Sussex 373-6 (96 overs)
Yorkshire 2 points, Sussex 3 points
New all-round signing Tom Price recorded his third successive half-century and John Simpson scored an unbeaten century as buoyant Sussex enjoyed an impressive start to their Rothesay County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Headingley.
Sussex are chasing a third win in as many Division One matches this summer, with ex-Gloucestershire man Price – he moved to Hove in the winter – starring against Leicestershire and Warwickshire with second-innings scores of 73 and 70 not out.
Here, he bettered those efforts with a composed 93 off 159 balls as Sussex closed on 373-6 from 96 overs. He shared a sixth-wicket 165 with Simpson either side of tea, the wicketkeeper-batter adding 101 not out off 163 to an early 64 from opener Tom Haines.
Yorkshire are aiming to get their season up and running following a draw at Glamorgan and a defeat at home to Hampshire. Jack White was their standout bowler with 3-42 from 18 overs while England star Joe Root took a catch at first slip and bowled five overs of off-spin for 18.
An unchanged Sussex were put in and opened the batting for the third game running. Yorkshire made three changes from the Hampshire defeat.
Root was one of the inclusions and captain Jonny Bairstow another in place of fellow wicketkeeper-batter Harry Duke. Bairstow, though, has not taken the gloves, having fractured his thumb during the opening week of the season. Opening batter Fin Bean has taken that role.
Expensive Australian Test quick Jhye Richardson – 0-105 from 16 overs – fed Haines a series of drive balls as he raced out of the blocks. Six off his first 20 balls whistled through the off-side for four.
Sussex had reached 41-0 after 11 overs, only to lose Dan Hughes caught behind off the inside-edge and Tom Clark lbw as they pushed forward against White in the 12th.
Haines reached his fifty in 61 balls before falling LBW – another left-hander undone defending on the front foot – to off-spinner Dom Bess’s sixth ball just before lunch with the score on 91.
Yorkshire were far from their best with the ball, though they were better after lunch and gained reward through two wickets in four balls for Hill, who removed Jack Leaning and James Coles, the latter for 47, as the score fell to 150-5 in the 39th over.
Former Yorkshire Championship-winner Leaning, a fourth successive batter removed pushing forwards, edged to second slip late in the 37th before Coles found Root at first in the next with a listless back-foot poke.
Coles contributed 47 having shared 50 and 54 for the fourth and fifth wickets with Haines and Leaning, the latter making 20.
From there, Sussex showed exactly why they have started the season so well and are firmly in the conversation about title challengers.
Through Price and Simpson, they recovered things expertly either side of tea, which came with the score at 249-5.
Price took on Richardson, highlighted by a pulled four and six off successive deliveries to take the total beyond 200.
Price and Simpson reached their respective fifties off 75 and 87 balls respectively, and by this stage Yorkshire’s decision to bowl first on a true pitch was coming back to bite them.
Twenty-six-year-old Price was strong off front and back foot, though had good success pulling as he hit 14 fours and a six.
By the time Price and Simpson had alone doubled their side’s total and taken them beyond 300, Yorkshire were right under the cosh and pinning their hopes on new-ball success.
White struck again to get Price, forcing off the back foot, caught at second slip – 315-6 in the 84th.
But Yorkshire realistically needed more, and Simpson and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, 24 not out, saw out the rest of the day.
Superb Simpson reached his century off the day’s penultimate ball with his 13th boundary.
