Yorkshire 545-9 declared (140 overs)
Sussex 222 (99.5 overs) and 115-3 (44 overs)
Sussex trail Yorkshire by 208 runs with seven wickets remaining.
All-rounder Matthew Revis continued his sparkling run-scoring form in the Rothesay County Championship, posting his third hundred in as many matches to help Yorkshire press for a crucial victory over Sussex at Scarborough.
Dating back to late June, in Yorkshire’s last four Division One fixtures, Revis – 23 years old – has posted scores of 93 not out, 150, 110 not out and a career best 152 not out.
He hit the 150 in a victory over Essex at York, 110 not out in last week’s draw here against champions Surrey and now this 188-ball effort with 14 fours and two pulled sixes against spin.
Yorkshire declared on 545-9 midway through the afternoon, leading by 323 with 44 overs remaining in the day, and then restricted Sussex to 115-3 at close.
Opener Daniel Hughes gave the visitors something to cheer with an impressive rearguard 56 not out from 131 balls.
It would now be a significant surprise if Revis is not selected to tour Australia with the England Lions this winter.
Another man who could be on that tour is George Hill, with whom Revis shared an entertaining seventh-wicket partnership of 140 either side of lunch.
Fellow all-rounder Hill contributed a season’s best 75 off 93 balls. He has already had Lions exposure this summer, courtesy of his near 40-wicket campaign with the ball.
For Sussex, off-spinner Jack Carson plugged away with three for 150 from 43 overs. But he was swimming against the tide.
Revis, who started the day on 22, drove handsomely down the ground before pulling a couple of sixes off Carson just before Yorkshire declared minutes before 3pm.
Before lunch, Hill lofted Carson over long-on for six and out of the ground at the Trafalgar Square End.
Revis reached his fifty off 77 balls and his fifth career first-class century off 137, the latter on the stroke of lunch. Sandwiched in between, Hill’s fifty came up in 65 balls.
Sussex started the day nicely by removing Harry Duke and Will Sutherland, leaving Yorkshire 320-6 in the 97th over, the day’s seventh.
Duke was caught behind for 21 against an out-swinger from Fynn Hudson-Prentice – Sussex having taken the new ball immediately at the start of play – before Sutherland was bowled by fellow Australian Gurinder Sandhu for two.
Sutherland is playing his last match of the season for Yorkshire this week and had been surfing in the North Sea at the end of day two.
Revis and Hill advanced Yorkshire’s cause in entertaining fashion. Hill hit a six off Carson that landed in the backyard of the Airbnb which the county’s live-streaming team are using this week.
Revis became the first Yorkshire player to score three hundreds in successive first-class matches since Gary Ballance did it back in 2019 and the first non-capped White Rose player to achieve that same feat in 80 years.
Unfortunately for Sussex, further trouble was around the corner at the start of their second innings. They faced 12 overs before tea, reaching 29-3.
New-ball pair Jack White and Matt Milnes struck once apiece, adding to the run out of Tom Alsop courtesy of a direct hit from Imam-Ul-Haq at the striker’s end from cover.
White had Tom Haines caught and bowled off a lead edge and Milnes got James Coles caught at fourth slip for a golden duck the ball after Alsop had fallen in the sixth over.
But just when all seemed lost, left-handed Australian Hughes stood firm with the help of fourth-wicket partner Danial Ibrahim.
Hughes was understandably watchful but drove, cut, pulled and deflected 10 boundaries en route to a 114-ball fifty. The pair have shared an unbroken 95, with Ibrahim 50 not out.
Ibrahim reached 50 off 111 balls with the day’s final delivery. But the pair have plenty more work to do on a pitch which is showing increasing signs of turn.
Yorkshire all-rounder George Hill said: “Those three early wickets were massive. Imam’s (Ul-Haq) run out really started it off.
“Credit to their two. They batted really nice. I thought we bowled well and beat the bat quite a lot. There was a good amount of theatre out there. It was a good, entertaining last session of cricket.
“There’s some pizzas out there for Dom Bess to aim at, which is good. It’s spinning out of those, which is a good sign. It’s only going to get worse for facing spin, which is an exciting prospect.
“Myself and Rev (Revis) didn’t speak about batting any quicker this morning. It just happened. Scarborough is a quick-scoring ground – and the way Rev’s playing at the minute is an absolute joke. Everyone’s so chuffed for him.
“It’s unbelievable. We all knew he was talented. But with the confidence he has in his own ability, he looks so solid out there. Three hundreds in a row, it’s great to see.
“We have a new ball in 30 or 40 overs and it’s still nipping around now. If we hit a length hard and consistently, there’s enough there for us. We’re very confident for tomorrow.”
Sussex batting coach Grant Flower said: “It was a great fightback and some really good application from the two Dans (Hughes and Ibrahim).
“They had a bit of luck. There were quite a few plays and misses. But on a pitch like that you need a bit of luck.
“We’re up against a very good bowling attack, some really good seamers and a very good spinner in Dom Bess.
“At teatime, people probably thought, ‘It’s not going to go to tomorrow.’ So we’re really happy with that – and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.
“Dan (Hughes) would be the first to admit that there wasn’t one there (the run out of Tom Alsop), especially at that stage of the game with so much on the line. But those things do happen.
“Then, it’s a case of what’s gone has gone. It’s history. You’ve just got to try to learn from that.
“And it’s mental toughness. You have to try to be selfish and put it out of your mind and bat for the team – take it one ball at a time – which he did.”
