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CC1: Sussex hit the front

Monday, August 25 2003

Back in April, the team from the South coast were many peoples' tips to return straight back into the gloomy mire of the Second Division from whence they came, yet all the doubters (myself included) have been proven well and truly wrong as the boys from Brighton, Hove and Horsham recorded another Frizzell County Championship victory to displace incumbents, media favourites and everybody else's objects of ritual abuse, Surrey, from the top of the table.

Sussex's trip to Essex's Castle Park ground in Colchester was a tale of all or nothing for their batting order - only four men passed 25, but what a difference they made. Richard Montgomerie and Zimbabwean Murray Goodwin put on an impressive 202 for the first wicket before Tony Palladino got one past Montgomerie's defences for 97. Tony Cottey managed 23 before being run out and then the innings went into an abrupt decline as Mohammad Akram rearranged Chris Adams' stumps first ball before removing Tim Ambrose for four, shortly followed by Robin Martin-Jenkins (10), caught behind off James Middlebrook.

The balance of power shifted once more as Matt Prior came to the crease, adding 113 with Goodwin before the opener was bowled by Akram for 210 off 270 balls, including 30 fours and two maximums, and one once again brought more as the Pakistani quick bowled both Mark Davis (8) and Mushtaq Ahmed (0). It was then that Prior found an unlikely ally in Jason Lewry and the two added an improbable 141 for the ninth wicket, until Lewry (70) holed out off Middlebrook. When Billy Taylor was bowled by Jon Dakin for 3, Prior remained unbeaten on 153* off just 134 balls including 19 fours and three sixes in Sussex's daunting 612, Akram ending with 5-130.

The hosts' reply began brightly with the top three of Will Jefferson, Darren Robinson and Andy Flower all making fifties, but from 144-1, the downward spiral began. Aftab Habib fell first ball, leg before to Mushtaq as the leg-spinner put his mark upon the game, taking 4-87 in the first innings of 287 as Middlebrook, Foster and Napier all made thirties, but none went on. Second knock was a similar, sorry story as Mushtaq took three and Billy Taylor 4-50 as Jefferson's 59 was the only bright spot in 209 all out and an innings and 120 run defeat.

Essex 5pts - Sussex 22pts

At Grace Road, an unlikely chain of events conspired to send Sussex top - when Rikki Clarke's 139 became the highest of five half-centuries in Surrey's first innings 501 was followed by a distinctly un-Clarke-like spell of 4-21 to reduce the hosts to a pitiful 166 (despite eight double-figure scores), a rapid Surrey win looked likely.

Yet Leicestershire's second innings was unrecognisable from the first, with John Maunders (171), Brad Hodge (157) teaming up in a 281-run second wicket stand before John Sadler (145) hit his maiden first-class century in a mammoth 636-4 declared - Ian Ward and Graham Thorpe going through 23 overs between them at a cost of 137 runs, though Thorpe did pick up the wicket of Sadler. Set 302 to win, there was never a realistic chance and Surrey ended on 117-2 at stumps.

Leicestershire 6pts - Surrey 12pts

Lancashire kept a theoretical chance of catching the leading two in an incredibly high-scoring draw at Old Trafford against Middlesex as the two sides shared 1,515 runs. Mark Chilton (125), Mal Loye (137), Stuart Law (144) and Carl Hooper (201) were centurions in the hosts' first innings, with the West Indian's runs coming at over a run a ball including 16 fours and 11 sixes and making him the second man, after Mark Ramprakash, to score centuries against all 18 first-class counties. The hosts' total of 734-5 included 371 off 55 overs on day two.

Andy Strauss (155), Owais Shah (147) and Ben Hutton (107) all hit centuries in the Middlesex reply but at 508-6, Hutton fell and it soon became 544 all out, Gary Keedy taking 5-188 off 52 overs of slow left-arm as Middlesex followed on, 190 behind

Carl Hooper struck four times to leave the visitors a precarious 198-7 before Paul Weekes (26*) and Sven Koenig, coming in at 9 due to injury, saw them to 237-7 at stumps to save the draw.

Lancashire 10pts - Middlesex 10pts

Kent in the meantime, free from Championship aspirations, annihilated Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Kevin Pietersen made a 99-ball century in the hosts' first innings but the others were unable to match him in 177 all out, with Martin Saggers taking 5-42. Kent's effort was little better with David Fulton (46), Mark Ealham (83), Amjad Khan (45) and Muttiah Muralitharan (15) the only players to reach double figures in 242 all out.

The hosts, however, plumbed further depths in their second dig as a strong-looking 91-1 rapidly degenerated into farce once Darren Bicknell (46) and Guy Welton (43) fell. The final eight wickets fell for just sixteen runs, Murali taking 6-36 in a dismal 126 all out, setting Kent just 62 to win and eight sessions to do it in. Thirteen and a half overs were all that was needed as Robert Key made 46* in a nine-wicket win.

Kent 18pts - Nottinghamshire 3pts

CricketWeb Players of the Round - Murray Goodwin and Matt Prior (Sussex)

Table - Points (Matches)
1 SUSSEX - 209 (13)
2 SURREY - 205 (13)
3 LANCASHIRE - 156 (12)
4 KENT - 151 (13)
5 MIDDLESEX - 147 (13)
6 WARWICKSHIRE - 122.5 (12)
--------------------------------------
7 ESSEX - 109 (13)
8 LEICESTERSHIRE - 93.5 (13)
9 NOTTINGHAMSHIRE - 87 (12)

Forthcoming Fixtures - Title Race
AUG 26-29: Lancashire v Surrey
SEP 4-7: Kent v Surrey
SEP 5-8: Sussex v Middlesex
SEP 10-13: Lancashire v Sussex
SEP 17-20: Nottinghamshire v Lancashire
SEP 17-20: Surrey v Essex
SEP 17-20: Sussex v Leicestershire

Posted by Neil