COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Grace Road:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE: Leicestershire 204, Sussex 128-4
Leics 2pts, Sussex 4pts
Match scorecard

Sussex left-arm seamer Lewis Hatchett took his maiden five-wicket haul as Leicestershire crumbled on the first day at Grace Road.

Hatchett, playing in just his third first-class game, picked up 5-47 as the hosts were shot out for 204.

Only all-rounder Andrew McDonald (63) was able to pass 30 for the hosts.

Sussex opener Chris Nash then struck an unbeaten 52, but Matthew Hoggard picked up three wickets to peg the visitors back to 128-4 at stumps, 76 behind.

The visitors made the most of overcast conditions after winning the toss and asking Leicestershire to bat, with Hatchett claiming the first wicket of the match by trapping Will Jefferson lbw.

Home batsmen came and went regularly as only McDonald looked capable of coping with the swinging ball, with Paul Nixon, Jacques du Toit and James Taylor all failing to capitalise on good starts.

It was McDonald's dismissal, leg before to Monty Panesar that signalled the beginning of the end for the hosts as Hatchett, who had earlier run out Tom New with a superb throw from square leg, took four wickets for six runs in 11 balls to run through the tail.

But Hoggard (3-42) also revelled in the helpful conditions to make sure that Sussex were not in a position of total dominance at the end of the day.

The Leicestershire captain trapped counterpart Mike Yardy lbw and, after Ed Joyce and Murray Goodwin had departed, ended a fourth-wicket stand of 57 between Nash and Luke Wright (36).

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