County Championship: Tom Clark puts Sussex in control against Leicestershire

Tom Clark also made a century in Sussex's opening game of the season against Nottinghamshire

A fine century from Tom Clark helped Sussex overcome a rare failure on the part of Cheteshwar Pujara and establish a dominant position in their County Championship game against Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground.

It was Clark's second century of what is proving a breakthrough season for the 21-year-old from Haywards Heath.

Only five wickets fell during the day as the pitch flattened in almost unbroken sunshine, but with two spinners in the side, Sussex, who finished on 386-6 with a first-innings lead of 176, will be hopeful it starts to take turn when they attempt to bowl Leicestershire out for a second time.

The morning session saw Sussex captain Tom Haines pick up where he had left off the previous evening, moving swiftly from his overnight score of 22 to his fourth half-century of the season, a 45-ball effort that included eight boundaries.

His attempt to hit a ninth, however, cutting at a delivery from Wiaan Mulder, resulted in him chopping the ball on to his stumps.

When Pujara went soon afterwards, raising his eyes to the heavens in disbelief after being given out leg before to Ben Mike's first ball of the day, Sussex were 96-3.

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But Clark, in company with Oli Carter, dug in, and eschewed risk in building a partnership that had reached 41 at lunch.

Carter looked a different player after the interval and his more positive approach, which included lofting left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson for a straight six, paid dividends as he went to his 50 off 111 deliveries.

Clark continued to accumulate sensibly as the partnership moved to 140 before Carter, having hit a second maximum, played down the wrong line at the off-spin of Colin Ackermann and was bowled for 72.

Shortly afterwards Clark reached his century with a pull to the boundary off Beuran Hendricks.

He received further good support, first from Delray Rawlins in a partnership of 60 for the fifth wicket before Rawlins was brilliantly caught by Patel, diving to his left to take a high chance at second slip off the bowling of Chris Wright.

Archie Lenham also backed Clark up before the centurion fell for 138 when attempting to hit Parkinson over the leg side and Mike, standing at short mid-on, stuck out his right hand to take another excellent catch.

Lenham showed impressive maturity in continuing to build the lead, hitting South Africa's Mulder for three boundaries in an over as he closed in on what would be a maiden first-class half-century.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.

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