County suffer second successive defeat
Wed 7 Sep 2016
Leicestershire versus Sussex, Specsavers County Championship, Day 2:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Mark Cosgrove spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps, the interview is available HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the second day are available HERE
REPORT | Leicestershire suffered a second successive Specsavers County Championship defeat at the Fischer County Ground, this time by an innings and 59 runs to Sussex.
The visitors started the day only 47 ahead with three first innings wickets remaining but Ben Brown and Ollie Robinson took the game away from Leicestershire in the first session.
Sussex moved from their overnight 182-7 to 313 as Brown (71) and Robinson (81) extended their eighth wicket alliance to 133.
There were a couple of nice moments as Paul Horton (4-1-6-2) dismissed both set batsmen, his first two wickets in red ball cricket, but Sussex had claimed a first innings lead of 178.
Leicestershire were reduced to 29-5 in their second innings before being bowled out for 117, Ned Eckersley top-scoring with 31 against an attack that shared the wickets around.
Brown and Robinson took their stand beyond 50 in the opening 15 minutes of play, ensuring the visitors banked a bonus point in the process.
The duo were not afraid to play their shots despite 17 wickets falling on the first day, underlined by the fact that the 50-run stand was recorded in just 52 deliveries.
Sussex’s captain scored at a decent pace himself but it was Robinson who did the bulk of the boundary gathering.
The number nine batsman was quick to attack anything well-pitched up, such as strokes to deep mid-wicket and mid-on, and deliveries that were short, including a couple of nicely guided cuts down to vacant third man and a rasping back foot drive through the covers.
The lead stretched into three figures by the end of the 53rd over and both batsmen went on to record half-centuries.
Brown was first to 50 from 56 balls with six fours, four of which were struck in the final session yesterday, while Robinson’s 69-ball effort contained seven boundaries, six of which were gleaned this morning.
The stroke that took Robinson to the landmark also took the stand into three figures, and fours continued to arrive too freely for Leicestershire’s liking, including back-to-back efforts from Robinson in the 63rd over.
Cosgrove opted for a change of pace and it worked a treat as Horton, who has bowled tidily whenever called upon in his first season at the club, removed the two top-scorers.
The off-spinner had Brown caught by Angus Robson at slip before ending Robinson's fine innings shortly afterwards when a reverse-sweep found its way to Charlie Shreck at backward point.
The Sussex first innings came to its conclusion when Zak Chappell bowled Jofra Archer (11), and lunch was taken at that point.
Sussex immediately made inroads in the afternoon session with Steve Magoffin and Archer again causing early damage. The Australian enticed both Robson (0) and Horton (7) into edging to Chris Nash at second slip, and two balls later, Neil Dexter (9) was trapped leg before by Archer.
Robinson and David Wiese then got in on the act, with the former bowling Mark Pettini (2) and Cosgrove dismissed lbw to leave Leicestershire in big trouble.
Ned Eckersley and Lewis Hill (9) shared 30 for the sixth wicket but Wiese then claimed his second wicket, getting one through the defences of the latter.
Clint McKay also scored 9 before guiding an Archer delivery into the hands of Wiese at first slip and the seamer struck in his next over, sending Chappell’s off stump cartwheeling before the young seamer had scored.
Resistance was again showed by Eckersley, who has been Leicestershire’s key man in recent weeks, and Ben Raine, who added 36 for the ninth wicket either side of tea. The batsmen struck four boundaries apiece with Raine playing a couple of powerful pulls that raced across the square.
Eckersley posted the best score of the innings before becoming a third victim for Wiese after being hit on the pads. Wiese also had a hand in the final wicket to fall, taking a tumbling catch at first slip off Robinson to dismiss Raine (25).
Leicestershire now have two Specsavers County Championship matches to play, at Derbyshire next Monday before a home match against Glamorgan on Tuesday, September 20.
Bowling figures for Leicestershire: McKay 13-0-52-0, Raine 10-0-46-0, Shreck 22-0-95-2, Chappell 8.1-0-52-1, Dexter 14-4-52-5, Cosgrove 1-0-2-0, Horton 4-1-6-2.
