Sussex draw rain-affected match with Hampshire at Hove

Sussex 122 (51.4 overs) and 84-3 (34 overs)
Hampshire 226 (71.3 overs) and 173 (50.1 overs)
Sussex (11 points) drew with Hampshire (11 points)

A bad day for Hampshire today ended with the club flirting with relegation from the First Division after rain frustrated their attempt to beat Sussex at Hove.

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Only 21 overs were possible on the final day at the 1st Central County Ground between the showers.

Sussex needed 278 to win and reached 84-3 before a final downpour at 4pm ended play, with opener Tom Haines unbeaten on 40. Both teams took 11 points.

That at least covered the eight points Hampshire had been deducted earlier in the day for preparing a poor pitch when Sussex won at the Utilita Bowl in May.

Hampshire have a trip to Somerset next week before they finish the season at home to title-chasing Surrey.

Having been up against it after two days, Sussex will be relieved with an outcome which stretches the gap between them and the bottom two.

They host Yorkshire next week before finishing the season against Worcestershire at New Road.

After the entire third day was washed out, more rain delayed the start until 2pm, leaving Sussex 51 overs to score a further 241 at 4.7 runs per over.

On a pitch which was becoming more comfortable to bat on, Hampshire needed to take every opportunity going.

But in the third over of the day, wicketkeeper Ben Brown put down a chance low to his right offered by night watcher Sean Hunt off Kyle Abbott.

In the next over Hunt edged Keith Barker between second and third slips.

Just 27 minutes were possible before another shower drove the players off, with six overs lost, but Hampshire then struck twice in successive overs to give themselves hope.

Hunt had done his job, using up 61 balls in making 19 before left-arm spinner Bjorn Furtain pinned him lbw half forward.

In the next over, Barker picked up a deserved wicket when Oli Carter was bowled by a delivery which nipped back on to his off stump.

But only 8.4 overs more were bowled either side of tea before another downpour was quickly followed by handshakes on the dressing-room balcony.

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Hampshire captain Ben Brown said: “I feel hugely frustrated (about the eight-point deduction). I think they had to prove intent to produce a poor pitch but anybody who knows anything about cricket could see there was no intent to do anything.

“Maybe the pitch was a little dry but I thought it was a really poor decision from those that made it. There was certainly no intent on our behalf.

“People seem to play on poor pitches for the entire season and there’s no problem so it seems there’s a real lack of consistency to the process.

“And it just seems that they’ve plucked a number (eight points) out the sky. Everybody works incredibly hard in professional cricket including ground staff, players, coaches, everybody, and it just feels like a really bad way to go about it.