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Sussex v Gloucestershire
07/07/2010
LV=County Championship Division Two
Day One. At Arundel.
By Richard Latham
Chris Taylor led Gloucestershire’s fightback as honours ended even on first day of the key Championship game at Arundel.
The visitors closed on 285-9, having been 142-6 at one stage, and had Taylor to thank for 89 priceless runs. A partnership of 73 for the seventh wicket with Jon Lewis (32) stopped Sussex taking control.
Monty Panesar made use of some slow turn offered by a dry pitch at the Castle Ground to take 3-68 from 29 overs after Yasir Arafat had made the initial breakthrough by dismissing Jonathan Batty cheaply.
The former England left-arm spinner was brought into the attack 75 minutes after the start and claimed his first victim by finishing a promising innings by Chris Dent, who edged to slip having made 35.
It was 98-3 when Hamish Marshall fell to Arafat and 132-4 when after lunch Panesar ended a patient innings by Abdul-Kadeer Ali, who sliced a drive to mid on after making 58 in just over three hours.
Alex Gidman (20) fell to Corey Collymore, as did James Franklin for a duck. At that stage Gloucestershire looked in deep trouble.
But by the time Panesar picked up his third wicket when Lewis was bowled heaving across the line Taylor was well set and the pair had changed the course of the day..
Lewis hit 4 fours in batting for just under an hour, while Taylor completed a half-century off 70 balls, with 7 fours and a six.
Taylor produced the most impressive strokeplay of the day, particularly after tea, driving fluently against the seamers and using soft hands to manipulate Panesar and off-spinner Ollie Rayner into the gaps.
He looked on course to become Gloucestershire’s first centurion in the Championship this season when he feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Matt Prior to give Robin Martin-Jenkins his second wicket.
The all-rounder, playing his last Championship game before retirement, also removed Vikram Banerjee for 12, but not before the spinner had added 48 with Taylor for the eighth wicket.
Taylor’s 89 came from 112 balls and included 12 fours and a six off Panesar. His departure near the end of the day left Gemaal Hussain and Steve Kirby with the task of guiding Gloucestershire to a third batting point tomorrow.
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