4/39 by Michael Hogan, 3/59 by Jeremy Lawlor plus five catches by Chris Cooke saw Sussex dismissed for 327 on the opening day of their floodlit County Championship match against Glamorgan at Hove.
Close of Play Report
Sussex began the final session on 211/6 with Ben Brown driving Lukas Carey twice through the covers in the first over of the session. Chris Jordan also did the same next over besides pulling a short ball to the mid-wicket ropes. He also pulled Andrew Salter behind square-leg for four, followed next delivery with a cover driven four.
A series of singles then followed before the off-spinner gained revenge as, with the total on 254, he had Brown caught behind as Cooke claimed his fifth catch of the innings. Without further addition, Jordan edged a ball from Hogan onto his stumps, and the bowler nearly claimed his fifth wicket as Jofra Archer bisected third slip and gully.
With Sussex on 262/8 after 80 overs, the new ball was taken and Ollie Robinson edged just short of Salter at third slip. Two balls later he edged again and was pouched by Nick Selman at second slip. Archer and Danny Briggs each took a couple of boundaries off van der Gugten and Carey, with Briggs also twice edging Carey through the slips. Archer then clipped van der Gugten to mid-wicket before doing the same to Hogan as Sussex reached 300 and secured another batting point.
Briggs then on-drove Carey for four before swatting him through extra-cover and then bringing up the 50-stand by nurdling the paceman for four. He celebrated by again guiding Carey for four to third man but in the final over of the day he departed l.b.w. to Lawlor four short of his fifty.
Second Session
Sussex resumed on 114/1 with Wells two runs short of his half-century, but the complexion of the change dramatically changed in the next hour’s play. Tom Haines departed to the first ball after the interval as he edged Lukas Carey to Nick Selman at second slip. With Harry Finch as his new partner, Wells glanced Michael Hogan for four to fine-leg to complete his fifty from 100 balls. He then had two slices of good fortune as he twice edged the deserving Carey through the slip cordon.
But with the total on 139 Hogan ended Finch’s rather laboured innings, as having made a solitary single from 31 balls, he edged into Cooke’s gloves. 139/3 then became 140/4 as Wells miscued a pull against the red-ball captain and was caught at fine-leg by Jack Murphy. Ben Brown began by straight-driving Carey whilst Michael Burgess began by inside-edging Lawlor to the ropes at long-leg.
Brown pulled van der Gugten to mid-wicket for four but with the total on 163 Burgess edged an expansive drive against Lawlor and was well caught low down in front of the slips by Cooke, as the all-rounder claimed his maiden Championship wicket. Next over, he had a second as with the total on 171, David Wiese also edged a flamboyant drive and was caught behind.
Chris Jordan announced his arrival by straight-driving van der Gugten whilst Brown drilled Lawlor for four through the covers. Jordan then swatted a short ball from the Dutchman through point before Andrew Salter had another short spell before the next break.
First Session
Glamorgan made three changes to their line-up from their most recent County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Sophia Gardens, with Connor Brown, Lukas Carey and Jeremy Lawlor replacing Ruaidhri Smith, Owen Morgan and Prem Sisodiya. In the case of Lawlor, it is the all-rounder’s first Championship appearance since September 2015 when he played against Kent at Sophia Gardens.
It was Carey and Timm van der Gugten who shared the new ball as Luke Wells and Phil Salt opened the batting. The latter scored the day’s first boundary as he off-drove van der Gugten for four and Salt peppered the ropes again three overs later as he cover-drove Carey before doing the same to successive deliveries from the Dutchman. He added another later in the over before Wells struck his first boundary as he drilled Carey through mid-off.
Salt found the boards again as he again cover drove van der Gugten before Wells greeted the introduction of Michael Hogan into the attack by straight driving him. But next over the first edged stroke occurred as Wells’ stroke just fell short of third slip. Salt then on-drove Carey before drilling Lawlor through mid-off. Wells also clipped the former pupil of Monmouth School to fine-leg for four before Hogan, having switched to the Sea End, ended the first wicket stand as Salt edged into Chris Cooke’s gloves.
73/1 saw Tom Haines join Wells who then drove Lawlor to the ropes at mid-off before dispatching him through mid-wicket and extra-cover. Van der Gugten then returned at the Sea End and was dispatched through point by Haines who then brought up the hundred by cover-driving the Dutchman. Andrew Salter then joined the attack at the Cromwell Road End and had his first delivery dispatched through the covers by Wells.