Sussex and Yorkshire engaged in a captivating opening day of their Vitality County Championship promotion battle at Scarborough, with Sussex battling to a competitive 187 for nine despite Yorkshire’s early dominance.
Sussex, the Division Two leaders, faced challenging conditions and a determined Yorkshire side. Matthew Revis’s seam bowling proved effective, claiming three wickets as Sussex struggled to 14 for 2. However, left-handers Daniel Hughes and Tom Alsop steadied the innings with half-centuries.
Hughes, who has impressed since joining Sussex, drove the first ball of the match for four and contributed 53 before falling to Ben Coad. Alsop, dropped on nine, showed resilience and determination, top-scoring with an unbeaten 84 off 184 balls.
Despite the loss of Hughes, Alsop and captain John Simpson shared a 40-run partnership. However, Yorkshire continued to apply pressure, with George Hill dismissing Simpson and Fynn Hudson-Prentice edging Revis to first slip.
Alsop reached his half-century off 142 balls, but Sussex’s hopes of a larger total were dented by Revis’s continued success. Jack Carson, Jaydev Unadkat, and Ollie Robinson all fell to his bowling, leaving Sussex at 172 for 9.
Alsop remained defiant, hitting two boundaries off Dan Moriarty before running out of partners. Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow, making his first county appearance of the season, kept wicket tidily.
The day’s play was shortened by rain and bad light, but Sussex’s total could prove to be competitive on a pitch showing signs of uneven bounce. Both sides will be eager to resume the battle on day two, with promotion to Division One the ultimate goal.
