County Championship: Kai Smith and Chris Woakes rescue Warwickshire at Sussex

A counter-attacking seventh wicket stand of 115 in 28 overs between Kai Smith (53) and Chris Woakes (64) pulled Warwickshire round from the perils of 117-6 on day one of their County Championship Division One match against Sussex.

But Sussex hit back after tea at Hove to take the last four wickets for 35 runs and finished the day the happier of the two sides when they did not lose a wicket before play ended 9.2 overs early because of bad light.

Sussex went into the match on the back of an emphatic 222-run victory at Leicestershire, while Warwickshire had shared a run-soaked draw with Surrey.

Warwickshire’s powerful batting line-up must have fancied another run glut after winning the toss and choosing to take first knock on a brown strip.

However, they were confounded by the Sussex seamers, who all bowled superbly.

They lost their first wicket in the seventh over when Alex Davies edged Ollie Robinson to the wicketkeeper for an 18-ball three. And in the next over Dan Mousley, who had scored just a single, edged Fynn Hudson-Prentice and was well caught low down and to his left by Tom Clark at second slip.

Warwickshire were 22-3 in the 14th over when Sam Hain dragged one on in Tom Price’s first over. Robinson, Hudson-Prentice, Price and Henry Crocombe had such a hold on the Warwickshire batting that it was only when left-arm spinner James Coles came on a short while before lunch that the pressure eased. Coles went for 10 runs in his first over and eight in his second. At lunch Warwickshire were 69-3.

As if emboldened by this, the visitors opted for a more positive approach after the break, but lost three quick wickets.

With the score on 83, Rob Yates, defending off the back foot, was caught by Clark at second slip for 36. The same fielder had dropped him a little earlier, when he had made 31.

Then, at 109, Warwickshire lost their fifth wicket when the dangerous Beau Webster, defending against a ball that moved away, edged Robinson to keeper John Simpson for 48. And when captain Ed Barnard chopped on to Price for 18, the visitors were floundering on 117-6.

But Smith and Woakes turned the innings round with a century stand in 19 overs. When they reached tea on 223-6, Warwickshire had scored 154 runs in the session, more than double their tempo before lunch.

When Smith worked Carson to leg to reach his 50 from 63 deliveries he looked in the mood to make a major score. But on 53 he clipped Crocombe off his legs and Carson took a sharp low-down catch at mid-wicket. He had hit a six (off Clark) and six fours.

Three overs later Crocombe, who had changed ends, beat Woakes for pace and took out the batsman’s off-stump. Woakes had faced 64 deliveries and struck nine sweet fours and a pulled six off Crocombe, who then polished of the tail with Price.

Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.