Martin-Jenkins rescues Sussex

Robin Martin-Jenkins hit a timely half-century for Sussex at the Brit Oval

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Robin Martin-Jenkins scored an unbeaten 71 to ensure Sussex avoided the follow on after the third day of their LV County Championship Division One clash with Surrey at the Brit Oval.

It was a vital innings from the Sussex all-rounder as both he and Jason Lewry shared a final-wicket stand of 57 as Surrey looked likely to enforce the follow on after a flurry of wickets had left the visitors on 197 for seven.

When Lewry (22) was eventually caught at slip in from a defensive push, Surrey went into their second innings with a lead of 127 runs which was extended by the close to 204 runs as they finished on 77 for two with Mark Ramprakash unbeaten on 36 and passing a 1000 runs for the 18th time in his career.

The early Surrey wickets to fall were that of Scott Newman - caught behind for five - and fellow opener Stewart Walters (lbw for eight), giving a wicket apiece to Lewry and Martin-Jenkins.

Resuming the day on 97 for three, Sussex progressed rather slowly, taking four overs to score the first run of the day, when Murray Goodwin completed his half century.

Unfortunately for the south coast team, Goodwin only added five more runs when he was superbly run out by James Benning’s direct hit after Ollie Rayner had called for an ambitious single.

Night-watchman Rayner (17) lasted until just before lunch when he became Matt Nicholson’s first victim caught behind of a thin edge from a rising delivery which caught him by surprise.

Playing against his former side, Rory Hamilton-Brown smashed a couple of straight sixes in his 39 and along with Carl Hopkinson shared a sixth wicket stand of 53 before Hamilton-Brown leg glanced to Jonathan Batty behind the stumps.

Another former Surrey player, Andrew Hodd, did not last long as he fell for one following an attempted drive off Benning, again giving Batty an easy catch.

Meanwhile, Hopkinson went on to complete a resilient fifty from 101 balls before he became the eighth wicket to fall after a stand of 45 with Martin-Jenkins.

In the third over with the new ball Jade Dernbach saw Hopkinson (53) chop onto his stumps with a ball that was too close to cut and with Sussex still 68 runs short of the follow on target of 306.

A further 29 runs were added before Corey Collymore (eight) needlessly ran himself after being sent back by Martin-Jenkins going for a second that was never on.

Lewry struck two magnificent cover drives to inch nearer the target, with Martin-Jenkins completing a brilliant fifty with his ninth four.