By Grockle
August 27 2026

Sussex have won the toss and will bowl first and we are startying on time.  No Jake Ball today.  Josh Shaw comes in as the third seam bowler and Lewis Gregory will captain.  Not sure yet whether he will bowl but one would assume he will.  Craig Overton also comes back and Lewis Goldsworthy misses out from the eleven.  There was a predicted thunderstorm in the early morning today but the rain has gone away and though it might be a bit moist it is a sunny morning in Hove.

CC1 v Sussex @ Hove Thursday 27 August 2026

The rain arrived last night and so it's a dampish morning but we start on time in sunny conditions.  Sussex have won the toss and will bowl first.

Somerset have made 2 changes, one expected and 1 not so much.  The side is;

Thomas, Lammonby, Abell, Nicholls, Rew (w), Vaughan, Gregory (c), Overton, Pretorius, Leach, Shaw

No Lewis Goldsworthy in that extra batting place, Craig Overton returns in that bowling allrounder place and no Jake Ball as Josh Shaw comes in as the third main seamer.  Dan Kingdom reminds me that Jake did go off with a groin niggle at the end of the Essex game so that explains that change I would expect. We will see how that pans out though we have to hope it's a better game for Josh who had a nightmaere in the field as a sub fielder during the game at Taunton.

Jaydev Unadkat starts the bowling for the home side against Thomas and Lammonby.  6 for 1 with the first boundary from Thomas in the over.  Sean Hunt takes the second over and he tempts Tom to hit it into the air straight to Unadkat on the boundary rope who works the rope very well (catching in front of it, stepping over it with the ball in the air and re-catching the ball with both feet in play) and takes the catch so he goes for 1 and we are 6 for 1 at the start of the second over.

In comes Archie very early and he is off the mark with a boundary to the very short Clocktower side of the ground.  That's the only scoring shot in the over and it is 10 for 1 after 2.  After 5 overs the early nervousness starts to settle a little hopefully at 16 for 1.  The first bowling change happens early as we see Henry Crocombe (good old Somerset name) - the Sussex leading wicket taker come on for the 7th to replace Hunt.

By the 10th over we have moved to 34 for 1 and we lose Josh Thomas as he edges to the keeper trying to leave a ball on about 4/5th stump coming in on him and he goes for 26 from 34 with 5 fours at 48 for 2.  In comes Nicholls the 'non nonsense' Kiwi.  But he is not there long as he becomes Crocombe's second victim in the over as he is bowled through the gate while Henry is groping in mid air for contact withhis second ball.  48 for 3 as Tom Abell strides out.  That one moved in a considerable amount as it looked like an inside edge on to the wicket but it wasn't it just shot through the gap between bat and pad.  Abell puts a juicy leg stump half volley to the boundary to get off the mark and bring up the Somerset 50 moving to 52  for 2 in the 13th.

After 15 overs with no Robinson available at 55 for 3, we see the return of Hunt.  Their Sussex international bowler has been sat on his backside at Lord's as they haven't started yet in the Test.  Hunt's return over is a maiden.  Unadkat has bowled through and goes into his 8th but it is in the 19th that he is on the catching end of a ball from Hunt that Vaughan pulls straight to him once again on the boundary to go at 59 for 4 with a score of 20 from 53 deliveries.  The second Somerset man to send the ball through the air to the Sussex man on the boundary rope!!

That brings James Rew to the middle who finishes the 19th over with a single to get his score going.  Tom has 10 from his 16.  We see the first couple of overs from Joey Evison the new bowler from Kent for the home side and we reach luinch with no more wickets down at 93 for 4 with Tom Abell on 34 from 46 and James Rew on 10 from 33.  Carson got a spin over in before the break  - he went for 3

Sussex's morning helped by the conditions and some dubious shot selection.  Jaydev Undakat won't be complaining as he had little to do except catch the shots sent to him on the boundary and we will have some hard work to do in the afternoon session to get this first innings score to something that generates batting bonus points AND worries Sussex in their first innings

The second session of the day starts with the 30th over from Hunt and a discussion about whether Rew was dropped before lunch - didn't see it personally, the one I did see was short of the fielder.   Heavy cloud around the ground at the start of the afternoon and the floodlights are on as Crocombe comes on at the other end to get the game moving again.   Unfortunately for the visitors we lose James Rew to one that moves away from Hunt and he is caught behind for 12 from 40 at 96 for 5. In comes Craig Overton to face Hunt who presently has 3 for 17 from his 10 and a bit overs.  His 11th is not a wicket maiden as Overton starts with a couple of runs.  

The batting doesn't get better but we are lucky as Charlie Tier drops Tom Abell on 35 at first slip from Crocombe- a regulation catch to be honest but the pair survive and take two from the next ball to move Somerset to 100 for 5 in the 33rd over.  

Joey Evison returns to the attack for the 38th and he is pulled by Abell to the short boundary for his second six to take the Somerset man to a 71 ball 50 at 134 for 5 (5 fours and 2 sixes).  Unadkat returns for the 40th and we reach 136 for 5 halfway to the new ball.  A 40 run partnership between the Somerset pair with  52 to Tom A and 19 to Craig O. 

The 150 arrives without fuirther loss from Evison in the 43rd via a four from Overton which takes him to 34 from 42 and the score to 153 for 5.  Scoring is not quick but steady and by the 45th Somerset have moved into the 160s with Abell into the 60s himself as Sussex introduce their second spinner James Coles and then the pace of Tom Clark for the first time.

By the 50th over from Clark Somerset have moved to 187 for 5 and Craig is 2 runs from a 50 while Tom has moved into the 70s.  The partnership has moved to 91 as Hunt returns to the crease.  COve moves to a 50 in the 52nd over from Clark .  It comes from 67 deliveries with 7 fours and a six at 191 for 5.  But the last ball of that over ends the partnership at 95 runs as Abell drives Clark, edges him and is caught at first slip by Charlie Tear for 72 from 109 balls (7 fours and 2 sixes) 191 for 6. 

This brings the Somerset skipper to the middle but he is on his way back after one ball as Clarke catches the ball driven back to him loosely.  He goes to 2 for 12 and Gregory goes back to the drressing room with a zero by his name.

The hat-trick ball is faced by Josh Shaw and he leaves the wide delivery he sees to finish the 52nd over.  We then are scrabbling to score runs as Crocombe is reintroduced and we have only added 3 runs in 3 overs with Shaw still not off the mark.

It takes until the 5th ball of the 57th over before we have the next blow of any aggression when Josh Shaw hits Carson over his head and over the boundary rope for six to bring up the Somerset 200 (202 for 7).  It moves the new bat to 7 with his partner on 54.  In the next over Crocombe gets Overton  strangled down the leg side for 54 from 86 at 202 for 8.  That brings in Migael Pretorius and we now wonder which Miggy we are going to get as he made 48 last time out.  We get the wafter.  He drives at the first ball and it fires out to Haynes at Third slip.  A big outside edge and it is 202 for 9.  That will bring Jack Leach out to face another hat-trick ball this time for Crocombe.  This time it works and he gets a hat-trick and 5-fer as Leach nicks behind.  From 191 for 6 to 202 all out.  Oh Dear and well done Henry Crocombe... someone many thought we ought to have looked at when he was looking to move.  He is not staying at Sussex - think he is moving to Surrey (don't they all) and willnow do it with 2 hat-tricks to his name.  14 overs 5 for 56.

So we are 202 ahead.  They have taken an early Tea and then we return to the game with 38 overs left in the day as Hughes and Haines come out to face Lewis Gregory with the new ball.  He delivers a maiden first up and gives the ball to his new ball partner Josh Shaw who will come in around the wicket to the pair of left handers.  There are a couple of leg byes in his first one and so Sussex are 2 for 0 after 2.  The skipper's next is also frugal and he still has not conceded a run after his first 2.

The Sussex pair finally get a scoring shot as Haines drives the first ball of the fourth back past Shaw to the Third boundary for the first four of the innings and by the end of the over he has added a more fortunate second four off the edge.  10 for 0 after 4.  Lewis also gives a four from the first of his next but he gets his revenge as Haines gets confused about pulling or flicking it.  In the end he does niether just balloons the ball one handed to Tom Lammonby for 8 from 13 at 15 for 1.

The new man is Clark and he survives to move the score to 16 for 1 after 5.  Shaw keeps the pressure up with a maiden for the 6th followed by another by the captain in the 7th.  They get two consecutive fours from Shaw's next to move the score to 26 for 1 and the 10 off that one prompts a change in the 10th as Overton comes into the attack.  He goes for 11 off his first!!  39 for 1 off 10 overs with 23 to new man Clark.  nearly all the runs have come from the other end to the Cromwell Road.  It continues as it moves to 43 for 1 (Gregory 6/3/11/1) after 11.

The Sussex 50 comes from the bat of Daniel Hughes with a driven four off Lewis at the start of the 13th moving the score to 52 and Hughes to 10 (from 28) while his partner has 31 (from 32).  Overton gives way to Pretorius for the 14th at 56 for 1.  He turns it into 57 for 2, 4 balls in, as Hughes is taken on the pad and is LBW for 11 from 32.

Charlie Tear is the next man to the middle for the home side and with the weather deteriorating it is doubtful we will stay one.  However we reach the end of the 15th over with Craig changing ends and making the ball talk in the 14th.  It is 58 for 2 and they have moved the score to 77 for 2 when the umpires decide the light is just not good enough and take the players off 2 balls into the 18th over.  Tear has 10 from 17 and Clark has got 45 from his 42.  Migael Pretorius has 1 for 11 from the 14 balls he has bowled while Craig is not at his best with 0 for 26 from the 4 he has bowled.  Sussex are 125 runs behind though I don't think the light will improve any time soon and that might be it for the day.