Leicestershire Foxes 363-7 (50 overs)
Sussex Sharks 353-9 (50 overs)
Leicestershire win by 10 runs
The holders Leicestershire Foxes made it three wins out of four in this year’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup when they beat Sussex Sharks by 10 runs at Hove.
But in a monumental match, which yielded 716 runs, Sussex – who have now lost all five of their games – took it right to the wire.
A magnificent 119 from 80 deliveries by Australia’s Peter Handscomb helped propel Leicestershire to a total of 363-7.
It looked much too much for a Sussex side who had averaged just 200 in their previous four matches.
But Sussex, with six changes to their side, made a tremendous match of it after appearing out of it at 196-4 in the 35th over.
A stand of 131 in 12 overs between Tom Haines (129) and John Simpson (85) put their side back in the reckoning. Simpson has now scored 477 runs against Leicestershire this season for once out.
Haines and Tom Clark had put on 120 for the first wicket before Clark was bowled by Ben Mike for a 74-ball 72 in the 20th over. He was dropped by Mike before he had scored.
The Sussex innings then stuttered as Charlie Tear, Tom Alsop and Fynn Hudson-Prentice all fell cheaply as the asking rate climbed to more than 10 an over.
But Haines, who straight-drove Liam Trevaskis for successive sixes on his way to his second List A century, and Simpson turned the game round. Simpson scored at a rate of 166.66, with eight fours and three sixes.
Even when Haines was fifth out at 318, Sussex were still in in it, needing 41 off three. But when Simpson was out in the penultimate over, with 20 still needed, it was all over.
Leicestershire were surprisingly invited to bat first in run-friendly conditions. Equally surprisingly, the Foxes would also have opted to bowl.
And their large total was built around an opening stand of 129 between Ian Holland (65) and Sol Budinger (84) and a fourth wicket partnership of 146 between their two best batsmen, Handscomb and Ajinkya Rahane (68).
All-rounder Holland, making his return to the side to open both batting and bowling, and Budinger, who had already shown good form in the competition this season, built the platform for their side’s innings.
They batting through the opening 20 overs, scoring 52 from the first 10-over powerplay and raising the hundred in the 17th over.
This was the third time in four innings that Budinger had reached fifty and both he and his opening partner reached the landmark by striking the expensive Archie Lenham for six.
But it was Lenham who broke through in the 21st over when Holland edged to short third man. He had hit eight fours and two sixes in 67 balls.
Captain Lewis Hill fell cheaply and then Budinger’s 77-ball stay ended after striking at 109, with six fours and five sixes. But at 183-3 after 30 overs, and Handscomb and Rahane at the crease, the Foxes were sitting pretty.
Both batsmen showed their experience as they exploited the short boundary on the east side of the ground.
The Sussex bowlers, with the exceptions of the impressive Hudson-Prentice and Jack Carson, were guilty of bowling too short in the conditions. Clark’s solitary over went for 22 as Handscomb pulled his first five balls for 4, 4, 4, 4 and six.
The 300 came up in the 44th over as Rahane drove Lenham for six but the batsman was fourth out at 318 when he edged a slower delivery from Hudson-Prentice to the keeper. Handscomb carried on to strike 15 fours and two sixes.
