Sussex still have ‘a lot of learning to do’ after dominant Somerset win

A highly impressive victory continued Sussex’s 19-match first-class unbeaten run at Hove, with Sussex overcoming the unavailability of Ollie Robinson and a shoulder injury to Sean Hunt to get over the line.

Hunt had taken nine wickets in the match before failing to return for day four, with Jayden Seales (3-107) and the team’s change bowlers taking over to dismiss Somerset for 334.

Several dropped catches on the final day caused some frustration for the hosts, but there was little doubt they would get over the line.

“For three and a half days, we played really good cricket – [with] bat and ball, catching, I thought we were excellent,” said Farbrace. “It was no surprise that we dropped a few catches, because our enthusiasm dropped off. We can’t afford to have sessions like that.

“It’s a good lesson for us. The good thing is, we know we’ve got a long way to go and we’ve got a lot of learning to do.”

After Somerset captain Lewis Gregory described his feeling that the West Country outfit were ‘comprehensively outplayed’ in the contest, Farbrace agreed.

“That's a fair assessment of the game,” said the 57-year-old. “I thought the partnership on the first day that got us to 120-1 was probably the difference, because I genuinely felt we could have been 80-6 on that first morning.

“Two tailenders getting a 50 partnership was fantastic to get up to 290, and then our bowling was outstanding. The only grey area is [the final] afternoon session. I thought we took our finger off things and drifted a bit. I don't like drifting. Maybe I'm being a bit pernickety. But the good thing is, we won the game.

Sussex sit joint top of Division One with Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire after two matches, and it has been a thoroughly impressive start to life back in county cricket’s top tier.

Considering the majority of the squad have not previously played at this level, it is as good a start as Sussex could have imagined.

“At the end of the first eight days of cricket, we've done okay. It's important that we gain confidence in that, but we also learn from other teams,” said Farbrace.

“There's no more getting through two bowlers and then having a slightly easier spell. You look at the quality of seam bowlers that the first two teams have had against us, and the high-quality spin.

“There are no freebies in Division 1. You've got to work hard for everything, and that's something we've got to keep doing every session.”

Sussex now face the toughest test in county cricket as the champions of the last three County Championship seasons, Surrey, come to Hove, the match starting on Good Friday.

“They've got a high-quality cricket team, and we want to play against the best players,” said Farbrace. “Our players should be excited to say ‘We've got Surrey’.

“Everyone should be looking forward to coming here, saying, ‘I want to play against the best teams. I want to play against top-quality batters and bowlers, and I want to find out if I can play at that level’.”

Farbrace reported that while he expected Robinson to return and Jack Carson to recover from a sore finger, there was doubt about Hunt’s ability to recover in time.

Bowler Henry Crocombe, meanwhile, is likely to be out for another two to three weeks after shoulder surgery.