Sussex struggle at Arundel
Sussex opener Ed Joyce celebrated his promotion to captain with his sixth half-century of the season but it was Warwickshire who took the first-day honours in the Division One clash at Arundel
29-Jun-2011
Sussex opener Ed Joyce celebrated his promotion to captain with his sixth half-century of the season but it was Warwickshire who took the first-day honours in the Division One clash at Arundel. Joyce made 73 and his predecessor Murray Goodwin 79 but Sussex were dismissed
for 251 on a typically sluggish Arundel wicket after winning the toss.
They would have been in even greater strife had it not been for a half-century last-wicket stand between Goodwin and Amjad Khan which earned their side an unlikely second bonus batting point. Warwickshire openers Ian Westwood and Varun Chopra looked untroubled in 16 overs before the close as they reached 58 for 0 with Chopra's 45 off 40 balls containing eight boundaries, three of them in one over off the wayward Khan.
Warwickshire's seam attack bowled a probing line and length throughout and waited for mistakes to be made. The first came from Chris Nash, who had helped Joyce add 51 for the first wicket before he left a ball from Rikki Clarke which knocked back his off stump.
Luke Wells drove loosely just before lunch at Darren Maddy and was caught at slip, before Warwickshire strengthened their position during the afternoon when they took six wickets for 98.
Joyce played superbly through the off side in nearly three hours but his dismissal - a loose drive to extra cover - was typical of the innings.
Luke Wright was caught at slip off a ball angled across him, Andy Hodd mis-timed an attempted hook and gave an easy catch to mid-wicket while Ollie Rayner played fatally back to a length ball. Sussex were 198 for 8 when Monty Panesar played limply to cover just before tea.
After the break, James Anyon fell for a duck against his former county when he became Boyd Rankin's third victim but Goodwin stood firm at the other end. The 38-year-old has been leading Sussex in the absence of Mike Yardy for much of the season but Joyce, who is a former Middlesex captain, has taken over for four-day cricket.
Freed of the extra responsibility, Goodwin played with customary fluency and struck 12 fours. Khan gave him good support at the end but the relative ease with which they added 51 for the last wicket put conditions in perspective.
That view was reinforced before the close as Chopra and Westwood comfortably negotiated the new ball. Joyce called Panesar, who took eight wickets at Arundel last season, into the
attack in the ninth over but Warwickshire finished the day in command.
