Sussex make promising start with bat against Nottinghamshire at blustery Hove

Tom Clark, Tom Haines and Ali Orr all recorded half-centuries as a youthful Sussex side made a promising start against Nottinghamshire in their LV= County Championship opener at blustery Hove.

Opening pair Haines (59) and Orr (68) began impressively after Sussex were sent in, putting on 110 in 36 overs before left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White led a fightback for the second division promotion favourites.

Patterson-White bowled unchanged until the second new ball was taken after coming on in the 22nd over, sending down 30 overs.

He was brought back into the attack to bowl four more overs before stumps to finish with three for 69, but by then Clark (82 not out) and Delray Rawlins (49) had seized back the initiative on a fluctuating day, adding 87 in 21 overs for the sixth wicket to help take Sussex to 302 for six at stumps.

Both teams will have been pleased with their efforts. There was not too much in the pitch for Nottinghamshire’s seamers and the strong wind caused several disruptions as headwear and even the bails flew across the outfield, although Patterson-White enjoyed the breeze over his left shoulder as he settled into his marathon spell at the sea end.

He picked up Haines and debutant Tom Alsop in successive overs just after lunch before removing Orr as Nottinghamshire took four wickets in the afternoon session.

Dan Ibrahim, one of two 17-year-olds in a Sussex side whose average age is 21.6, was run out for 15 but Clark progressed serenely to only his second Championship half-century and Rawlins counter-attacked impressively against the second new ball.

No one scored more Championship runs last season than Haines with 1,176 and the Sussex captain was soon back in the groove, hitting eight boundaries as he brought up his fifty off 59 balls.

Orr was more circumspect, and although one or two loose shots kept the seamers interested it was not until Patterson-White came on with 76 already on the board that Nottinghamshire exerted some control.

Patterson-White struck in his eighth over when Haines was bowled through the gate by one which turned and in his next he had Alsop, making his bow after signing on a season’s loan from Hampshire, leg before for one to a ball which would have only just clipped the top of the bails.

Sussex lost a third wicket on 137 when Oli Carter (14), who had looked in good touch, picked out mid-wicket but Orr again demonstrated both sound judgement outside his off stump and a calm authority in putting away anything loose.

It was a surprise after more than four hours when he edged Patterson-White to slip, driving loosely.

Nottinghamshire sensed an opening, but Clark and Ibrahim gave little away in a fifth wicket stand of 43 either side of tea.

Then Clark called for a third run and his partner was slow to react with a combination of Brett Hutton in the deep, Patterson-White at the non-striker’s end and wicketkeeper Tom Moores running him out.

It left Sussex 214 for five but Clark reached his fifty in the next over and together with Rawlins they counter-attacked in the final hour. Rawlins hit eight fours in his 49 only to play on in the penultimate over to Nottinghamshire skipper Steven Mullaney.