County Championship: Fin Bean leads Yorkshire reply to big Sussex total

Having shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 165 with Tom Price on day one, Simpson also completed a stand of 83 with seventh-wicket partner Fynn Hudson-Prentice at the start of day three before the latter fell caught behind off George Hill, leaving the score at 398-7.

Yorkshire’s attack lacked penetration across the first four sessions, Hill and fellow seamer Jack White aside.

That was shown as Sussex added 104 for the last three wickets, including Championship skipper Ollie Robinson adding an unbeaten 40.

White wrapped up the innings by trapping last man Henry Crocombe lbw with a full ball for 21, finishing with 4-60. Hill finished with 3-86.

Earlier, Joe Root’s off-spin had Simpson caught at long-on for his 100th career first-class wicket.

In glorious sunshine and on a placid pitch, Sussex then struck an early blow through Hudson-Prentice’s new-ball seam as Adam Lyth edged to second slip with 17 on the board in the 10th over.

But then Bean intervened to settle any White Rose nerves.

Whilst not as buccaneering, this was an innings which had similarities to the one which Sussex opener Tom Haines compiled at the start of day one when he drove with conviction for 64.

Bean was happy to throw his hands at the ball, driving on the up as well, and he reached a 61-ball fifty in that fashion – his first of the campaign – off Tom Price’s seam.

Yorkshire reached tea at 96-1, with Bean and Whiteman together.

Bean pulled the left-arm spin of James Coles for six but was tested by the pace of Crocombe, who has looked as lively as any seamer in this fixture.

Whiteman, strong through the off-side off front and back foot, reached his fifty off 88 balls – by which time Yorkshire had reached 143-1.

A Crocombe short ball struck Whiteman a nasty blow in the box, which left him on the deck for a good five minutes.

From there, Bean and Whiteman edged through the remainder of the day without further alarm.

Bean, aged 24, then reached his seventh Championship century by pulling Price for his 13th four in the day’s penultimate over.

He and Whiteman also recorded Yorkshire’s highest second-wicket partnership against Sussex in first-class cricket, beating the 171 shared by FS Jackson and David Denton at Bramall Lane, Sheffield in 1904.

Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.