WARWICKSHIRE batter Rob Yates says he has ‘come back refreshed’ this year – after hitting an Edgbaston century.
Sussex had posted a commanding total of 528 all out on day two of the counties’ opening County Championship game of the season.
Captain John Simpson made an unbeaten 181 (from 262 balls) while debutant Bears bowlers Ethan Bamber (four for 105) and Tazeem Ali (three for 103) enjoyed the most success on a batting-friendly surface.
But Sussex’s hopes of turning their strong total into a victory were held up from the start of Warwickshire’s reply as openers Yates and Alex Davies put on 116 for the first wicket.
Yates closed the second day on 113 (148 balls) after captain Davies launched the reply with an aggressive 66 (65 balls).
Centurion Yayes told the Bears’ official website: “I couldn’t have asked for a better personal start. I’m in a really nice position overnight and the game’s in a nice position overnight.
“It’s a really good cricket wicket. There is enough there to keep the bowlers interested but also enough there for the batters. Chatting in the dressing room after day two we we’re saying there is a game to be won here.
“No four-days games are won easily but crazy things can happen. You have just got to earn the right to be in a position to put the opposition under pressure, but we have a big job to do first just to get level with them so we won’t be getting too far ahead of ourselves.
“Alex and I managed to find a few boundaries early on which gave us a good start. I didn’t go away last winter and I think that did me some good. I was still working hard at my game but also chilling out a bit and mentally switching off which means that I have come back refreshed.”
Sussex resumed on the second day on 386 for five and were given early impetus by Jack Carson’s punchy 28 before he lifted Ed Barnard to deep square leg in pursuit of his fourth boundary of the over. Fynn Hudson-Prentice was soon lbw to Bamber but the implacable Simpson was joined by Danny Lamb (35, 71) in a stand of 85 in 25 overs.
Lamb and Ollie Robinson fell lbw to successive balls from Taz Ali and Simpson’s hopes of challenging his career best 205 ended when Jayden Seales scooped Michael Booth to mid-wicket.
Davies and Yates enjoyed their moments of good fortune against the new ball attack of Robinson and Seales but batted positively and the score advanced briskly as soon as the ball softened. Davies hit 11 fours on his way to a 48-ball half-century as his side eased to 112 without loss from 21 overs at tea.
They reached that point without taking risks but Davies’ slashed at the third ball of the evening session, a wide, short offering from Seales, to third man.
Hamza Shaikh (23, 48) helped the steady Yates to add 56 in 14 overs but was undone by a lovely ball from Carson. Having seen a flighted delivery driven for four earlier in the over, the off-spinner looped up another which turned sharply to bowl the batter through a drive.
That left Warwickshire, needing 379 to avoid the follow on, 172 for two with 17 overs left in the day.
Yates continued on to a 132-ball hundred but the departure of Sam Hain, who edged Seales to slip with 17 balls left in the day, gave Sussex renewed hope.
