Despite a superb five-wicket haul by Timm van der Gugten, Sussex completed a nerve-jangling run-chase as they successfully chased 233 in 62 overs on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Glamorgan at The SSE SWALEC, with the eighth wicket pairing of Ben Brown and Danny Briggs adding a decisive 55 runs in 9 overs before Sussex won by two wickets.
Close of Play Report
Sussex were 92/2 when play resumed after tea, still needing 141 runs and with 38 overs remaining, and Christian Davis spliced the first delivery from Michael Hogan just short of gully. Timm van der Gugten returned at the Cathedral Road End and saw Davis play and miss on several occasions, before the batsman top-edged a pull against Hogan over the head of the slip cordon. But in the Dutchman’s next over, Davis departed l.b.w. as Sussex slipped to 113/3.
Luke Wright joined Nash who edged van der Gugten close to Aneurin Donald’s outstretched hands at second slip, before Wright swatted Wagg over point for his first boundary. But Wagg made the vital breakthrough as Nash edged the left-armer and Mark Wallace took a fine tumbling catch to his right in front of the slips.
125/4 then became 128/5 as David Wiese chopped van der Gugten onto his stumps. Ben Brown duly joined Wright who defiantly pulled the Dutchman for four. But the bowler made the perfect riposte as next ball he clean bowled Wright as Sussex plummeted further to 137/6. Ben Brown remained defiant and clipped Craig Meschede for six to mid-wicket, as the Sussex wicket-keeper opted to use the long handle in a bid to up the tempo.
But Hogan struck back with the total on 156 as Jofra Archer inside-edged a ball into Wallace’s gloves. Danny Briggs got off the mark by clipping Meschede to square-leg before Brown scythed Hogan through point for four as Sussex entered the fi al hour still requiring 70 to win . Briggs then straight-drove Hogan for four before clipping him to mid-wicket for another boundary.
Briggs then edged Meschede through the slips for four before punching Hogan through backward point for four. With 45 required by Sussex, van der Gugten and Wagg returned with Briggs smearing the Dutchman through point for four before guiding him to third man for another boundary. But with the total on 211, Briggs miscued a drive against van der Gugten and Meschede completed the catch at mid-on.
Brown was then joined by Garton who responded by cover-driving Wagg for four before Hogan returned at the River End for a final salvo. The equation became 10 from the last five overs, with the ninth wicket pair scampering a series of singles before Brown steered van der Gugten through point for four before Garton on-drove him for three to tie the scores. Garton then played and missed several times at Hogan before edging the Australian through the slips to seal a dramatic two-wicket victory.
Teatime update
Glamorgan resumed after lunch on 256/8, with a lead of 225 runs and a minimum of 68 overs remaining in the contest. But it immediately became 256/9 as to the fourth ball of the session, Timm van der Gugten struck Danny Briggs to the fielder at backward point. After a flurry of singles, Michael Hogan then holed out at mid-on as Jofra Archer ended the innings, with Sussex needing 233 to win from a minimum of 62 overs.
They made a poor start as van der Gugten trapped Ed Joyce l.b.w. with the first delivery of the innings, whilst Craig Meschede beat the outside edge of the bats of Chris Nash and Luke Wells. Nash ended the sequence by cover-driving van der Gugten before Wells pulled both bowlers to the ropes at square-leg. Nash also on-drove Meschede for four as the recovery continued, with the opener also steering van der Gugten through the gully for another boundary.
Michael Hogan and Graham Wagg then entered the attack, with the latter being pulled and on-driven for a pair of fours by Nash. The opener then greeted the introduction of Owen Morgan’s left-arm spin by lofting his first delivery to long-off for four. Wells did the same in Morgan’s next over, besides driving him through the covers for four.
Shortly before tea, Nash completed his fifty from 73 balls but Morgan then trapped Wells l.b.w. with the total on 87. Christian Davis then miscued a ball from the spinner over the head of cover.
Lunchtime Report
The loss of 76.3 overs yesterday may prove vital in determining the outcome of what has, until the arrival of the rains on the third day, been a finely-balanced game. Sussex may have bossed the opening day, but Glamorgan’s bowlers came into their own on day two, and yesterday their batsmen showed grit and determination in conditions which were heavily stacked in the bowler’s favour. Despite the overcast conditions, dampness and the series of stoppages which allowed the visiting seamers to recharge their batteries, Will Bragg and David Lloyd countered the Sussex seamers to steer Glamorgan to a lead of 118 runs and with eight wickets still intact.
With leaders Essex having wrapped up victory inside three days at Leicester, and Kent well on top at Bristol, Sussex knew that another win today was vital to keep them in the promotion race so they were pressing for early wickets as play resumed with Glamorgan on 149/2. David Wiese’s opening delivery however was clipped to mid-wicket for four by David Lloyd, but in the next over at the Cathedral Road End, the South African was replaced by Jofra Archer who with his first delivery induced an edge from Bragg into the hands of Chris Nash at second slip.
Aneurin Donald began by twice off-driving Archer for four before Lloyd steered Magoffin to third man for four. But next over, Lloyd top-edged a swat at a short ball from the Australian and wicket-keeper Ben Brown completed a regulation catch. 168/4 saw Craig Meschede join Donald who then edged Magoffin just wide of third slip before steering him in the air over backward point.
Donald had another moment of good fortune against Magoffin as he top-edged a pull over the wicket-keeper’s head before drilling Archer through mid-off. Meschede also cover drove the Bajan before Donald greeted the return of Wiese by driving him to the cover boundary. But with the total on 202, Wiese trapped Meschede l.b.w.as the assertive Donald was joined by the combative Graham Wagg.
The all-rounder began by biffing Wiese through mid-on for four before Donald again dispatched Archer for four through the covers. He then completed his fifty from 59 balls as he flicked Danny Briggs off his legs for a single before Wagg straight-drove the spinner for six to bring up the 200-lead. Donald then swatted a short ball from Garton for four to mid-wicket, but next over the young tyro edged a drive against the left-armer into Brown’s gloves.
246/6 immediately became 246/7 as Mark Wallace edged Garton to second slip before next over Owen Morgan edged the left-armer over the slip cordon. But with the total on 254, Wagg holed out to long-off as he looked to deposit Briggs again into the River Stand..