An elegant innings from Tom Haines was undone by a ferocious fightback on day three of Sussex’s season opener against Durham. A thrilling few sessions concluded with the home side on 172 for 5 requiring a further 59 runs to win
After dismissing the visitors cheaply, Sussex required 231 to win and began their innings with clear intent. In the third over, Haines crunched consecutive square drives for four, before Ali Orr got in on the act with a dismissive pull-shot and six Matthew Potts deliveries went for 13.
Sadly for Sussex, Orr would fall in the seventh over. On 11, the mercurial batter hooked a shortish Brydon Carse delivery to a grateful Michael Jones at fine leg.
Afterwards, Haines and new man Tom Alsop made steady progress. The former took a particular liking to Durham’s two Matthews – Potts and Kuhnemann – clubbing them for a combined six boundaries.
Vice-captain Alsop ticked over at the other end, reaching 29 from 58 deliveries before he rashly reverse-swept the off-spinner and Potts taking the catch at slip.
Haines too departed shortly after, mistiming a pull-short off the fiery Carse to fall for a fluent 64 from 68 deliveries.
This brought Cheteshwar Pujara and Tom Clark together. And, while the latter departed for a scratchy 22 off 55, his captain batted on.
As Haines had before him, Pujara found the fence with regularity against Kuhnemann, cutting the Australian for two picture-perfect boundaries in the 28th over.
The lacklustre Potts also got the Pujara treatment, finishing with figures of 0 for 71 from his 13 overs.
As the day drew to close, Sussex seemed destined to finish proceedings with their captain at the crease. Yet, with four overs remaining, the talismanic Indian pulled a Ben Raine delivery to short-mid-wicket, out for an agonising 35 from 43 balls.
Earlier, a revitalised Sussex seam attack ripped through Durham’s top order in the morning session. Sean Hunt nicked off opener Michael Jones to initiate a calamitous collapse which left visitors 70 for 5 at lunch, 111 runs ahead.
Henry Crocombe particularly impressed, claiming three wickets before the break – Lees, McKinney and Clark all edging the 21-year-old to wicketkeeper Oli Carter.
Concussion substitute Fynn Hudson-Prentice took the morning’s other wicket, dismissing David Bedingham with a full, out-swinging delivery. Bedingham, who looked in good touch prior to his dismissal, left the field for 15 from 22 balls.
Playing in place of George Garton, who was ruled out after top edging a pull shot into his helmet on day two, super-sub Hudson-Prentice left his mark on the day’s play. After lunch, he took the prized wicket of Ollie Robinson in addition to Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts to finish with figures of 4 for 27 – fine returns for the all-rounder.
Keeper-bat Robinson provided the only real resistance for the visiting side, hitting three sixes in his knock of 58, including two massive pull shots off the in-form Crocombe. Carse too played a decent hand, combining with Robinson in a dogged partnership which took Durham from 92-6 to 163-7.
Following his teammate’s example, Crocombe also claimed a four-fer, taking the final wicket of Kuhnemann to leave Durham 189 all out.
Play resumes tomorrow with Carter and nightwatchman Sean Hunt at the crease. Sussex require 59 runs to win while their opposite need five wickets. It could go either way.
