County Championship: Sussex bowlers battle back against Glamorgan

Sussex's Dan Ibrahim added a useful 58 at the end of their first innings in Hove

Sussex's depleted attack did a fine job as they reduced Glamorgan to 205-9, still 21 runs behind on day two of their Championship match at Hove.

Stuart Meaker, Mitch Claydon, Will Beer and Jack Carson all claimed two wickets.

Six Glamorgan batsmen got themselves in, but David Lloyd's 38 was the top score for the visitors.

Earlier Sussex's tail added 65 runs for the last three wickets, with Dan Ibrahim last out for 58.

The 16-year-old recorded his second half-century in two Championship matches, as tail-enders Meaker (23) and Claydon (22 not out) hit a few lusty blows to take Sussex to a respectable total after having been 96-6 on the first day.

Spinner Andrew Salter claimed the last two wickets, with Meaker caught at deep mid-wicket and Ibrahim stumped on the charge after a patient 147-ball innings.

Glamorgan's batting struggles were highlighted by the frustration of seeing their Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne starring for the second XI after being freed from his Covid-related isolation too late for the Championship, taking three wickets and hitting a quick-fire 113 not out against Northamptonshire in Newport.

His team-mates could not find a major innings as Meaker and Claydon claimed an early wicket each and worked hard to keep Glamorgan in check with makeshift bowling resources.

Meaker bowled Lloyd for 38 when he looked set for a big score, while Stiaan van Zyl's occasional medium pace accounted for Billy Root on 37.

Spinners Beer, in a rare Championship outing, and Carson then produced a rapid decline in the visitors' innings in the final session before bad weather intervened, with downpours forecast overnight.

Among the many home absentees, Sussex's England paceman Jofra Archer was doing fitness work on the outfield during the interval after elbow surgery.

Sussex paceman Mitch Claydon told BBC Radio Sussex:

"We're in a good position, we would definitely taken having them nine down when we were bowled out, and it's a great effort.

"If there's two days to go in the game and the rain doesn't affect it, I think there'll be a (positive) result and both sides are in with a chance.

"If we can bat well in the second innings I can see that wicket spinning and our spinners definitely coming into it our day four. There's a little bit of everything in the pitch.

"Dan Ibrahim is so calm and composed at the crease, it's incredible, he wasn't overwhelmed by the crowd and the noise at Headingley where he was brilliant, and he was even better here."

Glamorgan all-rounder Andrew Salter told BBC Sport Wales:

"The day started really well with the way Timm (van der Gugten) and Hoges (Michael Hogan) bowled. They bowled tight lines throughout and on another day they could have picked up five wickets, so credit to them for a big shift.

"For myself it was nice to get a couple of wickets towards the end, it can be tricky when they're throwing the bat at it so nice to get us off the pitch.

"Billy (Root) and David (Lloyd) played really well but they weren't able to kick on today and that led to me and Hoges knocking it around at the end. Ideally we'd like to go past their score, fingers crossed the weather doesn't interrupt the game too much and we can get out there and crack on.

"There's a little bit of spin, it's on the slow side but there's bounce and enough (help for spinners) to be excited for."