West Indies under the weather

BARRIE FAIRALL

reports from Hove

Sussex 446-9 dec West Indies 167-7

The word shower readily springs to mind which had something, but not all, to do with the weather here as the West Indians ran into another trough of their own making.

Last Monday they were beaten in a Lord's Test for the first time in 38 years.On Friday they sent home Winston Benjamin and yesterday they were perilously close to following on.

Come this morning and that may well still be their fate, as Sussex were denied only by the breaks for rain from heaping embarrassment on their opponents. You have to go back to1933 to find a county, Kent, inviting the tourists to bat again.

In any case the sympathy vote has hardly favoured the West Indians in this match and if Sussex, who recorded a ninewicket victory over their visitors in 1966, achieve another success they can pocket the pounds 7,500 Tetley Challenge cheque with a certain amount of satisfaction.

Some queried the Sussex decision to add to their overnight 390 yesterday morning. Apparently this was because the tourists refused to play ball when Alan Wells suggested an immediate declaration.

The theory was that the West Indians could then bat all day, with a further deal setting up a run chase. Instead, in front of an unusually unenthusiastic Sunday crowd, it was left to Sussex's own West Indian, Franklyn Stephenson, to liven up the action with some thumping blows. Having just completed an exquisite reverse sweep against Rajindra Dhanraj, however, the leg spinner eventually had his revenge as he finished with 6 for 144.