County Championship: Sussex frustrate Yorkshire late in the day at Headingley

Only 42 of the scheduled 96 overs were possible on day one at Headingley

Matthew Fisher and Ben Coad helped Yorkshire make the most of only 42 overs of play possible as promotion-chasing Sussex were restricted to 120-6 on a rainy day one of the County Championship game at Headingley.

Unbeaten Sussex, third in Division Two with eight draws and a win, were put under intense early pressure after surprisingly electing to bat first under a cloudy sky and on a green-tinged pitch.

New-ball duo Fisher and Coad shone with 4-53 from 13 overs and 2-10 from 12 respectively during a day including a pair of two-hour plus rain delays.

After electing to bat, Sussex captain Tom Alsop top-scored with 35, while 54 overs were not bowled.

One of Yorkshire's major issues over the past season-and-a-half of four-day cricket - they were relegated from Division One last September - has been the lack of matches Coad and Fisher have played. With them fit and firing, the county look a completely different proposition.

Yorkshire have only won twice since the start of 2022, and this is only Coad's 11th Championship appearance and just Fisher's ninth in that time.

They have only played together on six occasions in that period but complement each other superbly.

While Coad is not blessed with the pace that Fisher has, he will find any ounce of help off the pitch or through the air to terrorise batters. And that's exactly what they did.

Sussex slipped to 18-3 inside six overs, including two Fisher wickets with successive deliveries.

Coad made the initial breakthrough by getting Tom Clark caught at second slip by Adam Lyth.

Fisher then had the other left-handed opener Tom Haines caught behind by Jonny Tattersall before bowling James Coles, playing expansively at an in-ducker, first ball.

A two-and-a-quarter-hour rain delay, including lunch, then came from 11:55 BST before Coad and Fisher struck once more apiece prior to the rain returning at 15:20, resulting in a lengthy break.

Coad forced Oli Carter to inside-edge a drive onto his stumps before Danial Ibrahim feathered a forward defensive shot against Fisher behind as the score fell to 57-5 in the 25th over.

Alsop batted with a decent slice of fortune in his 96-ball 35, which ended when he edged Fisher shoulder high to Ryan Rickelton at third slip.

Sussex were at least boosted late in the day by Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Australian overseas seamer Nathan McAndrew, who shared an unbroken 44 for the seventh wicket.

Hudson-Prentice looked the most assured Sussex batter on show with 29 not out and McAndrew was strong on the pull and cut in hitting six fours in an unbeaten 25.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.