Durham take victory in final session

Ben Raine bowled Durham to their second County Championship win of the season with a career-best haul of 6 for 27 as Sussex were beaten by 196 runs at The 1st Central County Ground.

The hosts were dismissed 30 minutes after tea on the final day for 240 with only night-watchman Ollie Robinson (55), Stiaan van Zyl (48), Chris Jordan (44) and the unbeaten Delray Rawlins offering the necessary resistance as Durham claimed their second victory of the season.

Durham's victory was set up during a devastating spell of four wickets in 16 balls by Raine, who joined the county last winter from Leicestershire and who finished with 6 for 27 from 22.3 overs with 13 maidens. 

The 27-year-old fast bowler took six wickets at the same venue for Leicestershire last season and he showed his liking for the seaside again either side of lunch when he picked up van Zyl, Laurie Evans, Ben Brown and David Wiese without conceding a run.

Bowling up the slope and getting movement back into the right-handers, his telling burst came just when Sussex harboured hopes of batting through the final day and saving the game.

They started it on 59 for 3 needing 378 more to win but van Zyl and Robinson negotiated almost the entire first session with few alarms, although van Zyl was dropped at slip by Alex Lees on 47.

Raine struck three balls before lunch. Left-hander van Zyl had faced 188 balls for his 48 before nibbling at an away-swinger. His seven boundaries included four in five deliveries off left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis.

With the breakthrough made, Raine rushed in. Laurie Evans was caught behind off the next ball – the first after lunch – and in his next over Raine pinned Brown (1) and David Wiese (0) on the crease with late movement.

But from 143 for 7 Sussex rallied through Jordan and Robinson, who shared 54 for the eighth wicket and more importantly used up 18 overs.

Robinson, who made a hundred on his Sussex debut against Durham in 2015 batting at no. 10, passed 50 for the sixth time in his career before his spirited resistance was ended by Chris Rushworth, who struck in his second over with the second new ball when Robinson was well taken by the diving Jack Burnham at third slip for 55.

After tea, Raine switched to the Cromwell Road end to finish things off. Jordan, who played well for his 44, edged a beauty which held its line to wicketkeeper Ned Eckersley and Aaron Thomason was held head-high at second slip by Bancroft, leaving Delray Rawlins 20 not out. 

Durham’s win lifted them off the bottom of the table to eighth and although Sussex remain third they have played a game more than most of their promotion rivals. 

Reflecting on his side's defeat, Sussex captain Ben Brown said: "I felt Durham out-bowled and out-batted us. We were four down for nothing against the new ball again and that is something we have to rectify pretty quickly because it meant we were up against it for the last couple of days. We probably have to look at making changes because we can't keep being 30 for 4 every time.

"Ben Raine was pretty relentless today and there are lessons for our bowlers to learn in the way he bowled straight and kept coming at us.

"We fell below our usual standards and that is a big disappointment. It's a brutal schedule at the moment with another game starting on Sunday but that gives us a quick opportunity against Northants to put things right.