Date-stamped : 30 Aug97 - 18:04 Sussex pay for lack of experience By D J Rutnagur at Hove First day of four: Sussex 102-7 v Surrey SO DEEP were the inroads made into Sussex`s innings by Martin Bicknell and Chris Lewis, who took three wickets apiece, that Surrey need not regret losing 42 overs to rain. To say Sussex`s batsmen failed because they were kept up late on Wednesday night in the floodlit AXA League match would be tak- ing a charitable view. They were simply undermined by inexperi- ence, having lost two senior batsmen, Neil Lenham and Bill Athey, through retirement in the last week. Just a little help from the conditions sufficed for Bicknell and Lewis to mutilate the top order. Bicknell`s second ball, an in- swinger to the left-hander, had Toby Peirce leg-before. Neil Taylor was given no time to settle by Lewis. Playing back when he should have been forward, Taylor had his leg stump knocked over by a ball that cut back at high pace. Rajesh Rao, playing tentatively at Bicknell, was then caught at gully and, after the briefest of pauses, Keith Greenfield, the only capped player besides Taylor among the specialist batsmen, played on against Lewis. When Keith Newell fell lbw to Bicknell, Sussex were 23 for five and facing the prospect of being dis- missed for the season`s lowest score. But Jamie Carpenter, a left-hander recruited from the MCC ground staff, batted determinedly for an hour on his maiden first- class innings before Ian Salisbury spun one through his defence. Peter Moores, unbeaten when rain ended play midway through the afternoon, oversaw further resistance, with Alex Edwards and Amir Khan as his allies. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Sussex left floundering By Clive Ellis at Hove Surrey (400-7 dec) beat Sussex (137 & 162) by an innings and 101 runs PETER MOORES went straight from a humiliating innings defeat inside two-and-a-half days to contribute to the first-class fo- rum in Sussex`s indoor school. The question posed there may im- pinge critically on the future of the game, but Moores` imme- diate concerns are more specific. This was the game in which Sussex`s inexperience, dwindling confidence and basic weakness in all departments were cruelly exposed. Chief executive Tony Pigott denied yesterday that Shane Warne had been dangled the captaincy carrot for next season, but Moores is certainly not taking it for granted that he will in charge after this year. The chances are that Sussex will be reflecting on an unwanted double at the end of the season: bottom place in both the champi- onship and Sunday league, and Moores acknowledges the retirement of Bill Athey and Neil Lenham has left the batting very short of experience. "Some of the younger players are looking tired now," said Moores. "You get knocked down so many times and it becomes harder to get up again." There is by no means universal acceptance at the club that Sussex should be pursuing an overseas bowler but Warne is, ac- cording to Moores, "the injection the club are looking for". There were pockets of Sussex resistance within the two-and-three- quarter hours Surrey needed to complete the round yesterday but it all looked uncomfortably like an advertise- ment for a two-division championship. Surrey, the side most disrupted by international calls throughout the summer, wheeled out the big guns and swept aside Sussex to make it six wins in their last seven matches. The same multi-talented line-up will also be on call for their final three championship games. Sussex were already out for the count overnight, at 16 for four, all four wicket taken by Ian Salisbury. The leg spinner further undermined former team-mates by bowling Rajesh Rao before Surrey`s pace bowlers moved in for the kill. Martin Bicknell removed Keith Newell and Keith Greenfield and Sussex only prolonged their innings past lunch thanks to an eight- wicket stand of 70 in 22 overs between left-hander James Carpenter, making a positive impression on his first-class debut, and Moores. The Sussex captain took boundaries off Chris Lewis`s first three balls after lunch, but Lewis was simply inspired to add a yard of pace and he yorked Moores, having had him dropped the previous ball. Carpenter was caught at third slip by Salisbury two balls later and Mark Robinson perished in the next over. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)