Debutant Bond stuns Sussex with career-best haul

Shane Bond produced Hampshire's best debut bowling performance for 109 YEARS against rivals Sussex today.

The Kiwi took a career-best 7-66 as the champions were bowled out for 332 after losing their last six wickets for just 15 runs in 6.1 overs.

Bond's figures surpassed his previous best first-class haul of 6-51 for New Zealand in a Test match against Zimbabwe three years ago. They were also the best figures by a Hampshire bowler since Alan Mullally's 9-93 at Derbyshire eight years ago.

But you have to go back to 1899 for a better first-class performance by a Hampshire debutant, when Charles Llewellyn took 8-132 against the Australian tourists.

Bond took just four overs to strike with a full-length delivery that splayed Carl Hopkinson's stumps.

He also had Michael Yardy (46) caught at long leg after top-edging a pull.

Bond was well supported by James Tomlinson (2-67), who had Chris Nash caught at second slip before snaring Chris Adams with a brute of a delivery that bounced and left the Sussex skipper.

But after taking the second new ball he turned the screw.

Bond trapped Matt Prior (62 from 90 balls) lbw and had Luke Wright (0) caught at first slip at the beginning and end of the second over of his final spell.

And after that double-wicket maiden he pinned Robin Martin-Jenkins (1) lbw before castling Ragheb Aga with a yorker.

Murray Goodwin was the only Sussex batsman to stand firm, with 121 from 184 balls (17 fours), but with the tail exposed he top-edged a slog against Tremlett.

Bond continued to race in from the Northern End and was rewarded with the first seven-wicket haul of his senior career when he trapped Mushtaq Ahmed lbw with another inswinger.

That completed a breathtaking burst of 5 for 5 from 17 deliveries by Bond, whose move to Hampshire was in doubt as recently as Friday because of his involvement in the Indian Cricket League.

He said: "I'm stoked! It's been a while since I've played four- day cricket so it was nice to get out there and show the spectators what I'm capable of.

"It was a slow wicket and not easy. They played really well for the first couple of sessions and we were staring down the barrel of them getting 500 and us having to go back out on another cold day.

"But the second new ball started to swing and all of a sudden things got exciting for me. The first ball stayed not too bad on both sides but one side of the second new ball roughed up quickly and suddenly started to hoop.

"That was the difference. I had been bowling too full or too short but bowling a full length suddenly became very dangerous."

Bond believes the first day finished "even stevens" as Sussex dismissed Michael Carberry before Hampshire closed on 4-1, with Tomlinson in as nightwatchman.

But he is now ready to build on an outstanding start to his Hampshire career.

"As an overseas player you always want to put a good early performance on the board so this relieves some anxiety," he said.

"I was as nervous as I have been for quite a long time at the start because I haven't played a lot of cricket for the last six months and this move is a big deal to me.

"But it only took an over or two to get in the swing of things and the first wicket helped me relax. Hopefully I can continue in the same vein and bowl better and better."

Bond's only disappointment was that Goodwin was not dismissed sooner, especially as he got to know the Zimbabwean well while playing for the Delhi Giants in the Indian Cricket League last month.

"Murray couldn't get a run in the ICL but played beautifully against us!" he laughed.

"Hopefully someone can play the same sort of innings for us."

The good news for Hampshire's batsmen is that Sussex are without winter signing Ryan Harris.

The Australian impressed on debut against the MCC last week but the fast bowler's registration was not cleared in time for him to make his Championship bow yesterday.

Hampshire bowling: Bond 19.1-2-66-7, Tremlett 19-2-59-1, Mascarenhas 16-1-62-0, Tomlinson 17-5-67-2, Lamb 12-0-52-0, Adams 5-1-18-0