Sussex's Clark hits ton on Foxes' top-flight return

Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Uptonsteel Grace Road (day one)

Sussex 361: Clark 101, Haines 56; Green 3-54, Holland 3-79

Leicestershire 15-1: Robinson 1-5

Leicestershire (3 pts) trail Sussex (3 pts) by 346 runs

Match scorecard

Tom Clark took full advantage of being dropped in single figures to make an opening-day century for the second season in a row as visitors Sussex made an impressive 361 after being asked to bat first against promoted Leicestershire.

The tall left-hander, who struck 140 against Warwickshire in his first innings of the 2025 County Championship campaign, made 101 against the Division Two champions, having been put down in the slips on six.

Opener Tom Haines, a possible contender for England's top-order after making a good impression for England Lions in Australia, began his domestic campaign with an eye-catching half-century, with all-rounder Tom Price chipping in with a useful 43 on debut after his move from Gloucestershire.

Ben Green (3-54) was the best of the Leicestershire attack, backed up by skipper Ian Holland (3-79).

Faced with four overs at the close, Leicestershire lost opener Rishi Patel, caught behind off Ollie Robinson, Sussex's new skipper and another with his eyes on the England side, to finish on 15-1.

Sussex started the season with a 12-point deduction as a consequence of needing an ECB bailout following heavy financial losses.

They will see this match as an opportunity to make early inroads into that deficit, to which end they should be well pleased with their day.

More so given that the pitch at Uptonsteel Grace Road looked as bowler-friendly as might have been anticipated on the opening day of the season, even if Sussex's 154-2 at lunch might suggest otherwise.

Leicestershire's preparations have been hit by a rash of injuries among their seamers. New signing Josh Davey is sidelined along with Ben Mike, Alex Green and Josh Hull.

Yet those absences could be offered only as a partial excuse for Sussex's profitable morning.

Holland and the experienced Green would have been picked even from a full squad, as probably would have Tom Scriven.

The Sussex batters chose to be aggressive from the outset. They rode their luck at times, most notably when Leicestershire's debutant Australia Test batter Jake Weatherald, at third slip, handed Clark his escape by spilling a regulation catch off Holland, but generally missed few opportunities, of which plenty were on offer.

Sussex were 57-0 from 5.5 overs when Dan Hughes was well caught at third man in Green's opening over. They had 100 on the board in the 15th over and 136 in the 25th was none too shabby as Haines, chasing a wide delivery, became their second casualty when he was caught behind.

Haines had reached his half-century in 52 balls, the first in the country to that mark. Clark's took 70 deliveries, numbering seven fours and two sixes.

The afternoon reflected more favourably on the home attack, for whom Holland and Green were excellent. Sam Wood claimed a deserved wicket and Rehan Ahmed found some turn to remove the threat posed by John Simpson, who scored almost 400 runs in the past two matches between these counties.

Wood's wicket was that of James Coles, who bottom-edged an expansive drive into his stumps.

Holland pinned Sussex debutant Jack Leaning in front and, switching to the pavilion end for the first time, drew Clark into a forward defensive that saw him caught behind by Ben Cox, standing up. England's leg-spinning all-rounder Ahmed had Simpson leg before.

Clark's hundred came off 160 balls, with nine fours and four sixes. Sussex added 108 in the session, but at a cost of four wickets as they slipped from 192-2 to 262-6.

Price, who hit seven boundaries, advanced the Sussex cause after tea before Yadvinder Singh's perseverance was rewarded with an lbw verdict.

Former Worcestershire right-armer Singh, who has been signed on a short-term contract, had a nightmare start after being trusted with the new ball at the pavilion end, conceding 25 in two overs.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice's 33, after being dropped on five, secured the third batting bonus point.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.