Sussex – 402 and 384-9 dec
Derbyshire – 407 and 361-8
Match drawn
Sussex set Derbyshire a target of 380 runs to win from the final 58 overs and the visitors fell just short of a historic chase at Hove.
Ending their innings on 361-8, the visitors came within 20 runs of their seemingly impossible target at the 1st Central County Ground.
In a thrilling finale, captain Luis du Plooy and Haider Ali engineered an attractive 145-run partnership, with Ali hitting fifty and du Plooy a majestic century.
The pair came together in the 26th over after Wayne Madsen, who made a flashy 48 runs himself, was adjudged lbw to a full James Coles delivery.
Despite their gargantuan task, both du Plooy and Ali were fearless from the get-go. The former opted to use his feet, repeatedly dancing down to swat Sussex’s seamers around the wicket. He reached three figures in the 48th over, cutting off-spinner Jack Carson for a single.
Ali was equally aggressive but preferred the spin. In a flurry of boundaries, he cut and swept both Carson and Coles to the fence. He was eventually out for 73 runs from 54 balls, caught by Tom Haines at mid-off, attempting to slog Nathan McAndrew into the car park.
Ali’s mercurial effort left the visitors needing 87 runs from the final 10 overs. They were on course until the brilliant du Plooy was caught in the deep by Danial Ibrahim. Dismissed for 128 runs from only 117 balls, Derbyshire’s talisman took his team within touching distance before McAndrew ended his innings.
Keeping his cool, McAndrew struck twice more before the close. Arjun Dal and Alex Thomson were both caught skying the seamer to Ibrahim and Oli Carter respectively.
The Australian pacer finished with thre wickets for 79 runs before the sides shook hands.
Earlier, 19-year-old Coles struck an imperious 180 runs after Thomson took his first five-wicket haul in county championship cricket.
The off-spinner snagged his fifth wicket when McAndrew inside edged a skidding delivery into his pads. The ball ballooned to Wayne Madsen, who took a fine catch, diving forward at first slip.
Undeterred, Coles kept an even tempo throughout the morning session. Starting the day on 101, he plundered singles before accelerating towards the back end of his innings.
In the 90th over, he stepped across his stumps, flicking a dismissive six off paceman Sam Conners. The next ball, he ploughed to the on-side boundary with a filthy slog.
He was equally ruthless against Thomson, whom he drove, swept and reverse-swept for three boundaries in an over as Sussex surpassed 350.
All-rounders Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Carson also made valuable contributions. The former hit six boundaries in an attacking 44 before he was run out while Carson took a liking to medium pacer Dal, cutting him for twin fours in an over on his way to a 56-ball 41. Carson was dismissed in the 83rd over by Suranga Lakmal, the veteran seam bowler taking his second wicket of the innings.
Chasing quick runs, Coles finally fell after lunch, caught by Dal attempting to dispatch Conners for another six. Nine wickets down, with 384 runs on the board, Sussex declared.
Seam took the opening Derbyshire wickets. Ari Karvelas had Harry Came fending a length ball to first slip before Shipley struck twice to leave the visitors 76-3.
Opener Luis Reece was the Kiwi’s first victim, caught at second slip after mistiming a loose straight drive. He then dismissed first innings centurion Brooke Guest, who departed for a fighting 29 – bowled, chopping on to his stumps in the 15th over.
The draw ensures that the visitors remain rock bottom of the County Championship’s second division. Sussex are fourth.
After the game, Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: “Du Plooy played brilliantly. I thought his innings was outstanding.
“I said this morning to the players in the huddle, the game will not be won or lost by today’s performance. Over the course of the first three days, we had opportunities.
“It was important to get first innings runs. 400 looks like a decent score but on this pitch, which is an outstanding pitch to play cricket on, we should have been closer to 500.
“You leave a few runs out there. Derbyshire then get a five-run advantage. I thought then that the partnership between Dan Ibrahim and James Coles was as good as I’ve seen.
“In the end, I think it was worth gambling on the points for a draw, to try to get the win.
“We want to win and we’ve talked a lot about winning but, if we keep playing in that way, it’s going to come our way.”
