Matthew Revis claimed three wickets amidst a polished Yorkshire bowling display as they started their promotion battle with Sussex in positive fashion at Scarborough today.
In limiting Sussex to 187-9 from 72 overs – rain and bad light played a part – Revis returned 3-37 from 15 overs, while new ball pair Ben Coad and Jordan Thompson struck twice apiece.
With George Hill and Dan Moriarty striking once apiece, each of Yorkshire’s five-man attack struck.
But this was far from total domination against the Vitality County Championship Division Two leaders, who have won six of their 10 matches so far.
Left-handers Daniel Hughes and Tom Alsop resisted to give Sussex a total they may be able to work with given the challenging batting conditions. Australian Hughes opened with 53 off 87 balls, while determined Alsop made 84 not out off 184 balls
Should Yorkshire, who started the day in third place in the table, win here, it would be their third on the bounce.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Ben Coad bowls against Sussex at Scarborough today.
This day’s play, which saw 24 overs lost, very much fell into the category of hard-fought. It started with stand-in captain Jonny Tattersall winning the toss and electing to bowl.
New South Wales batter Hughes, aged 35, has impressed during his short time at Hove – his first taste of county cricket.
He has posted scores of 74, 81 and 96 not out in that format, but this was his first Championship half-century – just a couple of days after penning a deal to return to Sussex for the majority of 2025.
Hughes drove nicely, both through the covers and down the ground. The left-hander drove the first ball of the match through the covers off Coad’s bowling.
But, more than flashes of elegance, he had to deal with swing, seam and some uneven bounce and an on-point Yorkshire attack. None of their four seamers went at a run-rate less than three runs per over, and Moriarty was only just over that in the five that he bowled.
Rain prevented play from just before 11.20am to 1.10pm, including lunch being taken, while bad light prevented any play beyond 6.15pm.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jordan Thompson matched new ball partner Ben Coad’s two-wicket return.
Yorkshire struck twice early as Sussex slipped to 14-2 in the eighth over.
At the end of the fixture’s opening over, Coad trapped Tom Haines lbw before another left-handed Tom, Clark, lazily drove Thompson to Will Luxton at point.
Hughes led a 61-run partnership for the third wicket with Alsop, steadying the ship.
In that time, Hughes drove nicely, while Alsop was dropped at third slip on nine by Fin Bean off Revis.
By the time Hughes, playing only his second Championship match, reached his fifty, Sussex were 75-2 in the 30th over.
Fortunately for Yorkshire, his progression was ended when, similarly to Clark, he lazily drove Coad to cover, where Tattersall held on at the second attempt – 75-3 later in the same over.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Matthew Revis impressed with three wickets.
Further success came quickly afterwards, with Thompson trapping James Coles lbw, leaving the visitors at 85-4 in the 36th.
A 40-run stand either side of tea came between Alsop and captain John Simpson, but two quick wickets reasserted Yorkshire’s authority at 134-6 in the 55th.
Simpson pulled Hill’s seam to mid-wicket before Fynn Hudson-Prentice edged Revis to first slip shortly afterwards.
Alsop, like Hughes had done, played a couple of eye-catching drives, but he was much more watchful, as the fact he reached his fifty off 142 balls showed.
Jack Carson and Indian seamer Jaydev Unadkat then offered catches to third and fourth slip – Bean and Tattersall as they drove at Revis.
Sandwiched in between, Ollie Robinson edged Moriarty’s left-arm spin to slip as the score slipped to 172-9 in the 69th over.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Tom Alsop (r) celebrates his half-century today.
Alsop then reverse swept and swept a couple of boundaries off Moriarty as he came out of his shell knowing that he only had Sean Hunt left for company. But umpires Middlebrook and Lungley called a halt to the day with the light closing in.
