19-22 July v Notts at Horsham

Why don't you ask Mark Robinson?

More wayward bowling from Hobden! Plenty of pace which will please Greenfield but at the end of the day taking wickets is the only point of being a seamer!

I can tell you what I saw up until the tea interval. At first, a little moisture in the wicket that all the Sussex seamers exploited well, while Notts looked hamfisted. At this stage Taylor swished and blocked without conviction in either stroke. Later, particularly after lunch the wicket flattened and we had a contest between two second division sides, one lacking the depth of bowling to provide sufficient variety once the spearhead faltered, the other not quite in touch but happy to pick up on the rubbish given at least once per over by the part-timers, and also increasingly by Hobden as his workload told on him. Magoffin was desperately unlucky, Robinson bowled very well, not least in his third spell when he finally broke through and after disposing of Wessels, took a nonchalant catch from the equally nonchalant stroke of Samit Patel, a man who looked as if he was going to have a pleasant few days in the southern sun without troubling himself too much.

Joyce changed his bowlers fairly well until lunch time, when he took his first view of Burgoyne. It didn't look too bad from the boundary but clearly Joyce had different ideas, because after lunch he went with Wells for a long spell of assiduous milking before trying him again. There isn't much to choose between these two bowlers in the final run: Wells has found that he can surprise the batsman occasionally with his legbreaks, which he never could when he was an offspinner, but when he seeks to impart extra spin he telegraphs it both visually and verbally, with an elaborate twist to the wrist and a loud grunt. Burgoyne started nervously, found quickly that there wasn't anything in the way of turn, gained confidence enough to throw the ball up a little, and then suffered for delivering full tosses.

As we have seen since the first few matches the Sussex body language in the field all to easily withers into a droop, the chirruping voices are gone and though they are competent it just isn't enough. Against really good opposition this would be understandable, but Notts have had a season like our own, with star batsmen failing to find fluency, key bowlers getting injured, the lack of a decent spinner to stem the runs or take an opportunity. Throughout the sessions I saw Taylor personified their play, halting, over-watchful and never quite convincing. To reach a big score by the close and to regain form he must have been fed some tired deliveries in the final session.

Can any of you good fellows give me an accurate weather forecast for today as me & my son are thinking of going along. Just heavy cloud all day or any risk of rain? Many thanks

Hhs,

Many thanks for your usual razor-sharp insight.

11.30 start today provided there is no more rain. A few hundred here already, which is good for Horsham's credentials for hosting big games.