Sussex skipper Simpson sparkles in gloom against Glamorgan
John Simpson’s 1,044 first-class runs is a personal best in his 16-year career
- Published
Vitality County Championship Division Two, Hove (day two)
Glamorgan 186: Carlson 56, Douthwaite 41; Unadkat 4-52
Sussex 407-5 (111 overs): Simpson 112*, Hughes 83, Clark 79*, Crocombe 54; Kellaway 3-109
Sussex (7 pts) lead Glamorgan (1 pt) by 221 runs with five first-innings wickets standing
Sussex captain John Simpson lit up a murky second day at Hove with a sparkling 112 not out as his side reached 407-5, a formidable lead of 221 over Glamorgan.
Simpson, who passed 1,000 runs for the campaign, and Tom Clark (79 not out) added 194 for the sixth wicket.
Daniel Hughes made 83 and nightwatchman Henry Crocombe a career-best 54.
Ben Kellaway (3-109) and Dan Douthwaite (2-77) sparked a mini-collapse before Simpson starred in the gloom.
Seven bonus points was a fine haul for Division Two leaders Sussex with promotion rivals Middlesex and Yorkshire also well set.
Overnight pair Hughes and Crocombe took their overnight stand to 78 under leaden skies, the night-watchman looking completely at home up the order as he reached a maiden first-class half-century.
Hughes seemed set for back-to-back hundreds before clipping Dan Douthwaite to mid-wicket, triggering a mini-collapse before lunch as Crocombe prodded Kellaway to short-leg.
The tall young off-spinner was finding significant turn as Tom Alsop was quickly caught behind, and James Coles slashed at Douthwaite to give Chris Cooke another catch as four wickets fell for 25 before lunch.
But Simpson was quickly into his stride as he took the attack to Glamorgan, easing the pressure on Clark who had made a painstaking start but hung on grittily.
Simpson was quick to put away the bad ball and looked more comfortable than anyone else against Kellaway, with the new ball failing to pay dividends for Glamorgan despite the poor light as the lead reached 150 by tea.
Simpson reached his fifth century of the season off just 143 balls as he stepped on the gas for his team to reach 400 with two balls to spare for the fourth batting point, taking revenge for his pair in the earlier encounter in Cardiff.
The ambidextrous Kellaway had enough time to bowl left-arm spin for the first time in Championship cricket before bad light finally closed in at 16:20 BST.
After batting more than two days to secure a draw at Hove in 2023, Glamorgan will need another miracle to save the game this time round.
Sussex captain John Simpson told BBC Sussex Sport:
“I feel like I’m in a good space, taking on the captaincy has given me a bit of an extra spur, but I’m trying to keep it simple and cash in on the good form, try to be ruthless but to keep enjoying it.
“At 36 I probably don’t have too much longer in the game so I’ll try to enjoy each moment and put in the performances. It was a bit of an unknown in trying to balance my batting, keeping wicket, and captaining but so far so good.
“It was my first ever pair (of ducks) in Cardiff, so nice to come back (against Glamorgan) and get a few runs.
“There’s a bit of spin and seam movement, but it was nice for me and Clarky to build a good partnership and keep (Kellaway) quiet because he’s been their main threat.”
Glamorgan’s Ben Kellaway told BBC Sport Wales:
“It’s been quite a challenging day for us, we’ve had a few ups and downs. We dragged ourselves back into the game, we took four wickets then they got away from us, but we’ve been a bit unlucky with a couple of near-misses.
“It’s a pitch that really suited me, so for me it was trying to string the dots together and attack the stumps, it was nice to reap the rewards.
“Bowling left-arm was just about the situation in the game, mixing things up and trying to create a bit of doubt in their minds.
“We’re behind the eight-ball, but with the talent we have in the squad we can drag it back.”