Match report provided by the ECB Reporters Network.
DAY FOUR
Tom Haines and James Coles both scored centuries as Sussex clinched the second division title on a day of celebrations at Hove.
Haines made 105 – his third hundred of the season – and Coles hit an unbeaten 132 as Sussex finished the season undefeated at the 1st Central County Ground after drawing with Middlesex.
They began the final day on 112 for two, needing to reach 250 and a fourth bonus point to ensure promotion as champions.
There was a slight sense of anti-climax shortly after lunch when Luke Hollman overstepped and the two no balls took Sussex to 250, but the celebrations out in the middle, where Coles and skipper John Simpson embraced warmly, and on the pavilion balcony showed what it meant as Sussex returned to Division One after a nine-year absence.
Sussex finished 20 points clear of Yorkshire, having won eight of their 14 games.
There had still been a bit of work to do at the start before the celebrations could begin and Haines and Tom Alsop settled any nerves by putting on 123 in 35 overs for the third wicket with few alarms. Alsop passed fifty for the eighth time this season and must have fancied his chances of converting it into a first hundred, only to mistime a pull off Josh De Caires to deep mid-wicket.
Haines reached a chanceless hundred – the 12th of his career - with a cut through backward point off Hollman for his 13th boundary only to fall just before lunch when he bottom-edged into his stumps to reward Hollman’s perseverance.
Once Sussex had achieved their objective the cricket not surprisingly lost any intensity. Ryan Higgins bowled off breaks instead of his usual medium-fast seamers, Luis du Plooy gave his left-arm tweakers an airing as Middlesex employed nine bowlers including Mark Stoneman, who sent down seven overs in his final game for the county, and wicketkeeper Jack Davies.
Not that Coles or Simpson were complaining too much as they built a fifth-wicket stand of 226 in 46 overs, beating the previous best against Middlesex set of 223 by Simpson and Cheteshwar Pujara when the teams drew at Lord’s earlier in the season.
Coles played aggressively, hitting six sixes and nine boundaries, clipping Hollman into the leg side to bring up his first hundred of the season. His unbeaten 132 came from just 150 balls while Simpson took his aggregate to 1197 runs at 74.81 with an undefeated 87.
It was fitting that Simpson, whose five centuries as well as his leadership has been so crucial to Sussex’s success, was there when the players shook hands at 4.20pm with Sussex on 459 for 4.
A few minutes later the celebrations could begin in earnest when the trophy was presented to him by another former Sussex captain Clare Connor, the managing director of England Womens Cricket.
DAY THREE
Sam Robson’s superb 113 off 103 balls spearheaded Middlesex’s sprint to 271 all out from just 44.3 overs at Hove, with Sussex replying on a more sedate 112 for two in a Vitality County Championship match that lost its first seven sessions to bad weather.
Tom Haines’ secure unbeaten 53 steered Sussex through 33 overs in the later stages of a day blessed at last by early autumn sunshine, leaving them with the prospect of clinching the Division Two title on the final day of the season.
Fast bowler Tom Helm dismissed both Oli Carter for 15, caught and bowled top-edging an attempted pull, and Tom Clark, who snicked behind on 14, but Tom Alsop (11 not out) stayed with Haines until stumps.
The game finally got under way at 12.40pm on day three, following two inspections and an early lunch, and Robson led from the front as Middlesex tried to make up for lost time in a valiant effort to reach a position from which to push for an unlikely victory.
Middlesex had started the day still with an outside chance of promotion, needing to win in this final championship round while also requiring second-placed Yorkshire to lose against Northamptonshire. But Yorkshire’s three bowling and three batting bonus points at Headingley meant they go up alongside Division Two leaders Sussex – who now need just one batting point, or a draw in this game, to become second division champions.
Picking up three bowling bonus points, with young spinners Jack Carson and James Coles sharing seven wickets, left Sussex at stumps just 138 runs away from reaching 250 and that first batting point. Sussex have announced that all spectators will receive free entry on the final day, plus a voucher for a free drink.
Robson’s hundred, the 36th of the former England Test opener’s fine first-class career, was his fourth of an excellent season and a chanceless innings of controlled aggression. The 35-year-old reached three figures off 87 balls and hit 15 fours.
With Ryan Higgins including three legside sixes in a 28-ball 40, Middlesex were at one stage 181 for three. But Higgins then swept slow left-armer Coles high to deep square leg, in the 29th over, and Middlesex’s first innings fell away despite every batsman attempting to maintain the attacking intent.
Coles finished with four for 61 while off spinner Carson’s three for 46 took him to 50 championship wickets for the season, the first time a Sussex spinner has reached that landmark since Monty Panesar’s haul of 53 in 2012.
Opening bowlers Ollie Robinson and Jaydev Unadkat claimed Middlesex’s first three wickets, with Robinson removing Mark Stoneman for 13 – courtesy of a diving low catch to his right at fourth slip by Haines – in his new ball spell of 7-0-21-1.
Indian left-armer Unadkat then replaced Robinson for his second spell from the Cromwell Road End, almost immediately bowling Max Holden off stump for 24 and later having Leus du Plooy (6) held after a juggle at first slip by Alsop.
By then Robson had completed a 51-ball fifty by straight driving Unadkat for four and Higgins’ arrival sparked a rollicking fourth wicket partnership of 78 from just 8.3 overs.
Coles, though, followed up his dismissal of Higgins by having Josh de Caires (1) well-held by Carson at deep square leg, who in the previous over had bowled Jack Davies through an attempted big drive for four.
After tea, taken at 208 for six from 36 overs, Robson swept Carson to deep backward square leg before Toby Roland-Jones (8) mishit Coles to mid off, Helm (7) was caught off Carson and Luke Hollman’s bright 34-ball 39 was ended when he was bowled swinging at Coles.
DAY TWO
There was more frustration for promotion-chasing Middlesex after play was abandoned without a ball bowled for the second day running against Sussex at Hove.
With the outfield saturated and rain still falling, umpires Paul Pollard and Surendiran Shanmugam carried out a brief inspection before making their decision just before midday.
Middlesex now have two days left to try and force victory and make up the 15-point gap between them and second-placed Yorkshire. Already promoted Sussex need four points to secure the title but the likelihood is that they will need fewer with Yorkshire still not on the field against Northamptonshire at Headingley.
DAY ONE
There was frustration for Middlesex after rain washed out the first day of their Vitality County Championship match against Sussex at Hove.
Heavy overnight rain left the outfield at the 1st Central County Ground saturated and further torrential downpours meant there was no surprise when umpires Paul Pollard and Surendiran Shanmugam abandoned play at 1.05pm with large puddles all over the outfield.
Sussex have already secured promotion and need four points to be confirmed as champions. Third-placed Middlesex must win and make up a 15-point gap on second-placed Yorkshire, who are at home to Northamptonshire, to have any chance of joining them.
Friday’s forecast is slightly better, but it will take a prolonged spell of dry weather to get the ground playable.
Sussex
Middlesex
