All-rounder Matthew Revis continued his sparkling run-scoring form in the County Championship, posting his third hundred in as many matches to help Yorkshire press for a crucial victory over Sussex at Scarborough.
Dating back to late June, in Yorkshire’s last four Division One fixtures, 23-year-old Revis has posted scores of 93 not out, 150, 110 not out and a career best 152 not out.
He hit the 150 in a victory over Essex at York, 110 not out in last week’s draw against Surrey and now this 188-ball effort with 14 fours and two pulled sixes against spin.
Yorkshire declared on 545-9 midway through the afternoon, leading by 323 with 44 overs remaining in the day, and then restricted Sussex to 115-3 at the close.
Opener Daniel Hughes gave the visitors something to cheer with an impressive rearguard 56 not out from 131 balls.
It would now be a significant surprise if Revis is not selected to tour Australia with the England Lions this winter. Another man who could be on that tour is George Hill, with whom Revis shared an entertaining seventh-wicket partnership of 140 either side of lunch.
Fellow all-rounder Hill contributed a season’s best 75 off 93 balls. He has already had Lions exposure this summer, courtesy of his near 40-wicket campaign with the ball.
For Sussex, off-spinner Jack Carson plugged away with 3-150 from 43 overs. But he was swimming against the tide.
Revis, who started the day on 22, drove handsomely down the ground before pulling a couple of sixes off Carson just before Yorkshire declared minutes before 15:00 BST.
Before lunch, Hill lofted Carson over long-on for six and out of the ground at the Trafalgar Square End.
Revis reached his fifty off 77 balls and his fifth career first-class century off 137, the latter on the stroke of lunch. Sandwiched in between, Hill’s fifty came up in 65 balls.
Sussex started the day nicely by removing Harry Duke and Will Sutherland, leaving Yorkshire 320-6 in the 97th over, the day’s seventh.
Duke was caught behind for 21 against an out-swinger from Fynn Hudson-Prentice – Sussex having taken the new ball immediately at the start of play – before Sutherland, playing his final game, was bowled by his fellow Australian Gurinder Sandhu for two.
Revis and Hill advanced Yorkshire’s cause in entertaining fashion.
Revis became the first Yorkshire player to score three hundreds in successive first-class matches since Gary Ballance did it back in 2019 and the first non-capped White Rose player to achieve that same feat in 80 years.
Unfortunately for Sussex, further trouble was around the corner at the start of their second innings.
They faced 12 overs before tea, where they reached at 29-3.
New-ball pair Jack White and Matt Milnes struck once apiece added to the run out of Tom Alsop courtesy of a direct hit from Imam-Ul-Haq at the striker’s end from cover.
White had Tom Haines caught and bowled off a lead edge and Milnes got James Coles caught at fourth slip for a golden duck the ball after Alsop had fallen in the sixth over.
But just when all seemed lost, left-handed Australian Hughes stood firm with the help of fourth-wicket partner Danial Ibrahim.
Hughes was understandably watchful but drove, cut, pulled and deflected 10 boundaries en-route to a 114-ball fifty. The pair have shared an unbroken 95, with Ibrahim 50 not out.
Ibrahim reached 50 off 111 balls with the day’s final delivery. But the pair have plenty more work to do on a pitch which is showing increasing signs of turn.
