Sussex 275 and 230
Essex 177 and 281
Sussex (20 points) beat Essex (3 points) by 47 runs
Sussex took an hour and 20 minutes and 21 overs to wrap up the last three Essex wickets and complete a 47-run victory at Chelmsford.
The win lifts them clear of any lingering worries about relegation from Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.
Essex all-rounder Matt Critchley provided stern resistance though as yesterday and today he completed three and a half hours at the wicket defying Sussex efforts.
He was eventually the last man out when he popped up a catch to slip off James Coles for 96 from 132 balls.
It was the third time this season that Critchley, who has 838 Championship runs to his name, has been out in the nineties. His innings included two sixes and eight fours.
Shane Snater had given Essex some hope, hitting two sixes himself in a 45-ball cameo that put on 48 for the ninth wicket.
But it was merely brief entertainment for the sizeable crowd who had turned up in the hope of a miracle that didn’t happen.
Essex had started the fourth day under bright, clear skies needing 132 for an unlikely victory. And with all day available to them, Critchley and Mitch Killeen looked like they might tackle the task in singles.
Critchley punctuated the binary scoring with a firm drive through midwicket for four off Ari Karvelas.
Killeen also collected boundaries off the South African seamer, angling the ball wide of the slip cordon to third man and then turning through midwicket.
However, Karvelas gained his revenge when he ended Killeen’s 34-ball resistance with a delivery that reared up and took the edge through to the wicketkeeper. The eighth wicket had put on 31 runs and used up 11 overs.
When Snater cut Coles for four, the target dropped below 100. He followed that with an audacious six off the spinner over cow corner as caution was scrapped in favour of aggression.
Critchley caught the mood and swung Jack Carson for a maximum of his own, to be followed four balls later by another from Snater straight down the ground.
In response, Sussex promptly turned to Henry Crocombe and, with his third ball, he had Snater steering the ball high to second slip’s left. Critchley departed soon after,
The game had turned on a crazy 26-ball spell on the second evening when Essex lost seven wickets, tumbling from 171-3 to 177 all out, with Crocombe claiming a second hat-trick in eight days.
It meant that Essex conceded a 98-run deficit on the first-innings scores from which they never recovered.
With the all-rounder Coles hitting 79 in Sussex’s second innings, Essex were set a mammoth 329 to win in a notional 153 overs. It was always going to be a tall order.
In a tight division in which Essex and Sussex were separated by just one point at the start of the match, victory for the visitors carried them to the anonymity of mid-table.
Defeat for Essex left them concerned for their Division One status. Both counties have three games left to improve their position.
A feature of the four days was the number of replacements used, both for injuries and international call-ups.
Essex lost seamer Charlie Bennett to a recurring shin splint problem on the first morning. He was replaced by Porter. Sam Cook joined England and was replaced by Killeen, recalled from a loan spell at Gloucestershire.
Wicketkeeper Michael Pepper suffered a damaged thumb and George Bell, an emergency loan signing from Lancashire, took his place.
Sussex, meanwhile, lost Australian opener Dan Hughes to a side strain, with Oli Carter taking over as injury substitute, and all-rounder Tom Clark to a knee injury that meant he was unavailable to bowl in the fourth innings.
They will also lose Crocombe and Coles to the England white-ball squad for most of the run-in.
Essex captain Tom Westley said: “That spell from Crocombe, to lose seven wickets for seven runs, you are going to struggle to get back into the game.
“Crocombe has that X factor where he can change a game and he showed us that in this game. He bowls at high speed which is a challenge in itself. But that was the defining moment in the match.
“It’s hard to swallow. I think we played good cricket for a large percentage of the game but when you have 30 minutes like that it turns the game on its head.
“We were bitterly disappointed not to bowl them out in the first innings for 30 to 40 runs less with some dropped catches as well. Those runs at the end of the game go a long way – so it’s a strange one.
“The first five sessions of the game, we were in complete control and then the game turned on its head in that period after tea so we’re very disappointed.
“I have spoken many times about how good a cricketer Critch is and what a great signing he has been. He’s gone from strength to strength. It’s what we expected from him.
“He has been outstanding. He deserves the plaudits today and it’s a shame we couldn’t get it over the line because the way he has played all season has been outstanding.
“We can’t beat about the bush. We are in a relegation battle now. We were in a similar position last year and we ended up playing our best cricket of the season. We have to do that again.
“It’s a very condensed table. You win two games and suddenly you can find yourself third or fourth. But we are at the bottom of the table so it is a must-win game next week (against Yorkshire).”
Sussex seamer Ari Karvelas said: “I’m just grateful to be back playing for the club I love so much and playing the sport I love.
“A lot of people will be surprised to see me. I was coaching at the club and I went in for one of the One-Day Cup games.
“And Farby had a chat with me as they had a couple of injuries and did I mind sticking my boots back on again.
“I did exactly that and it’s been amazing to be back with the boys. And it’s been amazing to get the win here. We’ve played four very good days of cricket.
“On Tuesday I was actually at Solihull School because I’ve taken the role as director of cricket there. We had an inset day, having meetings, and then I had to travel down here to get ready to play on Wednesday.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind week but I’m just really grateful to be back out there with the boys. I really loved it.
“I feel, having nearly a year out, I’ve had a break and time to reflect on what I could have done better when I was playing.
“I’ve come back a little more clear on what I want to do, more relaxed and here we are.
“I was happy to contribute with the bat. It was tough work out there. But the way Jack Leanng batted took a lot of pressure off me when I came in and I could play my natural game and be nice and positive.
“I’m going to be with Sussex to the end of the season and I will start my role at the school in a few weeks’ time. The school have been amazing in allowing me to do this.”
