Glamorgan secure five wicket victory over Sussex on action-packed final day

An action-packed final day saw 12 wickets fall as Glamorgan won their LV= County Championship Division Two match with Sussex by five wickets in Cardiff.

Oli Carter and Delray Rawlins had put on 104 for the sixth wicket after Sussex had lost two early wickets, as they looked to settle the nerves, taking the lead into three figures just after Lunch.

Glamorgan roared back into the contest with three wickets in five balls and bowled the south coast county out for 258, after they had been 220 for five.

Set 141 to win from 43 overs, Glamorgan struggled against the new ball and fell to nine for three with Sean Hunt picking up two early wickets. Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson steadied the ship with a partnership of 76 as Glamorgan got home.

Tim Seifert was the first wicket of the day as he slapped a full toss from Andrew Salter into the hands of Carlson at midwicket. Michael Neser was then rewarded for a probing spell in the morning as he trapped Daniel Ibrahim lbw for just five with Sussex still trailing by two runs.

Class

Carter once again showed his class with another well-compiled half-century before the break, backing up his first-innings century. Rawlins joined Carter at the crease and rode his luck early on, as Neser a dropped a caught and bowled chance when he was on 13.

Sussex got to lunch at 183 for five and Rawlins soon reached a stylish half-century after the interval. The two compiled a sixth-wicket partnership of 104 and looked like they would pull their side towards a draw as Sussex were 220 for five.

Glamorgan then blew the game wide open with three wickets in five balls. Colin Ingram came back into the attack and took the massive wicket of Carter, who swept another innocuous delivery straight to short fine leg for a well-made 83.

Andy Gorvin, the Covid substitute for Michael Hogan, then struck twice in the next over as he bowled Rawlins for 57 and had Henry Crocombe caught behind for a duck and Glamorgan were firmly in the ascendency as Sussex fell to 224 for eight.

Neser finished off the rest of the tail, removing Jack Brooks for eight and Hunt for two as Sussex were dismissed for 258 with Glamorgan requiring 141 to win from.

A simple chase was turned on its head as the century makers from the Glamorgan first innings, Eddie Byrom and Ingram, were removed by Brooks and Hunt for two and nought respectively, before Hunt bowled Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd for seven.

Northeast and Carlson settled some nerves with a partnership of 76, then Carlson ran past a googly from Archie Lenham and was stumped for 45. It became five down when Billy Root was well caught by Seifert off the bowling of Brooks, with 22 runs required for victory.

The batters then took 13 off the next over to make things a formality before Chris Cooke smashed Lenham through the covers to seal a memorable win at Sophia Gardens. Northeast finished unbeaten on 45.

Glamorgan take 23 points from the victory to leap to joint third in the table.