Worcestershire seamer Tom Taylor praised his side’s perseverance with the ball on Day One at Hove, after his five-wicket haul helped the Pears put Sussex under early pressure before a remarkable century from Jack Carson turned the tide.
Taylor, who claimed 5 for 56 during a fiery spell that tore through the hosts’ top and middle order, said he was pleased with how the bowling unit responded after a slightly wayward start.
“I thought we bowled ok,” Taylor reflected. “We stuck to our guns and certainly bowled better for the last hour and 20 minutes of that first session. Our plans came into play a little bit more, we corrected ourselves after the first 40 minutes and then we hit our straps as a group and bowled really well.”
Taylor’s efforts left Sussex reeling at 88 for six, but a defiant century from Carson, batting at number eight, alongside a determined knock from debutant James Hayes, helped the home side rally to 284 all out.
“We got them in a really challenging position,” Taylor continued. “We weren’t quite able to keep our foot on their throat and drive that home.
“A couple of natural things happened. The pitch flattened a little bit under the sun, the ball got a little bit softer after it got to 45 overs old, and they played well.
“Jack played really well; he got a hundred and thoroughly deserved that. He played really well and got them to a decent score.”
Despite Carson’s resistance, Worcestershire ended the day on a positive note, with openers Jake Libby and Ben Gibbon seeing out the final three overs to close on 7 without loss.
