Sussex vs Somerset | Day Four

Sussex and Somerset both looked happy to draw their Championship game at Hove after the third day had been washed out.

For Somerset, the result consolidated their position among the Division One leaders. And for Sussex, it kept them in the race while giving them some important anti-relegation points at the other end of the table.

Somerset did not look in a carrot-dangling mood when they set Sussex 303 to win from just 44 overs. And Sussex were content to bat out the overs. Any outside chance of a result disappeared when the players came off for rain with Sussex 62 for one after 14 overs. Dan Hughes was the one wicket to fall, when he was surprised by the bounce achieved by Migael Pretorius and Tom Abell took a fine tumbling catch at second slip.

Somerset had started the final day on 167 for two, a lead of 119, and at lunch it was difficult to contemplate any result other than a draw.

At the end of the opening session Somerset had added 83 runs for the loss of just one wicket. That wicket came at 198 when Henry Crocombe came on at the sea end and dismissed Tom Lammony lbw with a first-ball in-ducker. Lammonby’s 93 from 171 deliveries, with a dozen fours, was his highest score of trhe season.

Somerset lost their fourth wicket at 266 when Sean Hunt brought one in to  Abell and clipped the top of his off stump for 37. The bowler had dropped the batsman, a difficult return catch, two balls earlier.

Sussex broke through again at 283 when Henry Nicholls, having just reached a solid half-century, was caught at deep midwicket by James Coles. The New Zealander appeared to be aiming to clear mid-on but got a thick inside edge. 

It was the first Sussex wicket for all-rounder Joey Evison, who joined the county on loan from Kent last week before a permanent move next year. And he didn’t have to wait long for another.

Craig Overton had just pulled Evison for six but when he attempted to repeat the stroke next ball he was caught at deep square-leg by Jack Carson, who made it look simple even though the batsman had hit it powerfully and flat.

James Rew perished in the search for pre-declaration runs, caught at deep point as he attempted to get after Tom Clark having scored 27 from 44 balls.

Pretorius was eighth out at 343 when he was well caught by wicketkeeper John Simpson, a diving effort as he sprinted towards square-leg, and Somerset declared on 350 for nine when Jack Leach was well held by Hunt off Carson. Before play Somerset’s Jake Ball replaced Josh Shaw whose partner gave birth to a baby boy over the weekend.