John Simpson scores fifth ton of season as Sussex take charge against Glamorgan

Captain John Simpson became the first Sussex batter for 10 years to score five Vitality County Championship centuries in a season as the Division Two leaders took charge against Glamorgan at Hove.

Simpson also passed 1,000 runs in his unbeaten 112 as Sussex responded to Glamorgan’s under-par 186, with 407 for five to take a lead of 221 into the third day.

With promotion-rivals Yorkshire and Middlesex in position to win their games, it is crucial that Sussex do the same at the 1st Central County Ground.

Simpson has so far added 194 for the fifth wicket with Tom Clark, who played his part with an unbeaten 79 and – just before bad light intervened at 4.20pm – the pair took 19 off 10 balls to ensure Sussex collected a fourth batting point.

Alarm

At the start of the day Daniel Hughes and nightwatchman Henry Crocombe extended their second-wicket stand to 78 and their only alarm came when Dan Douthwaite put down a tough chance at midwicket when Crocombe was on 25.

Hughes looked on course for back-to-back hundreds but on 83 – in a knock that included 14 fours – he chipped a straightforward catch to midwicket off Dan Douthwaite.

Crocombe forced Douthwaite through the covers for his seventh boundary to bring up a maiden first-class half-century before he was taken at short leg attacking off-spinner Ben Kellaway.

The ambidextrous Kellaway, who later in the day switched briefly to bowling left-arm spin, had Tom Alsop caught at slip pushing forward, while James Coles wafted at a ball he could have ignored in the last over before lunch to give Douthwaite his second wicket.

Clark reached his fifty and he finally scored a boundary from his 58th ball when he cut Kellaway through backward point but with Simpson counter-attacking at the other end, Clark grew in confidence and Sussex assumed control.

Glamorgan only bowled eight overs of seam with the new ball before Kellaway was back on again at the sea end and the 20-year-old from Newport impressed on a surface offering some turn.

Simpson took two boundaries off Kellaway, the second of which took the left-hander to his 15th first-class ton. Ten came off the 109th over and a pulled six off Ned Leonard from the first delivery of the next followed by three singles took them to a fourth point with two balls to spare.

By then the light was fading and shortly afterwards umpires Nigel Llong and Sue Redfern took the players off.