Yorkshire 364-8 dec
Sussex 216 and 236-7
Sussex lead Yorkshire by 88 runs with three wickets remaining
Yorkshire will hope the meteorologists have made a mess of the final day forecast as they chase an LV= Insurance County Championship victory over Sussex at Headingley.
Jonny Tattersall’s side tried their utmost to win inside three days but 58 apiece for opener Tom Clark and wicketkeeper Oli Carter went a long way to thwarting them.
Unbeaten promotion chasers Sussex were put under early pressure in the field as Yorkshire advanced their first-innings reply to 216 from 286-4 overnight to 364-8 declared, scoring 78 runs in only 9.4 overs of play.
That meant the visitors started their second innings 148 behind with 92 overs remaining in the day, a tally reduced to 84 by a couple of rain showers. And they closed on 236-7, with a lead of 88.
Yorkshire’s Dawid Malan advanced from 51 to 92 in only 20 balls at the start of play while captain Tattersall supported him by completing a brisk 41. They shared 89 for the fifth wicket.
Never mind Bazball, this was Gibboball as Yorkshire scored 78 runs in the first 9.2 overs of play to set up a declaration.
Coach Ottis Gibson clearly wanted to try to avoid being stung by final day wet weather against Sussex for the second time this season.
At Hove in late April, Yorkshire went into day four needing 63 with seven wickets remaining and were thwarted by a total washout.
Here, Malan hit two fours and a slog-swept six off the day’s first four balls from off-spinner Jack Carson, and 55 came off the first four overs courtesy of two more leg-side sixes against seamer Ari Karvelas and some aggression from Tattersall.
Greek international Karvelas then claimed three of the four wickets to fall.
Malan was caught and bowled by Nathan McAndrew, while Tattersall, Jordan Thompson and Ben Coad all holed out into the leg-side.
Yorkshire then chipped away at the Sussex top order wickets when realistically they needed to come in a flood. Pardon the pun but that’s what may happen if they forecasters are correct for day four!
The visitors are aiming to stretch their unbeaten run to 10 games with a ninth draw.
Left-handed opener Clark dug in amid improving batting conditions despite the overcast sky and was helped by the more combative Carter.
Mark Steketee, who struck twice alongside Coad and Thompson, made the initial breakthrough just after lunch when Tom Haines edged an expansive drive behind – 31-1 in the 14th over.
Charlie Tear, Tom Alsop’s concussion replacement, then edged Coad behind as the first of two wickets to fall in the space of six balls, leaving the score at 48-3 in the 21st.
The third wicket was James Coles caught low down at third slip by Fin Bean off Thompson.
Clark was on 25 when Carter came in at number five but the latter was only just behind in the forties when the opener reached his third fifty of the season off 121 balls shortly before tea.
Clark and Carter shared 78 for the fourth wicket, though their partnership was broken almost immediately after tea when a cutting Clark was caught behind at the second attempt by Tattersall off Adam Lyth’s off-spin.
When Danial Ibrahim edged to first slip off Coad two balls later, Sussex were 127-5 in the 43rd over and still 21 runs adrift with almost 42 overs left in the day.
Having earlier hoisted Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin for six over long-on, Carter went on to reach his fifty off 75 balls.
But Moriarty was the catcher at long-leg as he top-edged a pull at Thompson. By this time, Sussex were 154-6 and six ahead with almost 34 overs remaining.
Australian McAndrew then edged behind an attempted pull at pacy compatriot Steketee – 189-7 and a lead of 41 – but overs were running out for Yorkshire.
Sussex’s first-innings top scorer Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who made 73, met contrasting challenges to finish unbeaten on 43.
He was faced with some short-pitched bowling from Steketee and then leg-spin from Malan, with the new ball, as the light deteriorated late on.
