Sussex stun champions Nottinghamshire by seven wickets at Hove
Sussex beat Nottinghamshire by seven wickets at Hove to damage the champions' hopes of retaining the County Championship.
The home side chased 76 in 18 overs to finish 76-3 in their second innings, sealing victory in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship, BBC Sport reported. George Thomas led the sprint with 38 not out. A seven-wicket win means Sussex lost only three batters in that chase.
The result was built on a first-innings lead. Nottinghamshire made 240 after slipping to 232-9 on day one, when Brett Hutton was 59 not out and Jaydev Unadkat had taken 3-82. Sussex replied with 358. Tom Clark top-scored with 89, while Oliver Price added 72 and Jack Carson 53. Hutton hit back with the ball, taking 4-59, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Sussex then bowled Nottinghamshire out for 193 in the second innings. Ari Karvelas took 5-42. Four of those wickets came either side of tea on day three, a spell Sussex Cricket said wrecked Nottinghamshire's plans.
That left a small target. Sussex needed less than five runs an over in T20 terms, and they got home quickly despite losing three wickets along the way.
Sussex took 22 points from the game to Nottinghamshire's three. It was Sussex's sixth win of the season, the same number as Warwickshire and Somerset. That is a strong return for a team that started the campaign with a 12-point deduction.
For fans, this means the title race has tilted. Warwickshire lead Division One and host Leicestershire in the final round. Sussex finish against bottom-of-the-table Hampshire. Nottinghamshire, whose defence was dented at Hove, end at home to Yorkshire.
