Jack Leaning fifty tips momentum Sussex's way

Jack Leaning turned a poor Sussex position into first day glee in the Rothesay County Championship as already relegated Hampshire collapsed again.

Leaning struck 78 to turn Sussex's wilting 124 for 7 into 244, with a 75-run stand with Jack Carson turning the tide.

Jaydev Unadkat's two wickets sparked the hosts to collapse to 55 for 4 at the close - with Hampshire without a home red-ball victory since April last year.

This is the only Division One match with nothing riding on it - with Sussex overcoming their 12-point deduction to sit fourth, but too far short of a title charge, and Hampshire already confirmed as a Division Two county next season after last week's defeat to Leicestershire.

Sussex chose to bat first at Utilita Bowl, but having slumped to 124 for 7 on a tired surface on the far edge of the square, Hampshire would have fancied bowling the visitors out for under 200.

Hampshire have had a poor Championship season with scant reason to celebrate, but the morning session gave a reason to leave the campaign with some optimism.

Kyle Abbott, Eddie Jack, James Fuller and Andrew Neal bowled in perfect harmony, building pressure for each other and earning the rewards. Abbott picked up his 63rd wicket of the season in his fourth over when Tom Haines's edge flew to third slip. Fuller got one to nip back and stay a tad low to dismiss Tom Clark lbw before Jack bowled Oli Carter, with the batter also expecting more bounce.

Charlie Tear and James Coles recovered the 38 for 3 situation to 75 for 3, but the fidgety Coles swept spinner Neal straight to midwicket - meaning all four main bowlers had ended the morning with a wicket each.

Hampshire began the afternoon with three more quick wickets, with Tear feathering Abbott behind, John Simpson lbw to Jack and Tom Price plumb in front to Felix Organ.

But the pressure on the batters popped; spinners Neal and Organ were milked for boundaries - especially with the minuscule perimeter to the west side of the ground - and Leaning and Carson adding to Hampshire's woes.

The pair put on 75 in barely an hour to angle Sussex towards par, and even after Carson was bowled by Fuller after a punchy 46 and Ari Karvelas came and went, Leaning hit the hyper-drive button. He reached his fourth fifty of the season with the first of four ballistic sixes over the 55-yard legside boundary in a single Abbott over.

Leaning - who averages almost 50 against Hampshire - bossed a 43-run stand for the final wicket to take Sussex to 244, before he was bowled by Jack. Fuller returned 3 for 45 and Jack 3 for 38, to take the wicket-taking strain off Abbott.

What followed was symptomatic of a batting line-up that has only picked up four batting points, and had by far their greatest scorer, Jake Lehmann, back in Australia.

Indian Unadkat angled one into Nick Gubbins' pads, before Albert was caught at first slip. Organ was lbw, and Joe Weatherley was caught low down at second slip as Hampshire endured 24 overs in the long shadows.