Sussex dominate day one against Glamorgan

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, County Ground, Hove (day one)

Glamorgan 155: Kellaway 33, Dickson 31; Unadkat 4-29

Sussex 136-2: Hughes 48*, Haines 48

Sussex 3 pts, Glamorgan 0 pts

Match scorecard

Indian left-armer Jaydev Unadkat took four wickets and spearheaded an impressive performance by Sussex's bowlers on day one of their County Championship match against Glamorgan at Hove.

Tom Haines, skippering Sussex for the first time since 2022 in the absence of Ollie Robinson, put Glamorgan in and his decision was fully vindicated when they were bowled out for 155 in 51.2 overs.

Unadkat picked up 4-29 and there were two wickets apiece for Henry Crocombe, who bowled with genuine pace, and Haines.

Haines fell for 48 when Sussex replied but the hosts were only 19 behind after reaching 136-2 at stumps.

The floodlights were on all day and there was some lateral movement under heavy cloud cover which Unadkat, who was playing his first first-class match since January, wasted no time in exploiting at the start of his latest stint with Sussex.

In his third over he found some extra bounce with the new ball and Asa Tribe was caught behind forcing off the back foot.

Glamorgan had already lost opener Zain-ul-Hassan, who gloved left-armer Sean Hunt's first ball in Championship cricket this season which had bounced off an awkward length.

From 11-2, Kiran Carson and Ben Kellaway led a partial recovery before Sussex struck again in successive overs.

Carlson got a thin edge to Tom Price's 11th ball and gave wicketkeeper John Simpson his third catch and Crocombe claimed a wicket with his third delivery which Colin Ingram edged to second slip high off the bat.

Kellaway and Sean Dickson added 51 either side of lunch and seemed to have settled things down until Crocombe took a brilliant return catch in his follow through with his outstretched right hand when the former offered a leading edge.

Unadkat returned, this time at the sea end, and picked up two quick wickets with Dickson and Timm van der Gugten both caught in the cordon playing at balls which nipped off the seam.

Chris Cooke and Mason Crane put on 32 for the eighth wicket without too many alarms before Sussex's bowlers regained control again.

Skipper Haines took two wickets, the second courtesy of a fine catch by Hunt hurtling in from the deep backward square boundary and diving full length, before Unadkat showed his athleticism to intercept Ryan Hadley's drive by diving to his right in his follow-through and clinging onto the ball inches from the turf.

Overhead conditions had not improved when Glamorgan bowled but their attack struggled for consistency until the 21st over when Haines was well caught by Tribe, diving to his left at second slip, off 18-year-old Tom Norton two short of 50.

Tom Alsop, who was also making his first Championship appearance of the season, pushed at van der Gugten's outswinger and Ingram snapped up the edge at slip, but Daniel Hughes (48 not out) and Jack Leaning saw Sussex safely to stumps.

Report by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay.