Somerset v Sussex: County Championship Division One – Sussex’s First Innings Summary
Somerset cruised to victory against Sussex by nine wickets in a match of the County Championship Division One at the County Ground, Taunton in England on Thursday, August 4, 2011.
The hosts needed 94 runs for victory, which they achieved comfortably at the cost of just one wicket. The team’s skipper Marcus Trescothick scored an unbeaten half-century, guiding his side to a victory.
Earlier, the Sussex captain Michael Yardy opted to bat first after winning the toss. The pitch was good for the batsmen, but it was expected to wear out with the passage of time.
Ed Joyce and Chris Nash walked out in the middle to open the innings for Sussex. The pair collected 26 runs before the latter gave his wicket away. He managed just 14 runs with the help of a couple of boundaries.
Sussex’s first-drop Luke Wells took his time to settle down, but was unable to make a solid impression. He was the second wicket to fall in the innings after scoring just 10 runs from 39 deliveries.
Joyce played really well as he did not play any lose strokes in his outing. He scored 59 runs for his side with the bulk of them coming in boundaries. The stylish opener struck 10 fours before being dismissed.
Zimbabwe’s Murray Goodwin was joined by the team’s skipper Yardy in the middle. The pair batted steadily, collecting 59 runs for the fourth wicket partnership.
However, Yardy failed to make most of the start he got to his innings. The seasoned player got out after contributing 31 runs to the total from 63 deliveries. He smashed three boundaries in his outing.
Wicketkeeper batsman Ben Brown was the next wicket to fall in the innings. He would have been disappointed to give his wicket away after getting well set, scoring 23 runs off 46 balls.
Half of the Sussex side was sent back to the hut for 201 runs and the team needed a solid effort from their lower-order. However, things did not improve for the team, as wickets kept on falling at regular intervals.
Ollie Rayner got out after adding 10 runs to the total. He was followed by Goodwin, who ended up with a solid 55 runs for his side. The Zimbabwean failed to cop up with the pressure, as wickets were tumbling at the other end.
South Africa’s Wayne Parnell collected 17 runs towards the end of the innings, guiding Sussex to 245 in their first innings.
Somerset’s Alfonso Thomas bowled extremely well, as he troubled the batsmen throughout the innings. The Proteas player took a six-wicket haul in the day.