Sussex v Somerset LIVE

10:30am Thursday 6th September 2012 in Sport By Steve Hollis

This live event has finished

5:46pm

No extra half hour 3rdman so I'm back tomorrow. Hopefully should be all over by lunchtime though. Short report on the web now, full report and pics plus hopefully some thoughts from Murray Goodwin in The Argus tomorrow. Thanks for joining me. Bye

5:45pm

5:39pm Thu 6 Sep 12

3rdman says

"TRR - wickets = busses"

How right you are - thats 4 come along all at once can we claim the extra half hour so Steve gets his Friday off ;-)

5:44pm

That's it for the day. Somerset close on 155-4, still needing another 241 to win. Great burst from Magoffin to blow the Somerset order wide open. Looked like it was going to be a very interesting day when Tresco and Suppiah were piling on the runs but now it should be a formality for Sussex to win this one and strengthen their grip on second place

5:38pm

5:37pm Thu 6 Sep 12

The Real Ryfish says

What a brilliant signing McMuffin has been!

5:38pm

5:26pm Thu 6 Sep 12

The Real Ryfish says

MikeTheMan wrote:
TRR, Now that Hodd has signed for Yorkshire it's an irrelevant debate anyway! But it is odd what happened to his batting. For years Robbo and others were saying that after Goodwin Hodd was technically the best batsman at Sussex. But, as you say. he seemed to lose it completely somehow. It'll be interesting to see how he does at Yorks - he will almost certainly be back in Division 1.
I really hope he does well there. His keeping alone is too good to be stuck in the 2nds. If he can get his batting anywhere near the level it should be, given his talent, he'll have been a very shrewd signing, but it's a big IF :-)

5:37pm

5:22pm Thu 6 Sep 12

MikeTheMan says

TRR, Now that Hodd has signed for Yorkshire it's an irrelevant debate anyway! But it is odd what happened to his batting. For years Robbo and others were saying that after Goodwin Hodd was technically the best batsman at Sussex. But, as you say. he seemed to lose it completely somehow. It'll be interesting to see how he does at Yorks - he will almost certainly be back in Division 1.

5:36pm

WICKET. And another! Magoffin gets his third. Kirby caught at short leg by Nash for 1. Four wickets for 4 runs now. Somerset 151-4.

5:33pm

WICKET. Another wicket for Magoffin with only two overs to go. Jones is bowled by one that nips back a little bit and kept slightly low. Made 1. Somerset 150-3

5:24pm

Kirby hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Magoffin. Getting treatment

5:23pm

2:09pm Thu 6 Sep 12

The Real Ryfish says

Mike: If you're going down that route then we were denied wins against Lancs, Worcs and Somerset because of the weather. Sometimes the weather is for you, sometimes it's against you. Also, I think you'll find that batsmen have failed the whole country over, not just at Sussex, as evidenced by the fact that Nash very nearly became only the 3rd Englishman to make 1000 runs despite its being September. Hodd has proved himself to not be good enough over the last couple of seasons, or is his batting average in the 20s somehow less of a problem than the Brown's?

5:23pm

12:48pm Thu 6 Sep 12

MikeTheMan says

TRR, Yes but I am a fervent Sussex supporter and have been since the late 1950s and I am also a total realist. We've done well because (a) our bowlers have been excellent and have exceeded expectations (b) our top 3 have done well and (c) we were saved by rain from crushing defeats against Warwicks twice and at Nottingham. The harsh fact is that all of our middle order batsmen have failed consistently all season - as shown in the averages. We clearly need to recruit a couple of batsmen who will knuckle down and score runs regularly and we should bring Hodd back from Yorkshire (that mystifies me more and more).

5:23pm

Possibly LL. He was miles down the track and it would have been hard for the ump to be certain it was hitting.

5:22pm

2:10pm Thu 6 Sep 12

lochlomond says

Stev, This is not the first time yu have felt that Monty got a poor decision. Do you think umpires generally favour better players, on the grounds that they would not have played the shot against a ball hitting the stumps?

5:22pm

Bruce - I raised that exact question in the press box yesterday. Will be interesting to see what happens there. Hasn't looked like he has enjoyed it for a while but when you are struggling that is nothing unusual

5:21pm

3:08pm Thu 6 Sep 12

bruce beckett says

Hate to be cruel but in the wake of the decision not to offer Murray Goodwin another contract, I'm wondering whether one might be following that Michael Yardy is retiring from first-class cricket? He's already stepped down as captain and he's not having a great year with the bat. His battle against depression has been well chronicled so I would ask, is he still enjoying his cricket Steve?

5:20pm

4:13pm Thu 6 Sep 12

MikeTheMan says

TRR, You are right - scores (and thus averages) are lower than usual this year. But Nash, Joyce and Wells have reasonable averages i.e. high 30s / low 40s. But Amjad Khan and Anyon are fourth and fifth in our averages - they are decent tail-end batsmen but averages above all the middle order? Yes, they are more likely to get not outs but they have both scored a reasonable number of runs and the fact remains that our middle order has been collectively poor all season and several players have contributed virtually nothing in the last half dozen or so matches - have a look at the scorecards. Look at this match - first innings, 168-3, going fairly well, 221 all out, second innings 230-2, half an hour later 254-7 (and now, worryingly, Somerset smacking Anyon and Monty all over the County Ground). We can discuss specific individuals for ever but a member of any team has to justify his place in it, not just be picked automatically. Given the continuing failures, why has Machan not had a few chances in the Champiuonship? I'm not suggesting he would change our batting overnight but why did he (and Hodd, though I agree with your comments about him but I know who I'd pick as wicketkeeper/batsman
) not get a chance?

5:20pm

Has everyone seen that Hodd has signed a two-year deal at Yorkshire? Good move for him and pleased that he has found another county. Nice chap

5:19pm

4:36pm Thu 6 Sep 12

The Real Ryfish says

I presume that Yards, Joyce, Robbo and all the others who watch the players in the nets and matches have decided that, from what they have seen, Machan is yet to be worthy of a place ahead of even those in patchy form. And around the time he was getting dropped in favour of Brown, Hodd could barely hit the ball, let alone get any kind of score - he looked shot to pieces. He is a better keeper than Brown, granted, although I have no doubt Brown will improve notably over the next year or two.

5:19pm

5:16pm Thu 6 Sep 12

The Real Ryfish says

Wickets = buses

5:19pm

5:09pm Thu 6 Sep 12

3rdman says

kerching & thank you Monty ! :)

5:19pm

WICKET. Two in seven balls for Sussex as Magoffin gets rid of Suppiah for 70, Prior takign the catch at slip at the second attempt. Somerset 147-2. Another one tonight really would put Sussex in a strong position

5:18pm

Only just got all your comments through for some reason. Thought I was all on my own today!! Glad to know your out there

5:17pm

5:08pm Thu 6 Sep 12

3rdman says

"10:55am

200 up for Sussex. No alarms so far this morning. Nash said last night he would love to get to 1,000 FC runs for the season. That and a ton for Goodwin and a Sussex win would be his dream day. Sussex 205-2 "

- looks like Nashers dream is tuurning out to be a nightmare...

5:09pm

WICKET. A breakthrough at last and it's Monty who does the business. Tresco comes down the wicket to try to hit him over long off but gets an inside edge onto his stumps. Made 71. Somerset 147-1

4:28pm

100 up for Somerset in 32.4 overs. Need another 294 to win.

4:02pm

Nash on to bowl now. Partnership breaker?

3:15pm

That's tea. My day off tomorrow is not looking good! Somerset 58-0

3:03pm

No comments today. Anyone out there?

2:53pm

Magoffin opens up with 5 maidens. Been taken off now to be replaced by Monty. Somerset 29-0

2:12pm

There is a sub fielder on for Sussex. Think it is Hatchett who is off the pitch

2:06pm

Suppiah and Tresco to open. Anyon coming down the hill

1:57pm

WICKET. Monty charges down the wicket at Rehman trying to repeat his lusty blow in the last over. Gets it wrong this time and is given out lbw. Dubious that as he was miles down the track. Quizzes the umpire on his way back. Sussex all out for 308 so that's a lead of 395. 51 overs still to bowl today so who knows?

1:49pm

Go on Monty. First ball he smashed Rehman for a one-bounce 4. Massive cheer around Hove for that one.

1:47pm

WICKET. Anyon goes for 16. Strangled down the leg side by Kirby. Monty in now. Sussex 303-9

1:39pm

The title is Warwickshire's as Worcestershire are bowled out for 209. Got to admit they have been the strongest team this season and deserve to be champions but it is a shame it couldn't have gone down to the final game

1:38pm

300 up. Good effort from Hatchett and Anyon who have added 32 so far for the 9th wicket. 302-8

1:17pm

We're underway again after lunch. Nice presentation to Goodwin during the interval of some flowers and champagne. His mum and dad only got here at 5.30am this morning from Oz. Should have given him a microphone as the crowd could hardly here him. Sussex 281-8

12:35pm

WICKET. Magoffin goes just before lunch as he is trapped lbw by Rehman for 18. Means Sussex are 270-8 at lunch, a lead of 357. Should be enough but a few more would be nice. Off to the players balcony now for a presentation to Murray Goodwin

12:06pm

WICKET. Yardy goes for a hook and plays on to his stumps. Thomas strikes again and now has five wickets. Sussex 254-7 and need the tail to wag a little to make sure Somerset don't have a sniff. Lead is 341

12:04pm

there will be a presentation at 12.50pm to mark Goodwin's last game at Hove. His mum and dad have flown all the way from Oz for it and his wife and kids are here too. Won't be a dry eye in the house

12:03pm

250 up

12:01pm

New ball taken

11:57am

WICKET. Brown goes for just 1 as he is pinned plum lbw by Thomas. He's got 4 wickets now and three in successive overs. Did think this game would go into tomorrow but there is a chance it could be over today at this rate. Sussex 247-6, lead by 334

11:47am

WICKET. End of an era as Goodwin goes for 77. Standing ovation all around the ground. All the Sussex players on the balcony too and the Somerset players join in. His kids rush to meet him as he trudges back to the pavilion. Touching moment. He'll be furious he didn't make a century though. Good ball from Thomas which just left him enough to get the edge

11:44am

Worc have lost another wicket so the end looks nigh.

11:37am

WICKET. Ugly mix up between Prior and Goodwin and Prior is run out. Prior knocked it off his legs and Goodwin set off for a run that was never there. Turned back and think Prior sacrificed himself. Made 10. Sussex 240-4. Yardy in

11:32am

Lead stands at 326 now. How many do you think Sussex will look to get ahead before declaring. Bat until tea and then have a go at Somerset? Obviously will want to keep going all the time Goodwin is there.

11:23am

WICKET. Nash goes so I'll be accused of goatmouth. Nicked one from Thomas to the keeper for 126. Great effort. 23 short of 1,000 for the season in champo. Sussex 230-3. Partnership was 183. Prior in

11:18am

Nash now on 977 for the season and going along nicely. Sussex 227-2. Worcestershire 4 down against Warks now. Goodwin on 71, Nash 126

10:55am

200 up for Sussex. No alarms so far this morning. Nash said last night he would love to get to 1,000 FC runs for the season. That and a ton for Goodwin and a Sussex win would be his dream day. Sussex 205-2

10:48am

Worcestershire lose a wicket from the 15th ball of the day as Mitchell goes. Warks only need 7 more to clinch title

10:44am

150 partnership as Nash leg glances a 4 off Trego. Sussex 198-2

10:32am

Grabbed a few words with Robbo last night who suggested Goodwin might look for another county for next season so very much a case that Sussex made the decision for him to go. Also said that Nash should be considered for the vacant England opener's slot but doesn't think he will

10:31am

Good morning and welcome to another sun-kissed Hove. Action has just started with Nash adding one to his overnight 106 and Goodwin still on 51. Would be a fairytale if he could make a ton on his last innings here.

Comments(29)

The Real Ryfish says...
10:39am Thu 6 Sep 12

Morning Steve. Is Sussex's 2nd innings a better reflection of the wicket, or has it actually flattened?

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3rdman says...
10:42am Thu 6 Sep 12

Morning Steve, Although Sussex decision to release Murray is understandable I'm sure there may be plenty of interest in signing him elsewhere for a season or two.. Re Nash I also think he may have missed the England boat a(Compton / Chopra / Root seem to be those named most often to take Strauss place and they all opened for the Lions this year I think) - but his bowling has improved so he could be a good alternative

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The Real Ryfish says...
10:43am Thu 6 Sep 12

Also, I heard that Murray won't play at Durham next week - true?

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The Real Ryfish says...
11:40am Thu 6 Sep 12

It would be harsh if Joyce declared now :-) Do you remember when John Barclay declared when Gehan Mendis was well into the 90s, en route to what would have been something like a 5th/6th consecutive ton?

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3rdman says...
11:48am Thu 6 Sep 12

No need to worry about declarations Steve - at this rate Sussex willl be all out well before teatime !

I do hope Nasher isn't guilty of a triple goatmouth (that article mnetions his 1,000, Murray's 100.... and a Sussex win...)

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lochlomond says...
11:50am Thu 6 Sep 12

"How many do you think Sussex will look to get ahead before declaring. Bat until tea and then have a go at Somerset? Obviously will want to keep going all the time Goodwin is there."

Steve, You are on fine goatmouthing form his morning!!

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The Real Ryfish says...
11:59am Thu 6 Sep 12

I really, REALLY hope that when Yardy gets out it's because he's been run-out. (Fingers crossed)

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MikeTheMan says...
12:15pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Oh dear, total collapse by the middle order YET again. 230-2 to 254-7! Really neither Yardy nor Brown are justifying their places in the Championship team and over the last week Prior has hardly played for us like a man with a Test average well into the 40s. Look at our batting averages for the Chanpionship this season. Yardy, Brown, Prior, Wright and Gatting all only averaging in the mid 20s (and, sadly, Murray a lot less than that). Magoffin should be batting at least 2 places higher at the moment, he bats sensibly.

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lochlomond says...
12:16pm Thu 6 Sep 12

RRF, he waited till Muzz was out ... then played on. Matt was Muzz's last ever run-out victim.

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The Real Ryfish says...
12:17pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Are you offering to step into the breach, MikeTheMan? Knew you would turn up when wickets started tumbling ;-)

It's amazing that we're one of the best teams in the country, really.

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marxo says...
12:19pm Thu 6 Sep 12

We'll need a big score for me to feel safe with that opener they've got:)

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MikeTheMan says...
12:48pm Thu 6 Sep 12

TRR, Yes but I am a fervent Sussex supporter and have been since the late 1950s and I am also a total realist. We've done well because (a) our bowlers have been excellent and have exceeded expectations (b) our top 3 have done well and (c) we were saved by rain from crushing defeats against Warwicks twice and at Nottingham. The harsh fact is that all of our middle order batsmen have failed consistently all season - as shown in the averages. We clearly need to recruit a couple of batsmen who will knuckle down and score runs regularly and we should bring Hodd back from Yorkshire (that mystifies me more and more).

Report this post »

3rdman says...
1:23pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Worcs are 8 down and over 200 behind - the fat lady is about to burst into song...

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The Real Ryfish says...
2:09pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Mike: If you're going down that route then we were denied wins against Lancs, Worcs and Somerset because of the weather. Sometimes the weather is for you, sometimes it's against you. Also, I think you'll find that batsmen have failed the whole country over, not just at Sussex, as evidenced by the fact that Nash very nearly became only the 3rd Englishman to make 1000 runs despite its being September. Hodd has proved himself to not be good enough over the last couple of seasons, or is his batting average in the 20s somehow less of a problem than the Brown's?

Report this post »

lochlomond says...
2:10pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Stev, This is not the first time yu have felt that Monty got a poor decision. Do you think umpires generally favour better players, on the grounds that they would not have played the shot against a ball hitting the stumps?

Report this post »

lochlomond says...
3:07pm Thu 6 Sep 12

"No comments today. Anyone out there?"

You ignored my last one!!

Report this post »

marxo says...
3:07pm Thu 6 Sep 12

You don't seem to have seen the comments Steve, so you probably won't notice this one either but they're not being integrated in the blog but just accruing at the bottom.

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3rdman says...
3:07pm Thu 6 Sep 12

we're here Steve dont worry. I can see Treco relishing a run chase of this magnitude...

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bruce beckett says...
3:08pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Hate to be cruel but in the wake of the decision not to offer Murray Goodwin another contract, I'm wondering whether one might be following that Michael Yardy is retiring from first-class cricket? He's already stepped down as captain and he's not having a great year with the bat. His battle against depression has been well chronicled so I would ask, is he still enjoying his cricket Steve?

Report this post »

marxo says...
4:03pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Hodd signs permanent deal with Yorks.

Report this post »

MikeTheMan says...
4:13pm Thu 6 Sep 12

TRR, You are right - scores (and thus averages) are lower than usual this year. But Nash, Joyce and Wells have reasonable averages i.e. high 30s / low 40s. But Amjad Khan and Anyon are fourth and fifth in our averages - they are decent tail-end batsmen but averages above all the middle order? Yes, they are more likely to get not outs but they have both scored a reasonable number of runs and the fact remains that our middle order has been collectively poor all season and several players have contributed virtually nothing in the last half dozen or so matches - have a look at the scorecards. Look at this match - first innings, 168-3, going fairly well, 221 all out, second innings 230-2, half an hour later 254-7 (and now, worryingly, Somerset smacking Anyon and Monty all over the County Ground). We can discuss specific individuals for ever but a member of any team has to justify his place in it, not just be picked automatically. Given the continuing failures, why has Machan not had a few chances in the Champiuonship? I'm not suggesting he would change our batting overnight but why did he (and Hodd, though I agree with your comments about him but I know who I'd pick as wicketkeeper/batsman
) not get a chance?

Report this post »

The Real Ryfish says...
4:36pm Thu 6 Sep 12

I presume that Yards, Joyce, Robbo and all the others who watch the players in the nets and matches have decided that, from what they have seen, Machan is yet to be worthy of a place ahead of even those in patchy form. And around the time he was getting dropped in favour of Brown, Hodd could barely hit the ball, let alone get any kind of score - he looked shot to pieces. He is a better keeper than Brown, granted, although I have no doubt Brown will improve notably over the next year or two.

Report this post »

3rdman says...
5:08pm Thu 6 Sep 12

"10:55am

200 up for Sussex. No alarms so far this morning. Nash said last night he would love to get to 1,000 FC runs for the season. That and a ton for Goodwin and a Sussex win would be his dream day. Sussex 205-2 "

- looks like Nashers dream is tuurning out to be a nightmare...

Report this post »

3rdman says...
5:09pm Thu 6 Sep 12

kerching & thank you Monty ! :)

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The Real Ryfish says...
5:16pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Wickets = buses

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MikeTheMan says...
5:22pm Thu 6 Sep 12

TRR, Now that Hodd has signed for Yorkshire it's an irrelevant debate anyway! But it is odd what happened to his batting. For years Robbo and others were saying that after Goodwin Hodd was technically the best batsman at Sussex. But, as you say. he seemed to lose it completely somehow. It'll be interesting to see how he does at Yorks - he will almost certainly be back in Division 1.

Report this post »

The Real Ryfish says...
5:26pm Thu 6 Sep 12

MikeTheMan wrote:
TRR, Now that Hodd has signed for Yorkshire it's an irrelevant debate anyway! But it is odd what happened to his batting. For years Robbo and others were saying that after Goodwin Hodd was technically the best batsman at Sussex. But, as you say. he seemed to lose it completely somehow. It'll be interesting to see how he does at Yorks - he will almost certainly be back in Division 1.
I really hope he does well there. His keeping alone is too good to be stuck in the 2nds. If he can get his batting anywhere near the level it should be, given his talent, he'll have been a very shrewd signing, but it's a big IF :-)

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The Real Ryfish says...
5:37pm Thu 6 Sep 12

What a brilliant signing McMuffin has been!

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3rdman says...
5:39pm Thu 6 Sep 12

"TRR - wickets = busses"

How right you are - thats 4 come along all at once can we claim the extra half hour so Steve gets his Friday off ;-)

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