A seventh-wicket partnership of 228 between MikeYardy and Rana Naved put Sussex in control of their Frizzell County Championship division one match against Middlesex at Lord's.

Yardy made a championship best 179 and Naved 139 as Sussex finished the first day 522-9, having been 199-6 at one point.

Yardy hit 27 fours from 229 balls and passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season as he played himself back into the early season form which saw him hit 257 against Bangladesh and successive centuries against Surrey and Hampshire.

It was his fifth hundred of the season and fourth in the Championship.

He started the day needing 168 to reach 1,000 runs for the first time and this knock beat his previous best of 115 against Surrey.

Yardy is now Sussex's second highest run-scorer in the Championship this season behind Murray Goodwin, having overtaken Chris Adams.

Pakistani Naved hit 11 fours and clouted four sixes. He greeted the second new ball by smashing Stuart Clark into the Tavern Stand for six, a shot which took him past his previous highest first class score of 117.

The stand was a seventh wicket record for Sussex against Middlesex, beating the mark set by Matt Prior and Mark Davis two years ago.

Yardy eventually perished when he chipped Chris Peploe to mid on but Naved continued the assault as the Middlesex bowling became more and more ragged.

The bowling towards the end of the day was in stark contrast to that at the start when Peter Trego did not concede a run for 25 balls in his opening spell and claimed the wicket of Richard Montgomerie, caught behind for 27.

South African Nantie Hayward came in for his first match since April after a groin operation and took a wicket in his first spell when Carl Hopkinson nicked one to Owais Shah at slip.

Hayward then struck with the third ball of his second stint inducing Murray Goodwin to pull a short one straight down long leg's throat and Sussex were wobbling at 78-3.

Chris Adams was bowled by Trego shortly after lunch which only brought in the hard-hitting Prior, who put on 69 with Yardy in 11 overs.

Prior tried one big shot too many and holed out off the spin of Jamie Dalrymple for 38 from 38 balls but his dismissal brought no relief to the home bowlers as Naved came to the crease and set about the bowling.

One moment summed up Middlesex's day. Naved swept Chris Peploe out to deep square leg and ran a single which brought up the 200 partnership with Yardy and the Sussex 400.

Clark then threw in the ball which went careering for four overthrows to give Naved his century but he was dismissed in the 99th over of the day, driving Ed Joyce - one of eight bowlers employed by Middlesex - to Ben Hutton at short extra cover but Davis continued the punishment with a belligerent unbeaten half-century.

Krishna Singh smashed 133 and shared in a superb opening stand of 253 with Neil Turk (96) as Sussex 2nd XI made Yorkshire suffer on the opening day of the Championship clash at Hove.

Sussex piled up 525-7 before a late declaration left Yorkshire six overs to face, which they safely negotiated to close on 33-0.

Singh enjoyed himself after Sussex won the toss to fire 22 fours and two sixes in his 159-ball innings.

Turk cracked 16 fours off 133 deliveries in just missing out on his century before Luke Wright, playing as a batsman only, came in first wicket down to smash 97 from 106 balls with 16 fours and a six.

Sussex, chasing their first championship win in six games, were boosted by 62 extras, including 46 no balls. A short boundary on the pavilion side and a fast outfield helped the runs to flow as Tim Ambrose chipped in with 31, Ollie Rayner 49 and Chris Schofield an unbeaten 23.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005