Sussex pegged back by late wickets at Horsham

JPCT 210714 S143011268x Horsham Cricket Festival. Sussex v Warwickshire. Chris Nash -photo by Steve Cobb SUS-140721-143449001

Sussex were pegged back after making a solid start on the opening day of the Horsham Festival of Cricket today with Chris Nash, Luke Wright and Craig Cachopa initially staring with the bat.

Opening batsmen Nash, who grew up playing his cricket at Horsham, originally lead the way as he put on a half century as Sussex ended day one of their LV County Championship match against Warwickshire on 314-7.

But the star pairing was Championship debutant Craig Cachopa (84) and Luke Wright (89) who put on a 174-run stand for the fourth wicket.

But Sussex quickly fell from 294-3 to 308-6 with a flurry of late wickets from Warwickshire.

Nash’s inside knowledge paid off as he made 58 runs from 90 balls after Sussex won the toss and opted to bat on a good track at Cricketfield Road.

Along with fellow opener Luke Wells, they put on a first-wicket stand of 68, before Wells nicked Rikki Clarke behind in the 20th over, and he was dismissed for 35 as wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose took a diving catch down to his right.

Despite that breakthrough, Warwickshire had no more luck before lunch as Ed Joyce and vice captain Nash closed the end of the first session on 14 and 46 respectively, with Sussex 99-1.

After lunch, Joyce was bowled by Keith Barker for 16, before he then trapped Nash lbw as Sussex were pegged back to 120-3.

22-year-old former New Zealand under-19 captain Cachopa, who signed a two-year deal at Hove last week, and Wright then got to work in a fine partnership at the crease.

The pair batted well into the afternoon with Cachopa being dropped on 27 by Ambrose as they first brought up the 200, before both notching their half centuries in quick succession before tea, when Sussex were 230-3.

Sussex closed in on 300 as the score continued to tick over and Warwickshire took the new ball with the score on 292-3 after 80 overs.

A slow few overs resulted in Cachopa caught in the slips off the bowling of Chris Woakes to take the score to 294-4, before Sussex brought up the 300 in the 86th over.

And it wasn’t to be Wright’s day either as he was caught for 89 six overs later to leave Sussex 308-5, and the score was the same when Steffan Piolet fell to a bizarre dismissal as he stood back onto his stumps to the bowling of Woakes.

Chris Jordan was then bowled for four to Boyd Rankin as Ben Brown (one) and James Tredwell (zero) occupied the crease at the close of play when Sussex were 314-7.

Barker finished the pick of the visiting bowlers with 3-57, while Woakes recorded 2-74.