Sussex 361 (89.5 overs)
Leicestershire 15-1 (4 overs)
Sussex lead by 346 runs
Tom Clark hit a century for Sussex on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship for a second season in a row today (Friday 3 April).
Clark took full advantage of being dropped in single figures as visitors Sussex made an impressive 361 after being asked to bat first against newly promoted Leicestershire.
The tall left-hander, who struck 140 against Warwickshire in his first innings of the 2025 campaign, made 101 against the Division Two champions, having been put down in the slips on six.
Opener Tom Haines, a contender for England’s top order after making a good impression for the England Lions in Australia, began his domestic campaign with an eye-catching half-century at Uptonsteel Grace Road, Leicester.
All-rounder Tom Price chipped in a useful 43 on his debut after joining Sussex from Gloucestershire but opener Dan Hughes fell for 19, caught by Lewis Hill off Ben Green’s bowling.
Green (three for 54) was the best of the Leicestershire attack, backed up by skipper Ian Holland (three for 79), taking just shy of 90 overs to bowl Sussex out.
The hosts faced four overs at the close and made 15-1. They lost opener Rishi Patel, caught behind for four by Sussex club captain and wicketkeeper John Simpson off the bowling of Ollie Robinson, the new County Championship skipper, another with his eyes on an England place.
Sussex started the season with a 12-point deduction because of the club’s heavy financial losses and head coach Paul Farbrace has announced that this will be his final season at Hove.
This match has to be treated as an opportunity to make early inroads into the points deficit – and to that end, they should be pleased with day one performance.
Their satisfaction should be even greater given that the Grace Road pitch looked as bowler-friendly as might be expected on the opening day of the season. The lunchtime score of 154-2 perhaps suggested otherwise.
Leicestershire’s preparations have been hit by a rash of injuries among their seamers. New signing Josh Davey is sidelined along with Ben Mike, Alex Green and Josh Hull.
Yet those absences could offer only a partial excuse for Sussex’s profitable morning. Holland and the experienced Green would have been picked even from a full squad. The same is probably true of Tom Scriven.
The Sussex batters were aggressive from the start. They rode their luck at times, most notably when Leicestershire’s debutant Australian Test batter Jake Weatherald, at third slip, handed Clark a reprieve by spilling a regulation catch off Holland. Generally, though, they missed few opportunities, of which plenty were on offer.
Sussex had made 57 from 5.5 overs when Dan Hughes was well caught at third man in Green’s opening over.
They had 100 on the board in the 15th over and their tally of 136 in the 25th was none too shabby as Haines, chasing a wide delivery, became their second casualty. He was caught behind by wicketkeeper Ben Cox off Holland.
Haines had reached his half-century in 52 balls, the first in the country to that mark. Clark’s took 70 deliveries, numbering seven fours and two sixes.
The afternoon reflected more favourably on the home attack. Holland and Green were excellent. Sam Wood claimed a deserved wicket and Rehan Ahmed found some turn to remove the threat posed by Simpson, who scored almost 400 runs in the past two matches between these counties.
Wood claimed the scalp of James Coles, who bottom-edged an expansive drive into his stumps.
Holland pinned Sussex debutant Jack Leaning in front for LBW and, switching to the pavilion end for the first time, drew Clark into a forward defensive that saw him caught behind by Ben Cox, standing up. England’s leg-spinning all-rounder Ahmed had Simpson leg before.
Clark’s hundred came off 160 balls, with nine fours and four sixes. Sussex added 108 in the session but at a cost of four wickets as they slipped from 192-2 to 262-6.
Tom Price, who hit seven boundaries, advanced the Sussex cause after tea before Yadvinder Singh’s perseverance was rewarded with an LBW verdict.
Former Worcestershire right-armer Singh, who has been signed on a short-term contract, had a nightmare start after being trusted with the new ball at the pavilion end, conceding 25 in two overs.
Fynn Hudson-Prentice notched up 33, having been dropped on five, to secure the third batting bonus point.
