Bob Willis Trophy: Kent and Sussex share day one honours despite Ben Brown's unbeaten 90
- Published
Sussex's Ben Brown went past 7,500 first-class runs when he reached 72 not out
Bob Willis Trophy, Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence (day one): |
Sussex 320-9: Brown 90*, Clark 65; O'Riordan 3-50, Podmore 3-74 |
Kent: Yet to bat |
Sussex 3 pts, Kent 3 pts |
Kent's Harry Podmore and Marcus O'Riordan took three wickets apiece while Sussex captain Ben Brown top-scored with an unbeaten 90 as honours finished even on the opening day of the Bob Willis Trophy game at Canterbury.
O'Riordan, the 22-year-old off-spinner making only his third first-class appearance, took career-best figures of 3-50 and former Middlesex seamer Podmore bagged 3-74 while Brown stood firm for over four hours to see Sussex in at stumps on 320-9.
The visitors lost three wickets in the opening session, all due to batting errors. After hitting four boundaries in a run-a-ball cameo worth 19, Phil Salt feathered a tentative prod outside off stump to the wicketkeeper from a Darren Stevens leg-cutter to make it 27-1.
Second-wicket partners Harry Finch and Tom Haines added 50 from 80 balls before Kent debutant Tim Groenewald, bowling around the wicket, had left-hander Haines caught off an edged drive by Jordan Cox at slip for an attractive 21.
Then, on the cusp of lunch, Finch fell for 37, caught at slip when aiming to slog-sweep off-spinner Marcus O'Riordan.
Resuming after lunch on 93-3, Sussex ploughed on through Brown and Tom Clark - who added 83 in almost 22 overs.
Clark contributed a 77-ball half-century with eight boundaries but the left-hander tossed away his wicket for 65 when he advanced to O'Riordan only to chip a simple catch to mid-on.
Podmore then found the inside edge of Delray Rawlins' bat with a booming in-swinger that flew to the keeper.
Then Robinson claimed his third catch of the day when Garton, on four and in the over before tea, followed a Podmore leg-cutter.
In the final session Brown brought up his side's second half-century of the day from 101 balls and with six fours. Yet Podmore continued his good work by having Jack Carson held at second slip on the drive after the right-hander edged a floating away-swinger.
O'Riordan mopped up his third wicket of the day when Henry Crocombe walked across his stumps working to leg to fall lbw, then Stuart Meaker risked a second to deep cover only to be run out by Hamidullah Qadri's throw from the ropes.
Match report supplied by PA Media.