Henry Crocombe Takes Sussex's First Hat-Trick in 25 Years to Bowl Out Somerset for 202
Sussex seamer Henry Crocombe took a hat-trick to wrap up Somerset's first innings for 202 on the opening day of their County Championship match at Hove.
Crocombe's three-in-three accounted for Somerset's last three wickets, ending the innings and giving Sussex their first hat-trick since Jason Lewry managed the feat in 2001 — a 25-year gap (The Argus).
The match pitted second-placed Somerset against fifth-placed Sussex in the County Championship table (BBC Sport), giving the hosts a meaningful scalp in the standings.
Somerset's troubles began early. Archie Vaughan was fourth out at 59, caught at fine-leg after a scratchy 20. Sean Hunt had already built momentum from the other end, striking twice before lunch — he bowled New Zealand left-hander Henry Nicholls through the gate (the gap between bat and pad) angling the ball in from around the wicket, then saw Josh Thomas edge to wicketkeeper John Simpson with the score on 48 (BBC Sport).
At lunch, Somerset were 93 for 4 from 29 overs — a position that demanded rebuilding. It did not come. James Rew nicked off to Hunt soon after the break, giving the seamer his third wicket of the innings.
Hunt's figures carry weight beyond this match. He took nine wickets against Warwickshire the previous week, and nine in Sussex's defeat of Somerset at Hove the previous season (BBC Sport). He is fast becoming Sussex's go-to bowler when a breakthrough is needed.
Somerset did find some resistance. Tom Abell, on 35, was badly dropped by Charlie Tear at first slip off Crocombe — a reprieve that briefly suggested the innings might stabilise. It did not last. Part-time spinner Tom Clark intervened with two wickets in two deliveries: Abell, who had added only a few more, was caught by Tear at first slip, and Somerset captain Lewis Gregory drove gently back to the bowler, caught and bowled.
Clark's double strike left Somerset reeling at the lower end of their order. Then came the Crocombe finish. Jaydev Unadkat took a fine juggling catch at long leg, just staying within the boundary rope, off a Hunt leg-side delivery that Tom Lammonby flicked up — a catch that combined composure and athleticism in equal measure.
What makes Crocombe's hat-trick stand out is its timing. Three wickets in three balls to close an innings is rare at any level of professional cricket; to do it against a side sitting second in the Championship table adds another layer. For Somerset, dismissed for 202 on a pitch that may yet favour the bat, the total looks thin. For Sussex, it is the kind of opening-day performance that shifts the tone of a four-day match.
