One of the more curious day’s play in Arundel’s 19 years of first-class cricket was enacted yesterday. Sussex surrendered four wickets in consecutive overs in the first hour to slump to 25-4 on a blameless pitch, but lost only one more thereafter as Carl Hopkinson scored a fine maiden first-class 100 and Murray Goodwin a 55th. Hampshire had missed an opportunity.

It required hard graft at first on a slow surface from the pair, with Hopkinson fortunate to survive a chance on 32 to John Crawley in the gulley off James Tomlinson. Hopkinson then cast off the shackles, reaching his milestone from 167 balls in the last over before tea in the grand manner when he skipped down the pitch to Liam Dawson’s left-arm spin and drove him into the sightscreen for six.

Goodwin, typically compact and disciplined was 40 balls slower to his century and, for once, the junior partner in a stand of 194 in 56 overs. Robin Martin-Jenkins driving handsomely, was dropped on 54 by Nic Pothas off Dimi Mascarenhas.

The beginnings of Sussex’s mini collapse were rooted in that most undeserved dismissal, the runout from a bowler’s deflection, Mike Yardy being caught short when David Balcombe finger tipped a drive into the stumps. Chris Adams, first ball and Matt Prior were both leg before to Tomlinson inswingers, while Chris Nash was unluckily bowled off his back leg.

Scoreboard

Sussex: First Innings
M H Yardy run out 12
C D Nash b Balcombe 10
*C J Adams lbw b Tomlinson 0
M W Goodwin not out 115
M J Prior lbw b Tomlinson 0
C D Hopkinson c and b Tomlinson 106
R S C Martin-Jenkins not out 59
Extras (b 2, lb 6, nb 6) 14

Total (5 wkts, 96 overs) 316

R G Aga, O P Rayner, C D Collymore and J D Lewry to bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-24, 3-24, 4-25, 5-219.

Bowling: Tomlinson 27-5-81-3; Balcombe 16-4-43-1; Mascarenhas 15-8-21-0; Ervine 11-0-52-0; Lamb 5-0-46-0; Dawson 21-4-59-0; Carberry 1-0-6-0.

Hampshire: M A Carberry, M J Brown, J P Crawley, M J Lumb, S M Ervine, N Pothas, *A D Mascarenhas, L A Dawson, G A Lamb, D J Balcombe, J A Tomlinson.

Umpires: J H Evans and J W Holder.