County Championship: Hampshire set up victory chance over Sussex

A canopy of cloud and a sultry atmosphere were perfect conditions for a bowler of Abbott’s skill but he bowled an immaculate length and benefitted from some injudicious shot selection by the Sussex batters.

The ball to spark the collapse at Tom Alsop was a good one that angled in and left him off pitch but James Coles was guilty of aiming a big drive well outside off stump and John Simpson played fatally away from his body.

Jack Carson’s off stump was uprooted by a delivery which swung a lot and Dom Goodman was caught at point off a big leading edge.

Eddie Jack rounded things off with two wickets in an over and Abbott finished with 6-49.

Hampshire found conditions just as testing when they went in again. It took them 25 balls to get their first run and both openers departed at the end of a fast-forward session which saw nine wickets and just 47 runs scored.

They were soon 26-5 as Tom Price produced a skilful burst which brought him three wickets including Jake Lehmann, who lost his middle and off stumps to one which nipped back through his defences.

Former Sussex captain Ben Brown bagged a pair to give Jaydev Unadkat his second wicket during a miserly spell of 10-5-16-2.

Ali Orr began the fightback against his former county with a gutsy 36 including a pulled six into the pavilion in Goodman’s first over, but two balls later Orr nicked to wicketkeeper Simpson off an inside edge to leave Hampshire 66-6.

But then the sun finally burst through and suddenly batting looked a much less hazardous occupation.

Potgieter and Felix Organ put on 91 in 31 overs either side of tea and although Sussex skipper Tom Haines was not afraid to change things up for the first time in the match, bat was dominating the ball.

Off-spinner Carson made the breakthrough. Potgieter batted for nearly three hours and his half-century might still prove crucial, but he was furious with himself when he picked out mid-wicket trying to drive through square.

Organ (48) was brilliantly caught by Jack Leaning diving to his left at second slip, but Jack and Abbott combined to frustrate Sussex again with an unbroken last-wicket stand of 33 to help set up an intriguing finale.

Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.