Surrey miss their chance

Mark Ramprakash’s cautious approach may have cost Surrey a chance of victory on the final day of the LV County Championship Division One match at the Brit Oval.

The stand-in Surrey skipper, whose side are bottom of the championship and without a win all season, adopted a negative tactic in a game he had to win, by not declaring at lunchtime with a lead of 278.

Instead, he used up four overs plus two for the break between innings’ after lunch before setting a target of 299 off 62 overs.

It was a challenge Michael Yardy’s side never entertained, and despite the loss of three early wickets, Chris Nash’s 71 not out, made in a stand of 123 with Carl Hopkinson (47 not out), saw Sussex to safety.

Surrey began the day 77 for two, 204 runs ahead in need of quick runs - but their plans to push on were derailed by the loss of three wickets in six balls.

Jonathan Batty was the first to go when he got a combination of glove and top-edge on an attempted reverse sweep off the bowling of Ollie Rayner and Jason Lewry came from slip to leg-slip to take the catch.

Chris Nash made 71 as Sussex held out for a draw

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Rayner struck again with his next delivery bowling James Benning for a golden duck, but it was the last ball of the over so the hat-trick attempt was put on hold.

However, Ramprakash (43) fell in the next over when he chipped Robin Martin-Jenkins gently to Hopkinson at midwicket.

With Usman Afzaal struggling with an elbow injury, Alex Tudor came in at seven and negotiated the hat-trick ball. However he had only made five when Rayner forced him to edge to slip.

Matthew Nicholson and Afzaal steadied matters with a stand of 42 before Rory Hamilton-Brown broke the partnership when the former lobbed a catch to Yardy at mid-on.

The captain had only returned to the field the over before to a thunderous round of applause as it was announced his wife Karen had just given birth to their second child.

Yardy got a chance to rush off and see his newborn when he fell early in the run chase, slapping Nicholson straight to Benning at backward point.

Surrey briefly entertained hopes of victory when Tudor struck twice in his first over, having Michael Thornely caught behind for two and dangerman Murray Goodwin taken at short-leg for a duck.

Nash was given lives when on 46 and 67 but Sussex held out comfortably.