Somerset slide after Trescothick fifty

Somerset batsman Marcus Trescothick maintained his impressive form in the County Championship this season with a half-century against Sussex.

The former England opener hit 63 before his county collapsed from 117 for 1 to 197 for 7 on a bleak day at Hove which was reduced to 50.1 overs by rain and bad light.

Sussex captain Mike Yardy had put Somerset in to bat and it looked as though the decision was going to backfire on him when Trescothick and Arul Suppiah put on 71 for the first wicket. Suppiah, who overcame a painful blow on the gloves following a lifting ball from Amjad Khan, was leg before wicket to James Anyon in the penultimate over before lunch.

However, there was no respite for Sussex when Trescothick and Nick Compton, fresh from his 254 against Durham in the previous Division One match, added 46 with a flurry of boundaries. Then Sussex persuaded the umpires to change the ball, rain brought a 45-minute delay and the game changed dramatically.

Somerset, without James Hildreth - who will captain the England Lions against the Sri Lankans at Derby tomorrow - and the injured Craig Kieswetter, lost four wickets for 15 runs in six overs. Trescothick, who made 63 off 84 balls with 12 fours and a six, tried to fend off a short ball from Khan and looped a catch to Ed Joyce at gully.

Compton, who struck four fours in his 19, tried to cut Rana Naved and was brilliantly caught behind by Matt Prior, diving to his right. Peter Trego, driving at Naved, edged straight to Yardy at second slip two balls later, then Jos Buttler was trapped lbw by Anyon.

Alex Barrow, 19 and playing in only his third first-class match, then found some support from Lewis Gregory and Craig Meschede. Gregory, an 18-year-old all-rounder, had helped add 18 when Anyon plucked out his off-stump just before tea.

Meschede, another 19-year-old making his first-class debut, joined Barrow in an eighth wicket stand of 47. The partnership ended when Meschede edged Rana, Sussex's most successful bowler with three wickets for 74 runs, and Yardy took his second catch - this time at first slip.

Bad light ended play soon afterwards with Barrow unbeaten on 37, his highest first-class score. He had faced 74 balls in the gathering gloom and hit six fours.