Sussex drop six catches as Leics are bowled out

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, County Ground, Hove (day one)

Leicestershire 328: Holland 63, Scriven 50; Carson 4-40, Robinson 3-85

Sussex 3-0: Clark 2*, Hughes 1*

Sussex (3 pts) trail Leics (2 pts) by 325 runs

Match scorecard

Sussex dropped six catches on the opening day of their County Championship match against Leicestershire at Hove but the visitors failed to take full advantage of their luck.

The only side in Division One without a win this season, the Foxes were put in after Sussex won the toss but after putting on 92 for the first wicket they slid to 209-7.

They were part-rescued by their tail, with the last three wickets adding 119, including an eighth-wicket stand of 73 between captain Ian Holland (63) and Tom Scriven (50).

Off-spinner Jack Carson was the most successful Sussex bowler with figures of 4-40, but the stand-out performer was captain Ollie Robinson, who bowled heroically well, sending down 24.4 overs in five separate spells, and was unlucky to take only three wickets.

Robinson may have questioned his decision to bowl first on a green looking pitch as Leicestershire's openers Rishi Patel and Jake Weatherald batted with easy authority.

The right-handed Patel caught the eye with some handsome back-foot drives, while the left-handed Weatherald worked the ball away with a series of neat flicks and cuts, although he was dropped at fourth slip, a difficult chance, when he had 16 and the score was 26.

The bowling in the first session was unimpressive, apart from the excellent Robinson, who found movement but bowled without any luck.

Then, shortly before lunch, Sussex had two slices of good fortune. In the 22nd over, Weatherald called for a quick single but then sent Patel back and Patel, on 45, was beaten by Jack Leaning's direct hit from point.

Four overs later, at 108, Weatherald was out, making room to cut a short ball from Carson but slapping it straight to Tom Clark who pulled off a fine low catch in the covers.

After lunch Leicestershire were made to fight much harder for their runs. Sussex bowled markedly better only to see their fielding fall apart, with three dropped catches in quick succession.