County Championship: Northants pair Berg and Sanderson demolish Sussex
- Published
Northamptonshire bowlers Gareth Berg (left) and Ben Sanderson enjoyed a fruitful first day against Sussex
LV= County Championship Group Three, The County Ground, Northampton (day one) |
Sussex 106: Robinson 49*; Berg 5-18, Sanderson 5-28 |
Northamptonshire 214-5: Zaib 66*, Keogh 66; Robinson 4-31 |
Northamptonshire (4 pts) lead Sussex (1 pt) by 108 runs with five first-innings wickets in hand |
Northamptonshire look set for a healthy first-innings lead over Sussex, closing 108 runs ahead after 15 wickets fell on day one of their Group Three encounter.
Gareth Berg (5-18) and Ben Sanderson (5-28) ripped Sussex apart, reducing the visitors to 25-7.
Ollie Robinson (49 not out) led a recovery to 106 all out, before taking four wickets with the ball.
However, a stand of 88 from Rob Keogh (66) and Saif Zaid (66 not out) put the hosts on top, reaching 214-5 at stumps.
Early conditions favoured the bowlers after a delayed start, and Sanderson removed Sussex's top three in his first four overs.
Berg then had Australian Travis Head caught at first slip for nine on his Sussex debut and trapped visiting skipper Ben Brown leg before three balls later.
When Delray Rawlins fell in Berg's next over, Sussex were looking at one of their lowest first-class totals.
However, Robinson and Stuart Meaker (23) put on 56 for the eighth wicket and Sussex stumbled past the 100 mark.
Robinson set about redressing the balance, with two wickets in his first four overs, and teenage seamer Joe Sarro had Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw with just his fifth ball in first-class cricket.
But after fighting hard to get back into contention, Robinson finishing with 4-31, half-centuries from Keogh and Zaib have left Sussex up against it.
Northamptonshire bowler Ben Sanderson told BBC Radio Northampton:
"It was a perfect day, really. That partnership between Rob and Saif really set us up in a strong position to kick on tomorrow.
"It's been frustrating this early part of the season, beating the edge a lot, but it all happens quickly when it goes for you.
"I wasn't really feeling right in my action in the first couple of games, so I worked on it with [Northants bowling coach] Chris Liddle before the Yorkshire game and that kickstarted me finding some rhythm."