Sussex v Yorkshire: Day 2 (From The Argus)

Sussex v Yorkshire: Day 2

10:32am Thursday 17th September 2009 in

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CLOSE: Sussex 233-4 (69)

No more runs in the last three overs as Goodwin and RHB battened down the hatches for the morrow. Goodwin 44, RHB 32 and the stand now worth 68. Can they press on tomorrow? Just spoken to RHB who is talking positively about batting all day and then putting pressure back on Yorkshire. Let's hope so. Anyway, join me in the morning for third-day updates. Goodnight.

Sussex 223-4 (66)

Good little stand developing between Goodwin and RHB, who is playing with the freedom of youth and is already 27 out of an unbroken stand of 58 with Goodwin (39). Hoggard back into the attack after a couple of overs from Wainwright while McGrath has brought himself on at the sea end. Positive running by RHB and there is less chirp from the Yorkies than there was half an hour ago.

WICKET: Sussex 165-4 (50.5)

Make that two wickets... in two balls. First Yardy tried to work the ball into the leg side but got a leading edge and it lobbed up to mid-wicket where Lyth took the catch. Then Hopkinson was leg before first ball, playing all across a straight one. The runs have dried up since tea with just 35 in 14 overs. Shahzad has got the ball to reverse-swing and his reward is two wickets in two balls. Oh dear. Grace Road here we come.... Goodwin 15, RHB 0.

Sussex 146-2 (43)

Let-off for Goodwin on 8 when he drove a ball from Rafiq to cover. Joe Sayers dived to his right and got both hands on it but it went to ground. Goodwin 10 and Yardy 46. Hoggard abd Rafiq since tea.

TEA: Sussex 130-2 (37)

Gatting's departure just before tea was a blow but that has been a decent session for Sussex. Back in 20 minutes.

WICKET: Sussex 130-2 (36.2)

Gatting out for 46, lbw to Hoggard's yorker. Good thinking by Hoggy that. Not much happening off the seam or through the air so he gets in the yorker and Gatting looked in front of all three there. Stand of 62 in 19 overs with Yardy who is 39. Murray Goodwin in now with one more over after this before tea.

Sussex 126-1 (33)

Rafiq's nine overs cost 42 and he has been pulled out of the attack and Hoggard is back on down the slope. Gatting is playing really well here. He has overtaken Yardy, who had an 18 over start, to move to 45 while his skipper is 36. Already the stand is worth 58. A pleasant consequence of the proliferation of spin is that we should again get extra overs today, seven or eight I would guess. Rafiq now switching to the sea end after 13 overs from the slow left-armer Wainwright.

Sussex 100-1 (28)

Yardy 32 and Gatting 23. Young Joe has been nice and positive, playing the spinners well and being positive. As a comparison, it took Yorkshire 43 overs to get to 100. He has been particularly savage on Rafiq, hitting him for six fours so far. Let's hope it lasts.

WICKET: Sussex 68-1 (17.2)

Nash out for 42. He came down the pitch looking to hit Wainwright over mid on but ended up slicing a drive into the off side where Joe Sayers ran across from extra cover to take the catch. Yardy 23, Joe Gatting in with him.

Sussex 61-0 (16)

Good response by the openers. Nash is 42 and playing well with Yardy more circumspect on 19. Spin employed by Yorkshire since the seventh over when Wainwright came on and it has been spin at both ends since the 14th with Rafiq into the attack. A lot resting on these two senior batsmen.

Yorkshire 403 all out

Last-wicket pair added another 35 to pile on the misery before Hoggard missed an attempted pull and was bowled by RHB for 17. So from 104-5 and 209-7 the Tykes have got 403. Big two sessions for Sussex ahead. We will have a good idea by the end of the day whether they are going to stay up or not.

Thanks for your comments this morning gents. Well, the mood here has lightened slightly since Sussex took those two wickets and, yes, they did stop Yorkshire from getting another batting point so we must be grateful for small mercies. Yorkshire's tactics here have slightly baffled me. They have played an extra batsman and even this morning haven't really looked to accelerate their scoring rate. They seem to be happy to leave on Saturday with a draw. Do I think Sussex are going down? Ask me in a week's time. I fancy them to win at Trent Bridge next week but it might be too late by then! And don't ask about football. I'm just about to start a piece about Crawley manager Steve Evans, who is in trouble with the FA again. Doubt if I can mention that Steve is not much of a cricket fan.

WICKET: Yorkshire 368-9 (129)

Two wickets in successive overs brings relief to Sussex. Shahzad went in sight of a maiden ton for 88, lbw playing back to Hamilton-Brown after putting on 157 in 43 overs with Wainwright. Now Azeem Rafiq has gone for a duck, lbw to Collymore as he walked in front of a straight one. Wainwright is 69 and Matthew Hoggard is the new batsman.

Yorkshire 357-7 (124)

Oh dear. This has gone horribly wrong for Sussex and their first division status is hanging by a thread now. Hard to see how they can score quickly enough to win this game. A draw is the best they can hope for from here. The pitch is playing very easily now and these two have hardly looked troubled in adding 84 runs in 75 minutes this morning. Yardy has rung the bowling changes: Dwayne Smith is into the attack now which means he has used seven bowlers this morning but there is more than a hint of desperation. Shahzad is 83, which is a career-best, and Wainwright is 65 with the stand now worth 150 in 39 overs. Shahzad is 83 and Wainwright 65. Get your prayer mats out.

Yorkshire 311-7 (112)

That's the hundred stand which Shahzad reaches in style with a four off Nash. He is 62, having got to 50 from 131 balls with six fours. Wainwright is 41 and Yardy has now brought himself on at the Cromwell Road end after just three overs from Chawla this morning. Yorkshire have seven overs to get another 39 runs for a fourth batting point while Sussex desperately need two more wickets and a third point. Intriguing stuff but Yorkshire are now in control here which is hugely disappointing after they were 104-5 although not entirely unexpected given Sussex's problems in bowling sides out this season. As I write, Chawla is returning at the sea end.

Good morning and welcome to Hove where we should get a full day's action on the second day of Sussex's Championship match against Yorkshire.

Yorkshire about to resume on 274-7 with David Wainwright on 39 and Ajmal Shazad 35. Needless to say, Sussex need to get these last three wickets quickly.

Jason Lewry about to open from the Cromwell Road end.

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