Sussex 402
Derbyshire 212-3
Derbyshire trail Sussex by 190 runs with 7 wickets remaining
A majestic knock by Derbyshire wicket-keeper Brooke Guest helped the visitors back into contention on day two of Sussex’s County Championship fixture at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove.
After a dogged start, Guest accelerated in the afternoon session, hitting 12 fours and a six on his way to 80* at stumps, his side 190 runs behind Sussex on 212-3.
Earlier, George Scrimshaw’s maiden first-class five-wicket haul wiped out the Sussex tail as they added just 26 runs to their overnight score.
With two wickets yesterday, the 25-year-old added the home side’s final three poles inside five overs. Ari Karvelas guided a cut shot to Anuj Dal at point before Jack Carson edged to Wayne Madsen at first slip two balls later.
With all-rounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice stranded on 62, Henry Shipley chipped the final wicket to Dal for another easy catch. Sussex were all out for 402.
In overcast conditions, Derbyshire began as they meant to go on, Henry Came sending the first ball of the innings for four with an elegant cover drive.
He found the boundary twice more in the opening over, racing to 12 before mistiming a pull shot to Danial Ibrahim at mid-wicket, the colossal Shipley snagging his first wicket.
At six and a half feet tall, Shipley’s pace and high release point proved troublesome for Derbyshire’s openers, but elementary for the excellent Guest.
Shipley finished the day with two wickets for 61 runs from his 24.4 overs – a decent enough return on a placid wicket which offered little in the way of movement for the seam bowlers.
He struck for the second time after lunch when Luis Reece, who had been exceedingly patient in the morning session, chased a full wide delivery. Captain Tom Alsop took a regulation catch at first slip as both openers found themselves in the sheds.
Two down, Wayne Madsen joined Guest in the middle. Batting in opposing styles, the pair built a partnership, either side of an hour-long rain delay in the afternoon session.
Madsen attacked, punishing anything short or overpitched. In the 41st over, he drove then cut McAndrew for two forceful boundaries as the visitors chipped away at their hefty deficit.
Guest went about batting in an entirely different manner. Patience personified, he left or blocked anything vaguely threatening, preferring singles to boundaries.
At tea both batters had 43 runs, Guest having faced 131 balls and Madsen 48.
The latter continued his assault after the interval, immediately finding the fence with a hard sweep off Jack Carson. Unfortunately for Madsen, his aggression would soon be his undoing.
Moments after moving to fifty, an ill-timed slog sweep proved fatal. Off-spinner Carson had his revenge as Karvelas took a high catch, sprinting in from deep extra cover.
Guest would not be undone so easily, cutting Carson to find fifty in the 48th over. He upped the ante from there, taking both Shipley and Karvelas for two boundaries in an over before the sides were forced off for bad light.
Joined by skipper Leus du Plooy, who has 32 runs from his 51 balls, Guest will be seeking his sixth first-class hundred tomorrow morning (Wednesday 12 July).
After the close of play, Fynn Hudson-Prentice said: “It’s obviously disappointing today to only bat for four or five overs this morning when we thought we could push on and get 450 and maybe towards 500.
“I’d like to be taking more wickets and contributing more with the ball. But as long as the batting is going well, it’s nice to be able to contribute in both aspects of the game – and hopefully it continues like that.
“This morning we were 370-7, with genuine batters at nine, ten and eleven, so to lose three wickets this morning is a bit of a shame, especially because we would’ve put more overs into their legs and kept them out there for a bit longer.
“We’ve had another missed opportunity this evening … with the lights on for the majority of the afternoon session, I don’t think we bowled particularly well. I think we could have gotten them at least halfway, five down in those conditions.
“We’ve got to bounce back in the morning and take early wickets if we want to push for a victory.”
