Sussex 294
Somerset 62-5
Sussex lead by 232 runs
A late burst of wickets from support bowler Fynn Hudson-Prentice gave Sussex an unlikely advantage over Somerset at Hove.
Somerset had already lost Archie Vaughan, well caught by James Coles at third slip off Jayden Seales, when Hudson-Prentice replaced Sean Hunt at the Cromwell Road end.
He promptly took four wickets – including two with his first two deliveries – to leave Somerset reeling at 62-5 at the close
Hudson-Prentice struck first ball when he had Sean Dickson caught, again by Coles. And with his next ball, the bowler had Tom Abell lbw.
In his next over, Hudson-Prentice had Tom Banton caught behind and, finally, he had Josh Davey lbw to give himself figures of four for 13 in four remarkable overs.
Somerset had taken seven Sussex wickets in the afternoon session to take control of the first meeting between these two sides in the County Championship for 10 years.
Sussex lost six wickets for 53 runs in just 17 overs, sliding from 127-1 to 180-7.
But then a recovery – led almost inevitably by John Simpson – guided the home side to a total of 294 and a single batting point. And Sussex were ahead in the match by the end
The Somerset bowlers would have settled for the Sussex total at lunch, when the home side were 122-1. But having dominated proceeding between lunch and tea they might have hoped for something much better.
As it was, a stand of 53 between Simpson (47) and Jack Carson (30), who hit four fours and a straight six off Jack Leach, and a last wicket partnership of 52 between Sean Hunt (33) and Jayden Seales (21 not out) guided Sussex to a respectable total.
Daniel Hughes and Tom Clark were the joint top-scorers, with 49 apiece, while the most successful Somerset bowler was their captain Lewis Gregory, with figures of four for 90, though he took some punishment from Hunt when he returned at the sea end at the end of the innings.
Each side went into their second match of the season after a run-drenched draw.
Sussex chose to bat first, perhaps encouraged by the news that Somerset’s key overseas signing, Matt Henry, was still in New Zealand, and by their opponents’ decision to rest Craig Overton before key matches against Hampshire, Surrey and Essex.
But Davey, opening the bowling, and Gregory proved able to pose problems on a pitch which still offered plenty of bounce and generous seam movement.
And Sussex – also without important fast bowlers Ollie Robinson and Henry Crocombe, through injury – were fortunate to lose only one wicket before lunch.
The one wicket to fall was that of Tom Haines, who was bowled through the gate by Gregory after striking three fours in his 14.
But it all changed after the break. Clark edged Migael Pretorius behind without addition. Then Tom Alsop, out first ball in his first innings at Edgbaston last week, managed just one better before he was caught low down by Kasey Aldridge at second slip.
When Hughes was then lbw to Pretorius, Sussex had lost three wickets in ten balls. Coles made just one, before he was caught behind of Gregory to make it 142-5.
Then, a stand of 38 between Simpson and Hudson-Prentice led to a Sussex revival. But Hudson-Prentice’s best part was yet to come.
After the close of play, Hudson-Prentice said: “An eventful day is the easiest way to describe it. It was a weird wicket … We decided to bat but it was still seaming around in the afternoon.
“We got off to a bit of a flier. Then they bowled beautifully in the afternoon session to take seven wickets and then we got a great last wicket partnership which gave us a big lift.
“They were very good but we knew if we got it right, we could hit back because it was still doing a bit when they batted but we hit our lengths.
“I worked hard this winter, changed a couple of things and it seems like it has worked in terms of getting more consistent shape and swing away from the right-handers.”
