Sibley century puts Surrey on top against Sussex

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Kia Oval (day one)

Sussex 358-9 dec: Carson 105, Robinson 100*; Clark 5-68

Surrey 292-2: Sibley 116*, Burns 77

Surrey (4 pts) trail Sussex (3 pts) by 66 runs

Match scorecard

Dom Sibley, the rock of dependability at the top of Surrey's batting order, scored his sixth first-class hundred since the start of the 2025 season as Sussex struggled to keep themselves in the County Championship match at The Oval.

When rain arrived to lop off the final 16.3 overs of the second day's allocation, Sibley was unbeaten on 116 in Surrey's 292-2 after having faced 268 balls across six hours of dutiful accumulation.

With Rory Burns hitting 77 and Ryan Patel a fluent 67 from 82 balls, the pair sharing in stands of 148 and 109 respectively with Sibley, it left Surrey within touching distance of Sussex's first innings 358-9 declared and with an opportunity to push on to a potentially match-winning lead on day three.

Sibley, 30, had few moments of worry and having also scored 100 in Surrey's previous Championship fixture against Essex is not only building his case for an England recall five years after his last Test but also is within just nine of completing 10,000 career first-class runs.

Sussex will be sore about the two catches they dropped with the total 168 and then 287. First, Patel was reprieved on 11 when keeper John Simpson somehow allowed what looked to be a regulation edge slip through his gloves.

And Ollie Pope, also when 11, was put down at third slip off Ollie Robinson in the fifth over of a second new ball taken with Surrey on 265-2. At stumps, Pope was 14 not out.

Surrey began day two on 19 for no wicket, Sibley and Burns having fought hard to survive ten overs against the new ball at the tailend of a memorable opening day dominated by the centuries made from No 9 and No 10 by Jack Carson and Robinson.

At first it was again the Sussex frontline seamers who tried to prise Sibley and Burns apart – with Sibley leg-glancing Fynn Hudson-Prentice for four from the very first ball of the day to set the tone for what was to come.