the wicket and it’s quite easy to score on, so bowling defensively is not easy.

“I think we’re just trying to be as patient as we can, trying to hit some good areas, and hopefully a bit of luck will come our way.

“I just tried to bowl as straight as possible, keep the stumps in play and hope that maybe one might go a bit low, one might bounce a little and see if a bit of luck would come.

“They batted really well. There were a few chances early on but, once they settled in, they played well.”

Spinner Ben Kellaway was forced off with a suspected concussion in the afternoon – decision due on a replacement in the morning.

“As a seamer it was tough [to lose him] because you come back that little bit earlier and you bowl that extra spell in the heat, so it does take it out of you. But, hopefully he’s OK and he’ll be back soon.”

 

 

Shan Masood Yorkshire captain unbeaten on 113 – his first century for the county

“I’m glad with the way we chose to bat. It was a bit chaotic at the start – they removed the covers, and we hardly had a chance to see the pitch.

“We were surprised it was the same wicket that England played New Zealand on [on Friday].

“If you want to get 20 wickets on this wicket, you probably have to look to bat once.

“We’ve set ourselves a good platform, but it will be a new challenge in the morning.

“I’m very proud of how the young players – Finlay and George – applied themselves, and Adam as well.

“For me, it’s always nervous in the 90s. It took it’s time and at 96 I was tempted to smash one, but I’ve had my bad luck with that this season. I was happy to get there.”

Gloucestershire vs Derbyshire

Ollie Price’s third first class century put Gloucestershire in a strong position on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Derbyshire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.

The 22-year-old followed up Championship hundreds against Yorkshire and Worcestershire this season with a career-best 125 not out, receiving excellent support from captain Graeme van Buuren (78) in a fifth-wicket stand of 157, which helped their side close on 333 for six.

Ajut Dal was the most successful Derbyshire bowler with three for 42 from 16 overs. But it was a draining day in the field for the visitors in energy-sapping heat.

Gloucestershire, who gave a first class debut to 22-year-old Exeter-born leg-spinner Ed Middleton, opted to bat first, despite initially sultry, overcast conditions. The decision looked justified when Ben Charlesworth and Chris Dent took the total to 32 from the first seven overs with only the odd alarm.

Sam Connors bowled four tight overs from the Ashley Down Road End for just seven runs, but new signing Pat Brown struggled to find the right line and conceded 21 from his opening three overs.

The floodlights were already on when just half an hour into the match the umpires considered the light too poor for play to continue. Shortly afterwards rain started to fall and soon the heavy covers were brought on.

Thirteen overs were lost either side of an early lunch before play resumed at 1pm. Batting conditions soon improved, with increasingly bright sunshine, and Dent, unbeaten on eight before the break, played more aggressively.

The experienced left-hander had moved comfortably to 41, off 72 balls, with 6 fours, when edging a back-foot defensive shot off Luis Reece, in his first over, through to wicketkeeper Brooke Guest.

The breakthrough ended an opening stand of 80 in the 20^th over. Left-arm seamer Reece struck again in his second over when Charlesworth, on 30, looked to play into the leg side and got a leading edge which carried to Wayne Madsen at second slip.

At 85 for two, Gloucestershire needed to rebuild. Price and James Bracey did so to good effect, adding 43 in 12 overs before Dal pierced Bracey’s apparently immaculate defensive stroke and bowled him for 23.

Price had shown his confidence with an early reverse sweep for four shortly after off-spinner Alex Thomson had been introduced from the Ashley Down Road End. Miles Hammond got off the mark with an edged boundary to third man off Dal and by tea the pair had put together a fourth-wicket stand of 33, taking the total to 161 for three from 42 overs.

Brown had figures of none for 36 from six overs at the interval. But the former Worcestershire seamer soon notched his first Derbyshire wicket when Hammond top edged a short-arm pull shot and skyed a catch to Guest, departing for 21.

He was the fourth member of Gloucestershire top order to lose his wicket, having made a promising start and at 169 for four the hosts needed stability. Price supplied it and moved to his fifth Championship half-century of the season with a two through the covers off Brown, having faced 71 balls and hit 8 fours.

Skipper van Buuren was soon busily milking singles while dispatching the occasional bad ball to the boundary, helping to build a half-century stand in 14 overs with Price in what was now glorious early evening sunshine.

Price laced his innings with some sumptuous straight drives, while van Buuren reached a 68-ball fifty with his second six, lofted high over wide long-on off Thomson. By then Gloucestershire had bagged a first batting point and were looking to accelerate against a tiring bowling attack.

The hundred partnership was brought up by a Price two off Conners, which took him into the eighties. A series of sweeps and cuts off spinners Thomson and Mark Watt saw him reach three figures off 155 balls, with his 13^th four, handsomely struck off Thomson.

Price then moved past his previous career-best score of 115. Dal ended van Buuren’s enterprising knock by bowling him with less than four overs left in the day and, with the second new ball, had Zafar Gohar caught behind to lift Derbyshire spirits.

 

Gloucestershire centurion Ollie Price said: “It was a great feeling scoring my first hundred at Bristol where I love to bat. My parents were watching from the stands, so that made it even more special.

“We are very happy with our position in the game. Batting wasn’t easy early on because Derbyshire bowled really well and Chris Dent and Ben Charlesworth did a fantastic job for us.

“Graeme van Buuren and I complement each other well when batting because he can hit long and straight, while I tend to play more shots square of the wicket.

“It was an important partnership as it turned out and we feel we have a decent total, which hopefully we can build on tomorrow.

“We think the pitch will turn increasingly as the match progresses. It is pretty dry and our intention was always to bat first.

“It’s a great feeling setting a new career-best, but hopefully I can go on to a really big hundred tomorrow.”

 

Derbyshire all-rounder Luis Reece said: “It was a tough day for us in those conditions and I thought the lads really stuck to the task well.

“The two late wickets gave us a real boost. We will still have a new ball to bowl with in the morning and we need to make good use of it.

“Today when the ball went soft it was very difficult to make anything happen on what was a docile pitch and batting appeared to become easy.

“Ollie Price and Graeme van Buuren both played extremely well and it was that one partnership that really hurt us.

“They obviously expect the pitch take spin more as the match progresses.

“But if we can restrict them to less than 400 tomorrow and then bat well ourselves we will still be in the game.”

 

Sussex vs Leicestershire

A season’s best five for 73 by fast bowler Matt Salisbury gave Leicestershire the early advantage against Sussex in a LV= Insurance County Championship match they must win to keep up their chances of promotion from Division Two.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s determined 65 from No 7 held up Leicestershire for a while at Hove but the visitors were still happy enough, after putting Sussex in, to bowl them out for 262 and then score 68 for two in reply in 21 overs’ batting before the close, with opener Rishi Patel finishing unbeaten on 36 – exactly the score he needed to complete 1,000 championship runs for the season.

Sol Budinger fell early for a duck, skying a pull at Ari Karvelas high to mid wicket, but Patel continued to impress in what has been a breakthrough season for the 25-year-old former Essex player, who is averaging more than 50, and Leicestershire’s only other wicket to fall was that of Lewis Hill, caught off Tom Haines’ medium pace swingers for 11.

On a hard-fought day the 30-year-old Salisbury brushed off a disappointing new ball spell, when 28 runs came from his first four overs, to take the prized wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara on his return to the attack before lunch and then, in the afternoon, also remove James Coles for 44.

And there was more to come from him at the start of the final session when Salisbury reacted well to hold Hudson-Prentice’s leading edge off his own bowling before dismissing Henry Crocombe LBW for six and Karvelas brilliantly held by a diving Colin Ackermann at second slip for 18.

Leicestershire came into the match in third place in Division Two, 24 points behind Worcestershire but with a game in hand on the county currently in the other promotion position behind near-certain second tier champions Durham.

There were four wickets for Leicestershire’s seamers in an entertaining morning’s session, after they initially saw Haines and Tom Clark get Sussex’s first innings off to a flying start.

Haines, in particular, scored freely and the pair also scampered a number of quick singles to rotate the strike and frustrate the visiting attack, but after the fifty partnership had arrived in the eighth over it was Chris Wright who made the breakthrough an over later.

Clark, pushing forward on 15, was beaten off the pitch and edged low to third slip where Budinger scooped up a good low catch and, in the 10^th over, Haines’ 29-ball 39 – featuring eight fours – ended when, after driving Scott Currie’s first and third balls to the straight boundary, he edged another attempted forcing shot waist-high to Budinger.

It was 80 for three when Tom Alsop was brilliantly caught by a diving Umar Amin at mid wicket for 10 from a solid clip off his toes against Tom Scriven’s medium pace, and a good-sized crowd then saw Indian Test star Pujara settle in with some excellent strokes as the runs continued to flow despite Leicestershire’s early successes.

And the visitors’ decision to bowl first was fully vindicated when Pujara, on 26, was drawn into an indeterminate push at a fine ball from Salisbury and edged low for Ackermann to fall to his left at second slip and take a sharp low catch.

Honours were even in the afternoon session, with Leicestershire taking another three wickets but both Hudson-Prentice and Coles looked comfortable in predominantly cloudy, warm and humid conditions.

Oli Carter went for 16, steering a rising leg-cutter from Currie – on loan from Hampshire for the last three fixtures of the summer – to second slip, but Sussex’s total had moved steadily from 135 to 179 before Coles, who hit seven fours, clipped Salisbury to mid wicket.

Jack Carson also looked disgusted with himself when he too lifted a full delivery on his pads from Scriven to mid wicket to go for five, but Karvelas hoisted Currie into the pavilion for six and Hudson-Prentice completed his half-century just before the tea interval, at which Sussex were 231 for seven.

Hudson-Prentice hit eight fours in his 92-ball effort, spanning almost two and a half hours, but it was Salisbury who had the final word to give Leicestershire the edge going into day two.

Leicestershire’s Matt Salisbury said: “I probably bowled a lot better last week and didn’t get the wickets but that’s the funny way the game works out sometimes. Things went my way today, I was bowling at the right time and to bowl them out for 262 on that pitch is a good start for us.

“It’s a used wicket with quite a bit of grass on it but we need a result here, as do Sussex, so that’s fine. It’s usually a flat pitch here but it works in our favour too to have something in it for the bowlers and hopefully we can get ahead in the game tomorrow.

“I thought there were a few soft dismissals in their innings but perhaps they were created by some tight bowling from us. There’s a lot of time left in the match so we just need to try to bat well in our first innings and get a lead.”

 

Sussex fast bowler Ari Karvelas said: “I think we were about 30 or 40 runs short of a par total which on that pitch would be around 300. Then we bowled OK with the new ball but perhaps we needed to have targeted the stumps a bit more so that’s something to take into tomorrow.

“It was good to take two big wickets with the new ball, and Rishi Patel and Colin Ackermann – who are now in – is the key partnership for them, so we have to start well in the morning.

“There is a lot of grass left on the wicket and we would also have bowled first if we had won the toss because it’s as green as I’ve seen a Hove pitch at the start of a match.”

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