Hoggard hits back after Hatchett's good job

Date: Thursday 29 July 2010

An unbeaten half-century from Chris Nash ensured leaders Sussex just about edged a day of fluctuating fortunes in the LV=County Championship match at Grace Road.

Opener Nash made 52 not out to take his side to 128-4 at stumps, an overall deficit of 76 given Leicestershire were earlier bowled out for 204.

Matthew Hoggard removed Michael Yardy and Ed Joyce early in the piece and Nathan Buck took the key scalp of Murray Goodwin as County fought back but a stand of 57 between Nash and Luke Wright (36) took the visitors away from immediate danger.

However, Hoggard struck for a third time late in the day to give Leicestershire a boost and a couple of early wickets tomorrow morning would certainly put the cat among the pigeons in what has been a topsy-turvy game to date.

It was an absorbing day's cricket in conditions that kept everyone honest. Sure, the ball swung and nipped around all day in the overcast conditions but once batsmen got set, scoring at a fair pace was possible, as demonstrated by Andrew McDonald and Nash.

McDonald made a fine 63 from 80 balls on his return to action but extras was the next top score with 28 as the batsmen generally struggled against a Sussex attack who were both accurate and threatening throughout.

Left armer Lewis Hatchett certainly had a day to remember by claiming his maiden first-class five-wicket haul and former West Indies fast bowler Corey Collymore also caught the eye in taking 2-42 from eighteen high quality overs.

McDonald, meanwhile, looked in fine fettle from word go; it was if the batsman had never been away following his back-to-back centuries against Glamorgan and Middlesex before he went on Australia A duty.

He shared in partnerships worth 52 with James Taylor (19) and 39 with Wayne White (21) but Hatchett's good work ensured County could never get themselves into a position to post a huge first innings score. He started the day well by trapping Will Jefferson leg before with his very first delivery from the Bennett End and returned up the hill to finish with 5-47.

This all occurred after Yardy won the toss and invited Leicestershire to bat. That decision was little surprise given the atmposhepric conditions and the fact visitors opted to omit batsman Michael Thornley and replace him with seamer Ragheb Aga and there was certainly plenty in it for the bowlers.

The team showed two changes from the side that drew at Glamorgan last week with Australian international McDonald and Buck coing in for Matthew Boyce and Jigar Naik. The off-spinner, like counterpart Ollie Rayner, missed out given both teams chose to go down the solitary spinner route.

It was Sussex's first appearance in the Championship at Grace Road for seven years and Wright was making his first first-class appearance on his old home ground since departing for pastures new.

They had plenty of experience with the new ball given Collymore operated alongside Pakistan international Yasir Arafat. Both gained movement early on under the grey skies and runs were hard to come by in the opening exchanges of what was an intriguing first session of play.

Both batsmen opened their boundary accounts though as Paul Nixon glanced off his pads from the last ball of the fifth and Jefferson pushed down to third man.

Ten extras helped the cause as an Arafat delivery that pitched and moved wildly off the seam went for four wides and a bye and four leg byes followed. County then suffered their first loss as Hatchett struck an immediate blow. The young left armer swung one in and trapped Jefferson leg before with the score on 27.

The in-form Jacques du Toit was in at three and the batsman will have pleased to receive an early gift from Hatchett, who bowled a half-volley outside stump that du Toit crashed away.

A clip off the pads bought a second boundary and when Nixon cut Collymore for four, the partnership was gathering some momentum. The visiting attack were probing away though and Nixon fell for a hard-fought 22 with the score on 49 to a good piece of cricket by the visitors.

Collymore got one to move sharply and found the outside edge of the bat after the ball nipped away after looking as though it was going to shape back in. Ed Joyce took a good diving catch at third slip and Collymore, who was bowling an exceptional spell, had some reward for his efforts.

The hard-working bowler sent down eleven overs in his first spell and gave very little away. du Toit did drive nicely down the ground for three and flicked off his stumps to the ropes but these were rare runs off the bowler and he too lost his wicket to Collymore.

du Toit attempted to leave but got an inside edge and the ball cannoned into leg stump for an unfortunate dismissal. Leicestershire needed a stand of substance and Taylor and McDonald set about providing it. The Aussie punched a drive through the covers and Taylor also settled in with a couple of strokes through mid wicket.

The youngster picked up an ankle problem early during the innings which required treatment but he battled on and McDonald hit fours through mid wicket and mid off when Aga entered the attack in place of Collymore, who took 2-31 from his initial marathon stint.

Taylor guided the returning Arafat for four through the cordon as he moved into double figures and also drove the seamer through cover point as the score moved towards 100. It was two shy of that landmark when lunch was taken, with Taylor unbeaten on 15 and McDonald 18.

The signs were promising after the break as Taylor dabbed down for another four and McDonald also found the fence with a flick off his pads. A nice drive down the ground bought up the fifty stand but it was ended shortly afterwards by Arafat.

He pinned Taylor in front on 19 to end the resistance and that bought Tom New to the wicket. The keeper immediately drove past mid off to get off the mark in fine style and McDonald was looking a million dollars at the other end.

Another fine stroke through the leg side bought up a seventh boundary in a score of 30 at that stage. The fours came in a sequence that was stopped only when Sussex employed a sweeper on the cover boundary.

A healthy crowd did not have to wait long for that next boundary as McDonald drove through mid on but the fifth wicket fell just after that stroke. McDonald called New through for a single and the batsman lost his wicket despite a despairing dive.

The bails seemed to take an eternity to come off and it looked as though the acrobatics had saved New. Unfortunately for the batsman, he had to get up and make his way off as umpire Nick Cook raised the dreaded finger.

White came to partner McDonald and after the batsman again drove handsomely down the ground, Collymore returned for a second spell at the Pavilion End.

McDonald survived a vociferous leg before appeal and then bought up a 61-ball half-century with his tenth four; a beautifully timed drive through the covers. His eleventh came via a deft fine glance and McDonald really was playing well.

White played a good supporting role and leant into a drive through mid off to open his boundary tally. McDonald then played a shot to illustrate how well he was timing the ball. The on drive is always considered to be the hardest one in the book but a piece of rare timing saw the ball deposited between the fielders at mid wicket and mid on.

It was a shot of the highest class and a change of tack was sought by Yardy as he introduced Monty Panesar. The move immediately worked as the slow left armer gained a leg-before verdict with just his second delivery.

McDonald's was the crucial wicket but Claude Henderson and White put up some spirited resistance after the spinner survived an early chance. Hatchett, who had switched to the Pavilion End, enticed the batsman to nick and Aga put down the regulation catch at second slip.

County needed that reprieve and White cut Panesar for four for the first boundary in a while. Henderson followed up White's good work with a pull through mid wicket that raced away but the left armer finally got his man in the 58th over. Henderson drove expansively and lost his off stump as Hatchett claimed his second wicket of the day.

The seamer then made it two in two when Nadeem Malik edged behind to Ben Brown first ball and that put Nathan Buck in on a hat trick. He survived and later played delicately to third man - a profitable region throughout the day - as the team approached the 200 mark.

White registered the first bonus point by advancing to drive Panesar for four but he too fell to Hatchett, who was clearly enjoying himself now. He produced a beauty to clip the top off off stump and County were nine down. Hatchett completed his five for by bowling the skipper and there were still 34 overs left in the day when Sussex started their reply after tea.

County were looking for a flying start and Hoggard, who extracted swing throughout, provided it. Captain Yardy fell to his counterpart to the fourth ball of the innings as the bowler nipped one back and trapped the batsman, whose pronounced trigger movement put him right in front of the stumps.

Joyce got himself into the groove with a cover drive for four and also glanced one off his pads fine for four. This followed an identical shot Nash had played the previous over and Joyce followed it up with another drive through the covers. Nash was also playing himself in and scored two further boundaries in the fifth. A flowing off drive also raced away and Sussex had 35 after six.

The team needed a second wicket to stemmed the flow and a good catch by Taylor accounted for Joyce. Hoggard enticed the batsman into playing uppishly and Taylor snaffled the chance under the lid in an unconventional position. The fielder was stationed in a position that was neither silly mid on nor short mid wicket; he was somewhere inbetween and took the opportunity with relish.

Malik replaced Buck in the eight over and the tall bowler immediately caused problems. He had a leg before shout turned down first ball and sent down a maiden to stifle Nash. It was the start of a fine spell from the seamer.

Goodwin got off the mark with a dab down to third man and another stroke flashed through backward point as the former Zimbabwe international got his tally moving. Nash scored his sixth boundary of the innings with a drive through the covers and Buck then returned to have a go at the Pavilion End.

Goodwin clipped a beautiful four off his pads as he continued to go well and County knew this was the stand to break. Malik nearly did it after Nash checked a drive but it dropped just short of a diving Nixon in the covers.

Buck did get the wicket in his second over from the Pavilion End as he pinned Goodwin leg before. The batsman, who has scored heavily against County in the past, went back to pull but the ball did not get as high as he anticipated.

Malik was bowling a super spell and was gaining lots of movement to keep the batsmen honest. Buck was also enjoying himself more from the Pavilion End and beat Wright with a couple of jaffas. The batsman responded by driving for four and it was certainly a good battle.

White and Hoggard came on to form a new partnership but Wright managed to score a few boundaries down to the vacant third man boundary as he gathered momentum and Nash then moved to a vital 67-ball half-century, which included seven fours.

Just as the visitors thought they had made it through without further damage, the captain returned to remove Wright's off-stump. Hatchett survived as nightwatchman alongside Nash and the game is nicely poised going into the second day.