Delray Rawlins was rewarded for another outstanding innings with a return to Sussex’s first team for their four-day Specsavers County Championship Division Two match against Gloucestershire at Hove this week.

The Bermudian struck 96 and shared in a century stand with Jonty Jenner in Sussex’s emphatic innings and 50-run win over South Africa A at Arundel.

“It was a nice innings for me looking at the way the game went and how we managed to bowl them out,” Rawlins said.

“The ball swung a bit but the wicket was pretty good, to be honest, and I would say that we got the better of it when we batted.”

Rawlins and Jenner led a fightback, carrying the score from 90 for four to 263 when Jenner was dismissed.

The former St George’s Cup Match player was eventually bowled four runs shy of a maiden first-class century. “That’s how it goes,” Rawlins said.

Rawlins and his Sussex team-mates failed to make significant inroads with the ball during Gloucestershire’s first innings yesterday on the penultimate day of the four-day contest at the 1st Central County Ground.

At stumps in the rain-hit match, the visiting side were 150 for one in reply to Sussex’s first innings total of 358 for nine declared after electing to bat.

Rawlins, a left-arm slow bowler, has bowled one over for two runs.

The 18-year-old, the first Bermudian to play English County cricket and first Bermudian-born player since David Hemp to play at that level, was promoted to opening in his team’s first innings, scoring seven runs.

n White Hill Field will be the host venue for this year’s Western Counties series which starts on Saturday when holders Southampton Rangers meet Willow Cuts.

The Western Counties is the second oldest of the three counties, starting in 1963 with four clubs, Warwick Workmen’s, Southampton Rangers, Somerset Bridge and Willow Cuts, the first winners of the Warren Simmons Cup.

Host side Somerset Bridge will play in the second round on July 8 against this weekend’s winners. PHC will provide the opposition on August 12 before Warwick play in the final on August 26. All games start at 11am.