Cricket: Lenham solves the puzzle

Mark Alleyne returned career-best figures of 5 for 32 as Sussex were bowled out for a meagre 157 after winning the toss at Bristol. However, that score was made to look respectable as Gloucestershire slumped to 72 for 8 in reply before a stand of 66 between Mike Smith and Martyn Ball took them to 138 for 8 at the close.

It was by no means an impossible pitch and there were some red-faced batsmen on both sides, as only Neal Lenham's 70 for Sussex interrupted the bowler's dominance. Courtney Walsh put Sussex in trouble by removing Bill Athey for a duck and Alan Wells for one with only eight runs on the board. By lunch the visitors had crawled their way to 40 for 5 but then Lenham launched a spirited counter attack, helping Peter Moores add 86 for the sixth wicket.

Lenham's 70 came off 125 balls, with 13 fours - a tremendous effort on a day when only three other players managed to get past 20. Once the partnership with Moores was broken, Alleyne quickly mopped up the tail with his medium pace.

Gloucestershire were struggling from the moment Nick Trainor departed for four in the opening over from Vasbert Drakes, and then Andrew Symonds was caught trying to hook Ed Giddins.