SECOND XI REPORT: Five wickets for Blatherwick against Sussex
Jack Blatherwick took an excellent 5-79 on the opening day of the Second XI Championship match at Horsham with Sussex reaching the close on 308-9 in their first innings.
After Charlie Tear won the toss, the Sussex skipper – who made an impressive unbeaten 317 against Leicestershire last week – and George Thomas put on exactly 50 for the first wicket before Tear, on 11, shouldered arms to Ollie Sutton whose delivery clipped the top of middle stump.
Thomas and Netherlands international Zach Lion-Cachet built on that start with a 75-run partnership that was ended when Thomas, having just reached a 92-ball half century, played too soon at Will Williams with the resulting top edge going to Tom Hartley at mid-wicket, the opener out for 51.
Nico Reifer was lbw to Charlie Barnard for 11 to leave Sussex 160-3 midway through the day before Blatherwick struck with the first of his five.
Lion-Cachet, having reached fifty from 75 balls, missed an attempted pull to lose his leg stump for 83 to Blatherwick coming from around the wicket.
Henry Rogers fell lbw for 41 to Blatherwick who next caught Louie Lawrence for 63 off his own bowling when the batter top edged a pull having become the third Sussex player to post a half century.
Blatherwick bowled Bertie Foreman for 0 and took his fifth when Frankie Cripps was caught by Williams at cover off another miscued pull for 3, either side of Williams catching Archie Lenham off his own bowling for 11.
Troy Henry and Ollie Moore will resume day two on 2 and 1 not out respectively.
TEAMS
Lancashire: Harry Singh, Kesh Fonseka, George Bell (wkt), Arav Shetty, Henry Murray, Rian Maisuria, Ollie Sutton, Jack Blatherwick, Charlie Barnard, Will Williams (capt), Tom Hartley, Joe Chapple.
Sussex: George Thomas, Charlie Tear (capt/wkt), Zach Lion-Cachet, Nico Reifer, Henry Rogers, Louie Lawrence, Frankie Cripps, Bertie Foreman, Archie Lenham, Troy Henry, Ollie Moore, Nantes Oosthuizen.