| LV= County Championship Division Two, The 1st Central County Ground, Hove (day four): |
| Durham: 376 & 189: Robinson 58; Hudson-Prentice 4-27, Crocombe 4-47 |
| Sussex: 335 & 232-8: Haines 64; Kuhnemann 4-70, Carse 3-38 |
| Sussex (21 pts) beat Durham (6 pts) by 2 wickets |
| Scorecard |
Sussex won their opening match in the County Championship for the first time since 2015 after Oli Carter’s unbeaten 33 guided them to a two-wicket victory against Durham at Hove.
The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter fittingly hit the winning runs when he pulled Brydon Carse for the second of two fours in an over, having supervised what was at times a nervy run chase after being set 231.
Sussex began the final day at the 1st Central County Ground on 172-5 and requiring a further 59 runs and things initially went smoothly on a pitch showing little sign of deterioration.
Carter and nightwatch Sean Hunt added 29 with Hunt taking boundaries in successive overs off Matthew Potts to ease the nerves.
Potts was replaced by left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann after bowling just two overs but it was Carse, during a fine six-over spell, who made the breakthrough when he angled the ball across Hunt and wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson dived in front of slip to take a fine catch. Nonetheless, with 14 runs, Hunt had done his job.
Durham sensed an opportunity and Kuhnemann took two wickets in four overs from the sea end to make them favourites, although neither of his victims – Fynn Hudson-Prentice or Nathan McAndrew – will be rushing to see replays of their dismissals.
Hudson-Prentice got a top-edge sweeping and was caught at short fine leg and McAndrew, tied down by the accuracy of fellow Australian Kuhnemann, was stumped after coming down the pitch aiming to heave his compatriot over long on.
Sussex were suddenly 208-8 and still 23 short of their target, Durham having taken 3-15 in 11 overs.
But Carter found a reliable partner in Jack Carson, and they were helped when Kuhnemann fired two balls down the leg side in successive overs, which were missed by Robinson and went for a total of seven wides.
Durham brought back Carse in a final throw of the dice but Carter pulled his third and fifth deliveries through square to the boundary before being embraced by his partner.
Sussex have only won once in each of their past three Championship campaigns so this will do wonders for their confidence, while Durham, who had a first-innings lead of 41, will reflect that poor second-innings batting cost them victory.
Report supplied by ECB Reporters’ Network.
