Sussex and Somerset shared the spoils in their County Championship match at Hove, which was heavily impacted by rain washing out the entire third day of play.
The draw maintained Somerset’s position among the Division One leaders, leaving them four points adrift of table-toppers Nottinghamshire. Meanwhile, Sussex secured valuable points in their fight against relegation and remained competitive towards the lower end of the table.
Somerset set Sussex a target of 303 runs to win from just 44 overs, but there was little indication that Somerset were eager to force a result. Sussex, in turn, were content to bat out the overs. Any realistic prospect of victory vanished when rain interrupted play after Sussex reached 62 for one from 14 overs in their second innings.
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Dan Hughes was the only Sussex wicket to fall in that innings, caught at second slip by Tom Abell off the bowling of Migael Pretorius after being deceived by unexpected bounce.
Somerset began the final day on 167 for two, holding a lead of 119. By lunch, it was apparent that a draw was the most likely outcome.
The morning session added 83 runs for the loss of one solitary wicket. The wicket fell at 198 when Henry Crocombe, bowling from the sea end, trapped Tom Lammonby lbw with an in-dipping delivery on his first ball. Lammonby had scored a season-high 93 from 171 balls, including twelve fours.
Somerset’s fourth wicket fell at 266 when Sean Hunt’s delivery clipped the off stump of captain Tom Abell, who had been dropped two balls earlier off the same bowler in a challenging return catch.
Sussex struck again at 283, dismissing Henry Nicholls who had just reached a composed half-century. He was caught at deep midwicket by James Coles after an inside edge deflected off his bat attempting a boundary.
These were the first wickets for Sussex all-rounder Joey Evison, who recently joined on loan from Kent ahead of a permanent move next season. He soon claimed a second wicket, with Craig Overton caught at deep square-leg by Jack Carson after attempting a powerful pull shot.
James Rew was the final wicket before Somerset’s declaration, caught at deep point trying to accelerate the scoring off Tom Clark, having made 27 from 44 deliveries.
Migael Pretorius’s dismissal at 343 saw John Simpson take a spectacular diving catch at square-leg. Somerset declared their innings closed on 350 for nine, with Jack Leach well caught off Carson’s bowling from the final ball.
Somerset’s Jake Ball came into the side replacing Josh Shaw, who missed the match due to the birth of his baby son over the weekend.
Commenting on the match, Somerset head coach Jason Kerr said: “The draw was the expected outcome after losing the entire third day of play, especially considering the pitch conditions. Losing that time was incredibly frustrating.
“There was a chance to push ahead, but unfortunately we didn’t get the opportunity. We had plenty of discussions in the morning about how to approach the day – striking the right balance is always difficult.
“When we set a target of 300 in 44 overs, realistically only we had a chance to win. We probably should have scored more in our first innings. Tom Abell was outstanding again with the bat.
“I thought our bowling on day two was exceptional and put us back into the game, so despite the weather interruptions, there’s plenty we can take from this match.”