Promoted Sussex dominate against Bears at Edgbaston

Tom Clark's century was his fourth for Sussex - and his first in the top flight

Rothesay County Championship Division One, Edgbaston (day one)

Sussex 386-5: Clark 140, Simpson 112*, Coles 51; Bamber 3-75

Warwickshire: Yet to bat

Warwickshire 1 pt, Sussex 3 pts

Match scorecard

Promoted Sussex made a great start to life back in the County Championship top flight as they dominated on the opening day of the new season against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Sussex centurion Tom Clark led the way with a career-best 140, backed up by another top knock from John Simpson in a fifth-wicket stand of 200 as the visitors piled up 386-5 in the day.

The Bears, under new management against a Sussex side who now have former Bears boss Mark Robinson back on their coaching staff, were deprived of their two main strike bowlers Olly Hannon-Dalby and Chris Rushworth.

Hannon-Dalby suffered a quad muscle injury in training earlier in the week, while 38-year-old Rushworth has been nursing a calf issue since prior to the Bears' pre-season tour.

But it was still a surprise to see Sussex, back at this level for the first time since 2015, enjoy quite such a fruitful day as the Bears' decision to insert their opponents after winning the toss on a sharp but sunny morning began to backfire.

Ethan Bamber, one of Warwickshire's four debutants along with Kai Smith, Taz Ali and Vishwa Fernando, made a great start on a greenish pitch, taking three wickets in the morning session including two in two balls.

Steaming in from the Cannon Hill Park End, the former Middlesex paceman trapped Tom Haines leg before wicket before doing the same to Daniel Hughes - and then had Tom Alsop taken at first slip first ball to leave the visitors 40-3.

James Coles saw off the hat-trick ball by hitting it straight down the ground for four. But, after a stand of 121 with Clark, he then mistimed an attempted pull off Ali, to hole out at backward square on the off side and give the teenage leg-spinner his maiden first-class wicket.

But, on what looked a very good batting surface, and with a shortish boundary on the north side and a lightning fast outfield, Sussex then took control.

From 232-4 at tea, Clark and Simpson added a further 129 in the evening session.

With the natural light fading and the Edgbaston floodlights on, Ed Barnard finally got some reward for his pace and persistence late on when, after troubling Clark with a short-pitched delivery that reared up at him, he did get his man, caught behind by another of the Bears' new boys Smith.

But Simpson carried on plundering runs in the company of Jack Carson to reach the 16th century of his first-class career - and his sixth for Sussex.