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Sussex- 106: Robinson 49*; Berg 5-18, Sanderson 5-28
Northants- 214-5: Keogh 66, Zaib 66*; Robinson 4-31
County Ground, Northampton
Northants lead by 108 runs, having won the toss and chosen to bowl
Superb batting displays by Rob Keogh (66) and Saif Zaib (66*) after the Tea interval has earnt Northants a healthy advantage at the end of day one of the County Championship match at the County Ground, Northampton.
A chanceless 88-run partnership between Keogh and Saif Zaib, followed by an unbroken 66-run partnership between Zaib and Rossington (27*) helped the hosts end the first day with a lead of 108 runs, building perfectly upon a batting collapse in the first innings of the game by Sussex that saw them fall all out for 106.
On a wet and windy morning, a crucial toss was won by Adam Rossington which allowed him to bowl. With Ollie Robinson in the Sussex line up, a lot of the on-lookers eyes were directed at the fast-bowler touted for national selection, yet it was two on the other team sheet that wreaked havoc in the first session.
Both Ben Sanderson and Gareth Berg were jubilant in taking all ten wickets between themselves as Sussex slumped to 106 all out from only 42.2 overs.
Sanderson, who was averaging 47.6 for the season before this match began had not had his best opening matches of the season but the 32-year-old found his form again to produce a devilish, nagging opening spell, bowling unchanged from the Pavilion End before lunch as his side dominated the opening passages of play.
Sanderson is a miserly bowler yet was released by Yorkshire at an early age, before having to turn away from Cricket, and whilst doing so became an electrician. He finished with figures of 5-28 off 15.2 overs, and began the carnage as he tormented the Sussex top order.
The canny seamer had three wickets early on after Tom Haines (0) was caught in the slips facing his first delivery with only the fifth ball of the match, Aaron Thomason (8) nicked behind and Stian van Zyl (3) lost his off stump all inside the opening seven overs.
Berg, who has a happy-knack throughout his career of collecting wickets in clusters, also took five wickets but his went for just 18 runs of 13 overs.
Berg produced a wonderful pre-lunch spell that saw Travis Head (9) dismissed by a beautiful delivery that caught an edge and was grasped by Ricardo Vsasconcelos in the cordon. Ben Brown was adjudged LBW and Delray Rawlins’ (0) ugly heave across the line gave two more wickets to Berg in a morning session that left at one point Sussex reeling on only 25-7.
In the visitor’s rebuild, Ollie Robinson found helpful assistance from Stuart Meaker (23) as the pair managed to add 56 for the eighth wicket partnership. Only Robinson out of the top eight chose to try something different, using his feet at both bowlers.
He drove and hammered drives to build some respectability to the scorecard, making 49 and finishing unbeaten after Berg and Sanderson cleaned up the tail, each taking five wicket apiece.
Robinson was however dropped three times in his innings, once in the slip cordon, at cover by Luke Proctor, and also later by Adam Rossington with the gloves when Wayne Parnell almost strangled the tall right-hander down the legside.
In reply, the start could not have gotten off any better as opener Ben Curran (0) was given out LBW after playing a horrendous shot second ball, trying to fancily flick away Ollie Robinson.
This was followed the very next over with the dismissal of Ricardo Vasconcelos (8) who was again adjudged LBW, this time to debutant Joe Sarro, who’s delivery appeared to be rising high over the stumps, only for umpire Paul Baldwin to raise the finger.
It was then Robinson again who took the next two wickets to fall, his second and third of the innings, sending Charlie Thurston (24) back to the pavilion, having looked promising in a knock that included two beautiful cover drives and a straight drive back passed the bowler for four, before being caught in the slip cordon, and Luke Proctor (13) was bowled from around the wicket, leaving the hosts sitting precariously at 60-4.
Given the upcoming Test series against New Zealand less than a month away, this was a timely reminder by Robinson of his talents with the bat and ball as he continues to press his claims for an International debut.
Whilst wickets were falling at the other end, Keogh remained in control and played a fantastic innings, scoring 66 off 86 balls which included 11 fours.
With Robinson appearing in a destructive mood, Keogh chose to weather his overs and attack whatever was delivered at the opposite end, seeing Jack Carson sand part-time seamer Tom Haines receiving the majority of the punishment, going for 41 runs off just five overs, and within his explosive batting, he brought up his fifty with a scything sweep that pierced the fielders.
His dismissal came about in peculiar circumstances, as a delivery from Robinson appeared to strike the 29-year-old on the pads before ballooning towards Aaron Thomason at second slip. After the initial for LBW were waved away by Umpire Baldwin, the appeals then reignited, this time more vociferously.
This saw both Umpires come together and decide that Keogh must have hit the ball into his pad and for it to then loop behind for the catch. To Keogh’s dismay he had to depart but his knock was incredibly valuable in helping to build on the good work of his seamers in the morning session.
Ably supported during his innings by Zaib, they were able to tick off the lead and gain their own as they put on 88 runs for the fifth wicket partnership. The young left-handed all-rounder, who will be remembered amongst supporters for a remarkable catch on the boundary away at Birmingham Bears last season, built on his good form in recent weeks for the Northants Seconds, where he had scored two hundreds in as many matches.
Able to keep the dangerous Robinson out and then use the pace of Stuart Meaker to guide and manoeuvre the ball into the outfield saw him reach a well-earned fifty off just 83 deliveries.
With Zaib and Rossington able to see off the remaining 20 overs of play unscathed and take their partnership to 66, they not only took the lead past 100 runs, but the pair also blunted the Sussex bowling attack in the process and have solid foundations to build upon when play resumes tomorrow, returning on and respectively.
Whilst Northants may have applied themselves better to the conditions on offer with their choice of stroke-play, they could and probably should have been dismissed for less. Three relatively straight-forward chances were squandered with Keogh, Proctor and Adam Rossington all grateful of reprieves, courtesy to drops by the slip fielders. The final opportunity that was wasted saw van Zyl drop a straight-forward catch at slip after the Northants skipper edged behind on 15. This came off the bowling off Meaker and he let all see his dismay and anger at the chance slipping by, letting out a lengthy groan which pretty aptly summed up his and his sides day.
