Sussex won a nail-biting encounter at Colwyn Bay by just one wicket to keep alive their hopes of promotion on an action-packed third day of their Specsavers County Championship as the visitors successfully chased a target of 209 with Ollie Robinson ending the contest in the grand manner with a six over long-on.
Close of Play Report
Play resumed after tea with Sussex needing 36 runs with two wickets remaining after a pre-tea stutter which had seen them lose four wickets for five runs in the space of nineteen deliveries. Jofra Archer and Ollie Robinson resumed the batting with the former inside-edging Hogan for four to fine-leg. But the red ball captain struck with his next delivery as Archer departed l.b.w. After being joined by Danny Briggs, Ollie Robinson thick-edged Smith to third man before playing and missing at a series of deliveries.
Robinson clubbed a series of one’s and two’s as Briggs, who featured in the stand which saw Sussex win at Cardiff last year by two wicket, defended stoutly before Robinson harpooned Smith over the pavilion as the target for Sussex became 8. A couple of singles followed before Briggs nearly chopped Hogan onto his stumps. With four needed, Robinson ended the game in the grand manner by drilling Smith over long-on for six as Sussex won the thriller by one wicket.
Teatime Report
Sussex began the afternoon session on 14/2 as Craig Meschede entered the attack at the Penrhyn Avenue End, with Chris Nash edging to third man before sending the ball through extra cover. Stiaan Van Zyl also greeted Ruaidhri Smith by despatching him through the covers before Nash clipped Meschede to mid-wicket for four followed by a pull to the ropes at mid-wicket.
Van Zyl also drove Smith through mid-off whilst Nash did the same against Meschede to continue the Sussex fightback before pulling Smith for four to mid-wicket to bring up the 50 in the 19th over. Their fifty partnership then came up after a series of singles as Nash greeted the return of Hogan at the Penrhyn Avenue End by pulling him for four. Van Zyl also nurdled Carey to third man for four before clipping Hogan to mid-wicket and square-leg.
After van Zyl had cover-driven Hogan, Glamorgan switched to spin at the Embankment End but Nash pulled Andrew Salter’s first ball to fine-leg for four. Van Zyl greeted the return of Meschede by on-driving him for four, before Nash swatted him to wide long-on to complete a 63-ball fifty besides bringing up the hundred. But in the next over Salter made the breakthrough as he trapped van Zyl l.b.w. before Luke Wright waltzed down the wicket, as if auditioning for “Strictly Come Dancing”, and was stumped by Tom Cullen.
In the next over, Salter was nearly in the action again at second slip but he could not quite hold onto a thick outside edge from Nash’s bat. The visiting batsman celebrated by clipping Salter to the boards in front of the pavilion for four before Ben Brown clipped the spinner for four to fine-leg. After a series of singles, Brown pulled successive balls from Carey to the ropes at square-leg before square-cutting Salter for four.
Nash then pulled Carey for another four before Brown edged the youngster into the slips where Nick Selman was unable to hold onto the ball. He celebrated his good fortune by pulling a short ball from Carey for six over square-leg, but shortly afterwards he attempted the stroke again but skied the ball to Zak Ringrose, the substitute fielder at square-leg who nonchalantly completed the catch with Sussex on 156/5.
Jordan joined his captain with 54 still needed but Sussex lost another wicket next over as Smith returned at the Embankment End and saw Nash edge to second slip where Selman held a crackerjack of a catch which he celebrated with a joyous jig of his own. 158/6 then became 160/7 as Ringrose – the young Kiwi from Menai Bridge CCtook another fine catch low down at mid-wicket to send Jordan back to the pavilion as he pulled Carey and in the final scheduled over before tea, Smith found the edge of Jordan’s bat and Tom Cullen completed the catch.
With Sussex on 160/8, still needing 49 to win, the umpires delayed the interval believing that Glamorgan might shortly wrap up the victory, but Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer defended stoutly with the former clipping two fours in the last over before the break
Lunchtime Report
The fortunes in this match have ebbed and flowed like the waves a mile or so down the road on the seafront at Rhos-on-Sea. Having reduced Sussex to 189/8 yesterday, Glamorgan’s bowlers then saw the last two wickets add 77 before the visiting bowlers induced a post-tea stutter as the Welsh county slipped from 69/1 to 104/6 in the space of eleven overs.
The upshot was that Glamorgan were 152 runs to the good when bad light brought a premature end, and with clearer skies this morning, the home batsmen were looking to enjoy the more favourable conditions and to set Sussex a target in excess of 220. With the sun shining, Craig Meschede and Tom Cullen resumed the innings at 11 o’clock with five overs being added the daily quota following the early finish last night. The latter began by deftly nurdling Jofra Archer for four to third man whilst the former drilled both the Bajan and Ollie Robinson through the covers with aplomb.
A single to fine-leg brought up the fifty stand but Chris Jordan then replaced Archer at the Embankment End and with his fourth delivery ended the stand as Luke Wright held a good catch diving low in front of him at point to end Cullen’s doughty innings. Ruaidhri Smith began with a clip to fine-leg and a drive to mid-wicket as he struck Robinson for a pair of fours, before guiding Archer to the third man boundary as Glamorgan’s lead approached the 200-mark.
But with the total on 174, Jordan struck again as Ben Brown claimed another catch behind the stumps as Smith edged into the keeper’s gloves. Seven runs later Lukas Carey pulled Archer to mid-wicket where Danny Briggs completed a running catch , before Meschede miscued a pull and was caught and bowled by Jordan as the Glamorgan innings ended on 182 and leaving Sussex with a target of 209 in the 82 overs remaining today plus the 96 tomorrow.
But Carey struck with the first delivery as Luke Wells wafted at a rising delivery outside off-stump and feathered a catch into Cullen’s gloves. Angus Robson responded with a flowing cover drive for four against Hogan who then in his next over might have claimed the wicket of Stiaan Van Zyl but the edge was spilled by Aneurin Donald at second slip.
But Hogan claimed the second wicket as in his next over, and for the second time in the match, Angus Robson was bowled shouldering arms.