Sussex win promotion with a game to spare – and it’s wonderful, says coach

Sussex have won promotion to cricket’s top division with a match to spare – a result described as wonderful by head coach Paul Farbrace.

The club, based in Hove, beat Gloucestershire in Bristol by an innings and seven runs on the third day of a four-day fixture.

A win in their final match at home to Middlesex – scheduled for Thursday 26 September to Sunday 29 September – would mean Sussex go up as Division Two champions.

The have spent nine seasons in the second tier of the County Championship after relegation definitively ended something of a golden era for the club that include three titles.

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: “I was nervous coming into this morning thinking about how many we might have to chase with Zafar Gohar in the Gloucestershire attack and thought any more than 150 might be hard on that pitch.

“To actually win the game today without having to bat is fantastic and just shows the quality we have in our bowling attack.

“Henry Crocombe was top class with his spell and closed the game out, but Jaydev Unadkat and Ollie Robinson have also been superb for us.

“For a young Sussex boy like Henry to finish the game off was brilliant, as was having another local boy, Bertie Foreman, bowling at the other end when the final wicket was taken.

“Winning promotion is wonderful for everyone associated with the club, from the chairman and the board to the office staff, people who work on the ground, the members and supporters.

“It’s for them and the players. I am only in my second season and, while I am thrilled, there are a lot of others out there who will be equally delighted.

“When I arrived, I talked about our goal being promotion and I wasn’t shy in saying that. To have won eight Championship games out of 13 this season is a fantastic effort from the players.

“It means a lot that we go on to clinch the Division Two title because there are some very good teams who have been chasing us.

“Both Yorkshire and Middlesex have been breathing down our necks over the past few weeks and they are two very good teams.

“At the moment, I am not thinking beyond getting a nice cold beer and putting my feet up. We will see what happens next week.

“We went to Bangalore in pre-season and had a fantastic period there, bringing the team closer together. They are a close-knit bunch who enjoy each other’s success and I have enjoyed seeing that.

“All of us who have come in have been made to feel very welcome from the start. It is traditionally a family club and a lot of people are starting to feel that is coming back.”

Sussex seamer Henry Crocombe said: “I’ll never forget taking that final wicket. I was just trying to run in and do my best for the team and all of a sudden the game was finished.

“I was born in Eastbourne and have come through the Sussex age group teams from the age of about 11, so it means so much to me. There are a lot of home-grown lads in the team and we are like a family.

“I joined the Academy at 15 and it has long been a dream to be part of success in the first team.

“Watching Ollie Robinson and Jaydev Unadkat bowl and trying to follow them has been great for me. They always seem to get a couple of wickets early, which makes my job so much easier.

“One of them is always stood at mid-on or mid-off to offer me advice and it makes a massive difference.

“Now we want to win the title and next season show the First Division how good we are and prove why we were promoted.”

Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren said: “We found ourselves competing against a very good Sussex side who have played excellent cricket all season.

“To match them, we had to be at our best and unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Sussex put us under pressure from the very start of the game. We were facing two world-class bowlers and got caught short.”