Warwickshire 267 (79.4 overs)
Sussex 17-0 (4.4 overs)
Sussex trail Warwickshire by 250 runs with 10 first innings wickets remaining
A counter-attacking seventh wicket stand of 115 in 28 overs between Kai Smith (53) and Chris Woakes (64) pulled Warwickshire round from the perils of 116-6 against Sussex at Hove.
But Sussex hit back after tea to take the last four wickets for 35 runs. And they finished the day the happier of the two sides, having not lost a wicket before the close although that was 9.2 overs early because of bad light.
Sussex went into the match on the back of an emphatic 222-run victory at Leicester and Warwickshire after a run-soaked draw with Surrey in which they often got the better of the 2024 champions.
Warwickshire’s powerful batting line-up must have fancied another run glut after winning the toss and choosing to take first knock on a brown strip that looked as though it had been borrowed from midseason.
But they were confounded by the Sussex seamers who all bowled superbly.
They lost their first wicket in the seventh over when Alex Davies edged Ollie Robinson to wicketkeeper John Simpson for an 18-ball three.
And in the next over Dan Mousley, who had scored just a single, edged Fynn Hudson-Prentice and was well caught low down and to his left by Tom Clark at second slip.
Warwickshire were 22-3 in the 14th over when Sam Hain dragged one on in Tom Price’s first over.
Robinson, Hudson-Prentice, Price and Henry Crocombe had such a hold on the Warwickshire batting that it was only when left-arm spinner James Coles came on a short while before lunch that the pressure eased.
Coles went for ten runs in his first over and eight in his second. At lunch Warwickshire were 69-3.
As if emboldened by this, Warwickshire opted for a more positive approach after the break but lost three quick wickets as they did so.
With the score on 83, Rob Yates, defending off the back foot, was caught by Clark at second slip for 36. The same fielder had dropped him a little earlier when he had made 31.
Then, at 109, Warwickshire lost their fifth wicket when the dangerous Beau Webster, defending against a ball that moved away, edged Robinson to Simpson for 48. And when captain Ed Barnard chopped on to Price for 18, the visitors were floundering on 117-6.
But Smith and Woakes turned the innings around with a century stand in 19 overs. When they reached tea on 223-6, Warwickshire had scored 154 runs in the session, more than double their tempo before lunch.
When Smith worked Carson to leg to reach his fifty from 63 deliveries, he looked in the mood to make a major score.
But on 53 he clipped Crocombe off his legs and Carson took a sharp low-down catch at midwicket. He had hit a six (off Clark) and six fours.
Three overs later Crocombe, who had changed ends, beat Woakes for pace and took out the batsman’s off-stump.
Woakes had faced 64 deliveries and struck nine sweet fours and a pulled six off Crocombe. Price and Crocombe polished of the tail.
Sussex ended the day with three bonus points for bowling out the visitors in the first 110 overs. Warwickshire earned one bonus point for batting.
Hudson-Prentice said: “It was nice to work off the points deficit at Leicester and get some momentum for the season at the same time.
“And then to come here and bowl out a strong batting team for 260 was pleasing. I’m really happy with how the season has started.
“Everyone had a really good run-out in the first game and I carried that into today. I’m really happy with where I’m at.
“The body feels good. The rhythm feels good. I’m just trying to take my chance when it comes. But it was a good team bowling performance today.”
Smith, Warwickshire’s 21-year-old wicketkeeper, who made his first-class debut against Sussex in April last year, said: “It was great batting with Woaksey today because he’s been in that situation so many times before. And we kept talking during our partnership. We’re very much in the game.
“We had to battle really hard to get some runs on the board. The spin was probably a bit easier to play today so we had to recognise the key moments and get on top and get as many runs as we could.
“The seamers held their lines and lengths really well. The odd one bounced a bit extra. It nibbled off the pitch a bit early on.
“But it did come on quite nicely. But the odd one an over would take off and hit you on the gloves or nip back in.”
