Date-stamped : 14 Dec93 - 09:06 The Guardian 14 May 1993 - Bold Wells leaves the tourists to fret - Mike Selvey at Hove - Tour match: Sussex v Australians. After several months watching Test matches from Adelaide to An- tigua, a return to English cricket yesterday produced a day dredged from the sepia past. A Sussex side - ignoring an overcast morning and the hint of a sea fret - opted to bat first against the Australian Test opening attack and battled it out with grit if not flamboyance against the moving ball in the morning, blossomed as the sun came out in the afternoon and then capitalised later on to finish in a posi- tion of relative comfort. In these slip-'em-in days, it was as traditional as Olde English Humbugs and old fashioned as Maurice Tate's flannels. Sussex were eventually all out right on the close for 353 - a total inflated by the new no-ball penalties that saw 49 extras, 30 of them through overstepping - with the principal partnership one of 133 for the third wicket between the captain Alan Wells, who came close to his second century of the season, and Keith Greenfield, who is establishing his place after joining the club five years ago under the YTS scheme, and who made 55. Wells, who averaged a shade under 50 for the county last season, with five centuries, batted for a little over four hours, making 93, an innings containing some forthright strokeplay, particular- ly against Tim May's off-spin, that brought 10 fours. But there were also several long periods of introspection before he succumbed in the gully to Craig McDermott and the second new ball. Sandwiched either side of this stand was a determined rather than spectacular 33 from Bill Athey and later a bouncy half- century from Ian Salisbury who hit 10 fours in a rapid 74-ball 59. This was Athey's debut for the county for, in adding him to their staff, Sussex fell in dispute with Gloucestershire and he is still banned from domestic competition. Their other signing Eddie Hemmings, who joined the county not so much through YTS as Age Concern, shrewdly went into hiding yes- terday, mindful perhaps of renewed Norwegian interest in whaling. Only Colin Wells and Martin Speight of the main Sussex batsmen failed to occupy the crease for any length of time, with Speight, following the Wells-Greenfield stand, lasting only three balls. As the match balls were sponsored by Ram Services and the Lamb Inn, Bognor Regis, Speight's sheepish look as he trudged off was scarcely surprising. With the potential for disaster great, it was a brave decision to bat first, and something of an achievement to lose only the wickets of Lenham and Athey before lunch. That they did so was due in part to luck as the ball seamed and swung at times and in part to the early performance of McDermott and Hughes. It was not until later in the day that McDermott stirred himself while Hughes, carrying all before him, including by the looks of it, a substantial lunch, attempted to defy gravity up the slope, and only partially succeeded. Quite why he opted to wear white sunscreen on his nose in the morning is a mystery. This is Hove not Sydney. All of which is deceptive. These are shrewd cricketers bowling themselves into the tour and both will play major parts this sum- mer when the gauntlet is thrown down. Instead the most successful, and spritely, of the Australian bowlers was Brendon Julian, a rangy left-armer with a slingy ac- tion and, with international places up for grabs, something to prove. Julian took five for 63, two of the wickets by courtesy of ex- tremely sharp catches at slip. Four high-class chances were taken in all yesterday and close catching, it seems, could be a strong Australian suit this summer. Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)