Report: Warwickshire v Sussex, Rothesay County Championship

Day Four

Warwickshire banked solid points from a draw in their high-scoring Rothesay County Championship Division One opener against Sussex.

Sussex declined to set up a contest on the final day, batting themselves safe before finally declaring their second innings on 313 for seven (Tom Alsop 82 not out from 131 balls). That set the Bears a notional target of 388 in a minimum of 44 overs.

Warwickshire closed on 104 for two, Rob Yates ending unbeaten on 65 (82 balls) to complete his excellent start to the season with 180 runs for once out, three wickets and a catch in the match.

After Sussex resumed on the final morning on 126 for three, James Coles soon lifted Yates for a handsome straight six but the spinner hit back with his third wicket when nightwatchman Jack Carson scooped to Vishwa Fernando at short fine leg.

Coles (47, 94) was on the threshold of his second half-century of the match when he became Fernando’s first victim for Warwickshire, caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Kai Smith.  

In the hour before lunch it became clear that the match was going nowhere as Alsop and John Simpson plodded through a partnership of 47 from 15 overs. Simpson fell lbw to Dan Mousley just before the interval, after which Alsop continued to put his first innings first-baller firmly behind him by moving to a compact 100-ball half-century.

Alsop and Fynn Hudson-Prentice added 71 in 15 overs before their alliance ended in slapstick fashion. The batters were on different wavelengths over the merits of a third run and found themselves at the same end, the latter perishing run out for 30 (53 balls). The declaration soon followed.

Warwickshire reached 27 without loss at tea at which they faced the tempting challenge of scoring 361 from 36 overs in the last session. They resisted the temptation.

Jayden Seales pinned Alex Davies lbw with the first ball of the evening session and Carson bowled Hamza Shaikh with a beauty for the second time in the match. Thereafter, Yates and Sam Hain saw out time for a share of the spoils.

First Team Coach Ian Westwood, said: “It was quite an emotional game in many ways. There was so much going on on the first day with Keith Cook’s last day after 52 years at the club and us having four debutants. I felt pretty drained after that day, but I think there are loads of positives for us to take from the game.

“We were disappointed not to get into a position to push for a win but overall I’m fairly pleased. If we are really critical I’d say we missed the chance on day one where the ball did enough for us and maybe with a bit of inexperience, having seen the pace and carry, we didn’t capitalise on that. That’s probably the only regret from the game for me. 

“We tried to set the team up in this game to give us the best chance of taking 20 wickets. Once the ball got a little bit softer on that first day batters have dominated so it was tricky to try and force the issue. We kept trying and trying, even today there wasn’t a stage when we gave up hope of winning until they really batted us out of it at the end.”

Day Three

Warwickshire’s opening game of the County Championship season looks destined for a draw after three sun-drenched days at Edgbaston.

Sussex closed the third day on 126 for three in their second innings – 200 ahead overall – having taken a first innings lead of 74. It is a solid advantage but taking 10 wickets quickly on the final day on a pitch offering some turn, but which remains batter-friendly, would require very something special from the visitors’ bowlers.

Bears needed 379 to avoid the follow on but went on to total 454 thanks to Rob Yates (115, 159 balls), Ed Barnard (82, 136), Alex Davies (66, 65) and Dan Mousley (63, 105).

After Warwickshire resumed the third morning on 223 for three, Sussex struck early. Ollie Robinson needs to fire early this season to advance his case for an England recall and he has started strongly with several hostile spells. He removed the well-set Yates with the 21^st ball of the day, a perfectly-pitched leg-cutter which was edged behind.

Robinson then unfurled another fine ball which Mousley, still to score, edged to slip, but Tom Alsop grassed the catch. Less impressive was his next wicket-taking ball – a full toss which Ethan Bamber belted straight to mid-wicket.

At 252 for five, still 127 short of the follow on, Warwickshire needed steadying and Mousley and Barnard provided the necessary stability with a stand of 124 in 32 overs.

Mousley exploited his early reprieve to bat attractively but departed furious at himself for missing a sweep at Carson and falling lbw. Barnard struck seven fours and two sixes in an increasingly fluent innings before he fell lbw to a fine ball from Danny Lamb.

Kai Smith’s punchy 27 (32 balls) ended when he lifted Carson to long on and Michael Booth fell in similar fashion after Tazeem Ali edged Lamb to second slip.

Sussex were left with a session to bat and they spent it enhancing their lead in less than scintillating fashion for the loss of three wickets to the spinners.

Yates added two wickets to his earlier century as he had Daniel Hughes (33, 34) caught at slip and Tom Haines (34, 50) lbw. Tom Clark offered no shot to a sharply turning ball from Taz Ali and was adjudged lbw as Warwickshire claimed a third wicket.

Warwickshire all-rounder Ed Barnard said: “It was nice to get some runs and good to bat some time with Dan Mousley who played beautifully. They bowled really well this morning and then again with the new ball, Seales and Robinson are high quality bowlers, so we knew we had to get through that spell but we also knew it was a good pitch so if we could see off the new ball hopefully it would get easier.

“We are really pleased with how the last hour went. It could easily have got away from us with the short boundary and the good pitch but the spinners bowled well. Taz has been excellent all game and I was pleased he got that wicket towards the end.

“We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. We’d back ourselves to chase anything on that pitch so if we can bowl well in the morning, even if they don’t want to set something up, we’ll be trying to take those seven wickets.to give ourselves a chance.”

Day Two

Rob Yates crafted a fine century as Warwickshire’s batters responded resolutely after Sussex had posted an intimidating 528 all out on Day Two.

Sussex captain John Simpson starred with an unbeaten 181 (262 balls) while debutant Bears bowlers Ethan Bamber (four for 105) and Tazeem Ali (three for 103) enjoyed most success on a batting-friendly surface.

Sussex’s hopes of turning their strong total into a victory were held up from the start of Warwickshire’s reply as openers Yates and Alex Davies put in 116 for the first wicket. Yates closed the second day on 113 (148 balls) after captain Davies launched the reply with an aggressive 66 (65 balls).

Sussex resumed on the second day on 386 for five and were given early impetus by Jack Carson’s punchy 28 before he lifted Ed Barnard to deep square leg in pursuit of his fourth boundary of the over. Fynn Hudson-Prentice was soon lbw to Bamber but the implacable Simpson was joined by Danny Lamb (35, 71) in a stand of 85 in 25 overs.

Lamb and Ollie Robinson fell lbw to successive balls from Taz Ali and Simpson’s hopes of challenging his career best 205 ended when Jayden Seales scooped Michael Booth to mid-wicket.

Davies and Yates enjoyed their moments of good fortune against the new ball attack of Robinson and Seales but batted positively and the score advanced briskly as soon as the ball softened. Davies hit 11 fours on his way to a 48-ball half-century as his side eased to 112 without loss from 21 overs at tea.

They reached that point without taking risks but Davies’ slashed at the third ball of the evening session, a wide, short offering from Seales, to third man.

Hamza Shaikh (23, 48) helped the steady Yates to add 56 in 14 overs but was undone by a lovely ball from Carson. Having seen a flighted delivery driven for four earlier in the over, the off-spinner looped up another which turned sharply to bowl the batter through a drive.

That left Warwickshire, needing 379 to avoid the follow on, 172 for two with 17 overs left in the day. Yates chugged on to a 132-ball hundred but the departure of Sam Hain, who edged Seales to slip with 17 balls left in the day, sent Sussex off the field with a spring in their step.

Warwickshire batter Rob Yates said: “I couldn’t have asked for a better personal start. I’m in a really nice position overnight and the game’s in a nice position overnight.

“It’s a really good cricket wicket. There is enough there to keep the bowlers interested but also enough there for the batters. Chatting in the dressing room after day two we we’re saying there is a game to be won here. No four-days games are won easily but crazy things can happen. You have just got to earn the right to be in a position to put the opposition under pressure, but we have a big job to do first just to get level with them so we won’t be getting too far ahead of ourselves.

“Alex and I managed to find a few boundaries early on which gave us a good start. I didn’t go away last winter and I think that did me some good. I was still working hard at my game but also chilling out a bit and mentally switching off which means that I have come back refreshed.”

Day One

Ethan Bamber took three wickets on his Warwickshire debut but centuries by Tom Clark and John Simpson gave Sussex the upper hand on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship at Edgbaston.

Clark struck 140 (279 balls) and Simpson an unbeaten 116 (142) in a partnership of 200 in 44 overs as Sussex recovered from 40 for three to close on 386 for five.

Three early Bamber wickets appeared to vindicate Captain Alex Davies’ decision to bowl first but Bears struggled to push home that early advantage.

Warwickshire started with four debutants: Bamber, Sri Lankan Vishwa Fernando, Taz Ali and Kai Smith.

Bamber unfurled an excellent opening burst of 7-5-8-3. The former Middlesex all-rounder trapped Tom Haines lbw, playing across the line, then removed Daniel Hughes and Tom Alsop with successive balls. Hughes copped an lbw decision before Alsop edged an outswinger to Rob Yates at second slip.

The brittle foundation of 40 for three was diligently shored up by a stand of 121 in 37 overs between Clark and James Coles (51, 102). The latter played fluently to be first to his half-century but then rather gave it away when he skied an ill-judged leg-side swipe at Taz Ali to give the 18-year-old leg-spinner his first championship wicket.

Any hopes the sizeable home crowd harboured of another Sussex clatter proved ill-founded.

Sussex skipper Simpson enjoyed a superb first season at Hove last year, averaging 74.81 with the bat in the championship, and resumed in the same vein as he breezed to a 58-ball half-century. Clark, meanwhile, concentrated implacably and reached his fourth first class century, from 223 balls, with his 15^th four.

Clark perished six overs before the close when he edged Ed Barnard behind but in the next over Simpson followed him to three figures, becoming the first Sussex player ever to reach a first class century with a three to backward point on a Friday in Birmingham. Sussex’s return to Division One has been highly encouraging. 

Ethan Bamber on his wicket-taking debut: “It was a nice way to start. It is a big responsibility to set the tone with the new ball so I was pleased to take some wickets and start well for my new club.

“The pitch has developed into quite a true batting surface during the day but it felt this morning that you could get some steep bounce off the surface. There was some nice pace in it and good carry.

“Some of the life in the wicket deadened later on and there was less lateral movement but if we are totally honest I think we’ll admit there were too many boundary balls. We didn’t quite bring our best skill set into play, especially in the latter portion of the day, and I take my share of responsibility for that with too many poor balls with the second new ball.

“But it looks a good wicket and with a good first session tomorrow we are still very much in the game.”