Sussex vs Durham: Day 4 match report

Sussex won their opening match in the LV= Insurance County Championship for the first time since 2015 after Oli Carter’s unbeaten 33 guided them to a two-wicket victory against Durham.

The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsmen 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.

Sussex began the final day at The 1st Central County Ground on 172 for five and requiring a further 59 runs and things initially went smoothly on a Hove pitch showing little sign of deterioration.

Carter and nightwatchman 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 as he dismissed Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Nathan McAndrew. 

Hudson-Prentice (6) got a top-edge sweeping and was caught at short fine leg and McAndrew, tied down by the accuracy of his compatriot, was stumped after coming down the pitch aiming to heave Kuhnemann over long on.

Sussex were suddenly 208 for eight and still 23 short of their target, Durham having taken three for 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 last 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 provided by ECB Reporters Network