Fin Bean's century guides Yorkshire fightback against Sussex in 2026 County Championship

Fin Bean struck an unbeaten 102 as Yorkshire responded to Sussex's mammoth 502 all out at Headingley.

Sussex's commanding first innings Sussex piled up a daunting 502 all out before lunch on the second day at Headingley. John Simpson led the charge with a masterful 136 from 226 deliveries, featuring 17 boundaries. Tom Price contributed 93 and Tom Haines added 64 as Sussex extended their dominance. Yorkshire's bowlers struggled early, with Jack White (4-60) and George Hill (3-86) providing the only resistance. ## Bean and Whiteman steady Yorkshire Yorkshire's opening batsman Fin Bean anchored the reply with a resilient 102 from 176 balls, sharing a vital unbroken 175-run stand with Sam Whiteman. Whiteman played a composed innings of 73 as the hosts finished the second day on 192-1 from 60 overs. Bean reached his fifty in 61 deliveries, his first of the season, while Whiteman took 88 balls to reach his half-century. ## Simpson's Sussex milestone John Simpson's century extended his impressive Championship record to 10 hundreds in just 31 matches since joining Sussex in 2024. The wicketkeeper-batter had scored the same number of hundreds in 188 appearances for Middlesex before his move. His 165-run sixth-wicket partnership with Tom Price on day one set the platform for Sussex's big total. Simpson also added 83 with Fynn Hudson-Prentice on day three before falling. ## Yorkshire's slow start Sussex struck early on day two when Fynn Hudson-Prentice removed Adam Lyth for 17 in the 10th over. Yorkshire's top order struggled initially, but Bean steadied the ship with aggressive stroke play. The left-hander drove confidently and punished the Sussex bowlers, including a six off left-arm spinner James Coles. ## Late Sussex surge frustrates Yorkshire Yorkshire's bowlers lacked penetration until the later stages of Sussex's innings. George Hill removed Hudson-Prentice with a sharp caught-behind catch off White's bowling. Sussex added 104 for the last three wickets, with Ollie Robinson finishing unbeaten on 40. White wrapped up the innings by trapping Henry Crocombe lbw for 21, completing figures of 4-60. ## Historic partnership for Yorkshire Bean and Whiteman's unbroken 175-run second-wicket stand surpassed Yorkshire's previous best against Sussex in first-class cricket. The record-breaking partnership beat the 171-run stand shared by FS Jackson and David Denton in 1904 at Bramall Lane. Bean's century was his seventh in the County Championship, achieved by pulling Tom Price for his 13th boundary of the day.