Cricket365

Goodwin Ton Puts Surrey In Control

Wednesday 30th July 2008

Murray Goodwin's 37th first-class century for Sussex put the defending county champions on top as they reached 382 for six after winning the toss against Somerset at Horsham.

The former Zimbabwe star compiled 16 fours in amassing his fourth hundred of the season, and he played on to Andy Caddick for 137 just before the close, having earlier shared in a fifth-wicket stand of 104 in 26 overs with skipper Chris Adams who made a season's best 61.

Pace bowler Charl Willoughby (three for 85) struck twice early on to remove Chris Nash and the fit-again Luke Wright cheaply, but Somerset only claimed two wickets in the final session as Goodwin dominated proceedings.

The 35-year-old - who had only passed 50 three times since making 106 not out against Somerset at Taunton in mid May - pulled and cut impressively in a stay of just over five hours to put Sussex in a good position before a sun-baked crowd of 3,000.

Toiling Somerset suffered as Goodwin and Carl Hopkinson (41) added 90 for the sixth wicket in 21 overs, and Goodwin eventually played Caddick onto his stumps attempting to pat the ball down to fine leg having amassed 21 fours in his 225-ball vigil.

Willoughby produced an opening spell of two for 34 in nine overs to remove opener Nash and Wright.

The South Africa-born left-arm paceman struck first by yorking the out-of-form Nash and then Wright, promoted to number three, edged him to first slip where skipper Justin Langer held onto a low catch.

Mike Yardy, who had only passed 50 twice in 15 previous championship innings this season, helped steady his side by adding 84 for the third wicket in 23 overs with Goodwin.

But Yardy, after compiling nine fours from 115 balls in making 68, fell shortly after lunch when he mistimed an attempted pull off former England paceman Caddick and Peter Trego coolly took a catch at square leg.

Goodwin advanced to his half-century in style by hammering a delivery from Willoughby to the mid-wicket fence having faced 93 balls before Sussex, seeking a hat-trick of championship wins at Horsham, lost the key wicket of Matt Prior for only 16.

Willoughby raced in to claim his third victim as Prior clipped him firmly off his legs to be well caught by the tumbling Zander de Bruyn at mid-wicket.

Adams, whose only previous half-century of the season came when he hit 52 against Somerset at Taunton in May, reached his 50 stylishly by thumping Steffan Jones through the covers for his eighth boundary having faced 75 balls.

The Sussex captain completed his century stand with Goodwin in 150 deliveries by late-cutting spinner Ian Blackwell to the boundary.

But medium-pacer Trego broke through in the next over to end Adams' 93-ball stay by pinning him in front as he prodded forward.