Sussex v Leicestershire
Whilst a second division championship game may not be of intensive interest to our readers , it was nonetheless an always eventful day in which 18 wickets fell . It was also bitterly cold with an icy wind off the sea that was more than an autumnal chill.
Sussex added a few more runs in the morning to post a first innings total of 373. Ollie Robinson celebrated his new county contract for Sussex with a fifer as Leicestershire reeled from 9-5 to 48-9. It seemed it would all be over by stumps but Callum Parkinson with 48 and Mohammed Abbas 32 added 84 for the ninth wicket to make a total of 133. 240 runs behind Sussex must surely enforce the follow on but unbelievably they did not. When we went 6 wickets down for 90 runs skipper Ben Brown must have rued this decision. Play finished early once again with Sussex at 100 for 6 and Brown and Chris Jordan at the crease. A lead of 343 should be enough but why give yourselves the stress? Apparently they wished to rest their bowlers and the concern was batting last on a turning wicket but the way the Leicerstshire batters faced up to Robinson and Jefra Archer Sussex may not have had to bat again . Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson cannot go on for ever and Bajan Archer once he qualifies for England and 24 year old Robinson one day soon may be called up England duty. He is in good coaching hands. Jason Gillespie was Robinson’s head coach at Yorhdsire who let him go to Sussex where Dizzy now coaches . Hs father in law is the much respected England coach Paul Farbrace Steve Magoffin once of this parish also is giving him tips A bit of tear away in his youth , Robinson has taken 51 wickets and thouroughly merits his new contract
There was only a smattering of a crowd. There was lunch in the hospitality section to which I was invited at the last moment but this would have gone on from lunch to tea and I wanted to see the action. A talll expansive fellow came over recognising my friend beside me ,an ex premier league manager. The man dressed expansively in a blazer and flannels and looking a picture of prosperity was Chris Cattlin a popular Coventry City full back in the Jimmy Hill days who also played for Brighton. He is always known for owning a rock shop on the front but actually possessed the whole building and became a successful property man in Brighton and Spain. This is the first time I have met him but warmed to him. In those days footballers did not have the same rich rewards but he was smart in his second property career. He spoke of taking his wife who has not been well on a cruise in the South of France and giving an eulogy at the funeral of Ernie Hunt , who was famous for his donkey style free kick.
Some say county cricket is boring and kids need the headier excitiment of t20 but there was nothing tedious about yesterday either on or off the pitch. Nor at Taunton where the Somerset and Lancashire match ended in a tie.
