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    Specsavers County Championship - 27 April 2018

    Venue: 1st Central County Ground

    Sussex v Gloucestershire

    Day 4

    Sussex and Gloucestershire had to settle for a draw after rain ruined a potentially exciting finish to their Championship match at Hove.

    The hosts needed four wickets and Gloucestershire 64 runs to win an absorbing Division Two game but the final day's play was abandoned at 1.45pm.

    Rain had fallen steadily since early morning and with no prospect of an improvement in time to get the ground fit, umpires Russell Warren and Martin Saggers made their inevitable decision. Both sides take eight points each.

    Gloucestershire's next fixture is against Middlesex at Lord's starting on May 11.

    Gloucestershire coach Richard Dawson said: "It was set up to a really interesting finish and it's a shame the weather has spoiled it, but it's been a cold and wet few days so when we saw the forecast for today we expected that it might not be possible to play.

    "As a side we're scrapping hard and we have got ourselves into position to win games since the start of the season. We just need to make sure that when those opportunities come along that we're in a position to take them."

     

    Day 3

    It was another gripping day of action in Hove on the third day of Gloucestershire's Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex.

    Chasing 167 to win, Gloucestershire looked in control when they reached 69 for 1. But Stiaan van Zyl picked up two wickets in successive balls and then had Jack Taylor caught behind.

    Ollie Robinson claimed the key wicket of opener Benny Howell who was in fine form with the bat before being dismissed for 45.

    As the light deteriorated, Sussex were forced to bring on left-arm spinner Danny Briggs who removed Graeme van Burren after van Burren had added 23 with Ryan Higgins.

    But conditions got too worse and when the players came off because of bad light, Gloucestershire were 108 for 6, 59 runs from victory with Sussex requiring four more wickets.

    A dire forecast on Monday could dampen the proceedings of an eventful and thrilling fixture. Both sides had periods of control on an absorbing third day. Although the odd ball misbehaved the pitch played pretty well but overhead conditions were poor throughout with the lights on from the start.

    Sussex resumed on 51 for 2 and lost wickets at regular intervals. Opener Harry Finch batted through the morning session. They then lost van Zyl, who nicked Dan Worrall to slip, and Luke Wright, lbw to Higgins, in successive overs and before lunch Ben Brown (16) and Michael Burgess (17) had also departed.

    Finch was dismiseed after losing his middle stump to Worrall for 48 after lunch. The Australian ended the innings when he had Ishant Sharma lbw to finish with 4 for 45 while Higgins’ three wickets gave him a match haul of 8 for 86.

    Gloucestershire lost skipper Chris Dent (13) when Robinson beat him with late seam movement but Howell and Roderick appeared to be putting their side in a strong position with a stand of 45 in 13 overs.

    Then van Zyl nipped one away and Roderick was caught behind to give Ben Brown his 300th first-class catch. Howells’ patient innings was ended by Robinson before van Zyl picked up Taylor.

    Gloucestershire regrouped through Higgins and van Burren but Briggs deceived van Burren (9) with his arm ball to put the match towards an interesting finish. 

     

    Day 2

    Sussex and Gloucestershire made up for lost time when their Specsavers County Championship Division Two match resumed at Hove on Saturday.

    Just 21 overs had been bowled on the opening day, when no wickets fell. But 22 went down on the second day and Sussex, 51 for two in their second innings, lead by 13.

    At the start of the day Sussex had been bowled out for 145, losing all 10 wickets for 59 runs in 26 overs before lunch, with Ryan Higgins taking a career-best five for 21.  Luke Wright, who was dropped twice, was Sussex’s top scorer in the session with 13.

    Luke Wells had added just two runs to his overnight 25 when he was caught behind playing forward to Higgins.  In the same bowler’s next over Phil Salt,  54 not out overnight,  skied to long leg for 63. 

    The wickets continued to tumble. Stiaan van Zyl was caught in the gully off Higgins, Harry Finch was caught behind off Daniel Worrall and captain Ben Brown was lbw to Worrall for a second ball duck; 105 for five.

     Mark Burgess and Ollie Robinson, rashly,  were caught in the slips from successive deliveries with the score on at 116, both off Higgins, and it was 117 for eight when Wiese lost his leg stump to Matt Taylor. Briggs and Wright had a final fling but  Gloucestershire still had time to face one over before lunch.

    Sussex broke through with the score on 27, when Chris Dent dragged on a delivery from Robinson, losing his middle stump.

     A vigorous innings from Benny Howell, who had hit star Sussex signing Ishant Sharma for three fours in four balls, came to an end when he was lbw to one that moved into him from David Wiese. Sharma was taken out of the attack after his first three overs cost 32. Robinson struck again when he bowled James Bracey for 15 and it was 102 for four when Robinson took his third wicket, having Gareth Roderick lbw for 23 as the batsman shuffled forward.

    At tea Gloucestershire were still well placed at 104 for four. Firm blows from Kieran Noema-Barnett (31) gave his side a fist innings advantage of 38. Wiese (five for 48) and Robinson (four for 67) were the best Sussex bowlers.

     When Sussex batted again, in the best conditions of the day, Salt had his middle stump plucked out by Higgins for a second ball duck.  And Wells was bowled by Noema-Barnett for 22 with the last ball of the day.

     

    Day 1

    The first day of the Specsavers County Championship match between Gloucestershire and Sussex was short-lived as rain swept in to ruin the first day at Hove.

    Salt, 21, was unbeaten on 54 and Wells had contributed 25 to a stand of 86 for the first wicket before rain arrived at 12.30pm. Umpires Martin Saggers and Russell Warren abandoned play at 4pm with no sign of an improvement in conditions after taking an early tea.

    Australian Dan Worrall troubled both batsmen during a lively nine-over burst with the new ball up the slope. Salt came down the pitch to try and smear him through the off side and was then struck on the helmet by the next delivery when he misjudged a bouncer and needed to make repairs to his headgear.

    But in the last over before the rain arrived, Salt drove Matt Taylor for four then pulled his next ball over square leg for six. A single off the next delivery took him to his second Championship half-century from 59 balls which has included nine boundaries. 

    Gloucestershire Captain Chris Dent said: "The wicket perhaps didn't do quite as much as we expected, in fact it's a pretty good pitch. Obviously we'd have liked to have taken some wickets but credit to Sussex and especially Phil Salt, who batted very positively."We just need to come back tomorrow, settle in, keep the run rate down and hopefully pick up some wickets."