Tight affair at Arundel

Sussex versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 2:

SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE

INTERVIEW | Lewis Hill spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae on the Cricket Show, the interview is available HERE (41 minutes in)

HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the second day are available HERE

REPORT | The Specsavers County Championship fixture between Sussex and Leicestershire continued to be keenly contested on the second day at Arundel Castle.

The Foxes gained a first innings advantage of 19 after being bowled out for 281 before Sussex moved 55 ahead by stumps in losing one wicket, Clint McKay claiming his fifth wicket of the game.

Leicestershire’s innings followed a similar pattern to their opponents. Eight Sussex batsmen scored 20 but nobody made a half-century, and today, six Foxes batsmen made 31 or more with Lewis Hill matching Stiaan van Zyl’s 49.

Progress was checked by Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan, who took three wickets apiece, while spinners Danny Briggs and Will Beer bowled 39 overs between them, claiming 1-49 and 2-53 respectively.

Leicestershire began on 77-2 after dismissing Sussex for 262 in the final session yesterday and during an attritional morning session, the visitors added 80 runs in 34 overs to reach 157-4 at lunch.

Slow left armer Briggs was soon into the attack on a pitch that was already showing signs of turn but could have been forgiven for thinking it wasn’t going to be his day when Mark Cosgrove was dropped twice on 27.

van Zyl shelled a straightforward chance at mid-wicket and Luke Wright put down a much harder one diving forward from short cover.

Leicestershire lost their first wicket of the day as Ackermann, who found the boundary six times in scoring 40, tickled a leg-side delivery from Jofra Archer to Ben Brown.

Ackermann had shared 70 with Cosgrove, who was then dismissed by Briggs with the score at 138. Leicestershire skipper’s was nine short of fifty when edging a ball that just turned enough from the slow left armer. The ball bounced off 'keeper Brown into the hands of Jordan at slip.

At lunch Briggs had 1 for 26 from 18 overs while leg-spinner Beer had settled alongside him from the Castle End of this picturesque venue. Ned Eckersley had made a watchful 28 not out while Hill was on nine at that stage in proceedings

Leicestershire then suffered a quickfire double blow in the afternoon session. A fifth wicket alliance worth exactly 50 came to its conclusion when Eckersley (35) lost his off stump aiming to hit a full-length delivery from Archer through the leg-side then debutant Will Fazakerley (0) was lbw to Beer padding up.

County were now under some pressure at 189 for 6 and were grateful to Hill, who had come in at the fall of the fourth wicket. He made an important 49 off 109 deliveries, hitting five fours in a shade under two hours at the crease.

But when Jordan took the new ball he struck twice in the same over. The ‘keeper drove to Wright at cover then Mathew Pillans (0) edged his second delivery to Harry Finch at second slip.

The last two wickets added an important 55 runs with Rob Sayer and McKay, who had shone with the ball on the first day, guiding the Foxes to 240-8 by tea. They shared 36 for the ninth wicket to restore parity before Abi Sakande bowled Sayer through the gate for 31.

Although McKay played a number of trademark aggressive strokes in making an unbeaten 32 with five fours, there was just a small first innings advantage as Richard Jones (6) was bowled by Beer.

The Victorian continued his strong game by trapping Chris Nash (21) in front but Sussex's leading scorer Luke Wells (39 not out) combined with Finch (13 not out) to take the hosts to 74 for 1 at stumps.

Bowling figures for Leicestershire (second innings): McKay 7-1-17-1, Jones 5-0-25-0, Pillans 5-0-17-0, Sayer 3-0-14-0.

* Thanks to John Mallett for the photo of Lewis Hill batting at Arundel today.