Nash boosts Sussex survival hopes

Chris Nash improved his poor conversion rate with his second first-class ton

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Chris Nash’s second first-class hundred hauled Sussex into a position of likely safety in LV County Championship Division One, in spite of being forced to follow on against Yorkshire at Hove.

Nash ensured Sussex scraped one crucial batting point by reaching 207 all out in reply to 400 for nine declared.

Then by stumps on a gloriously sunny day three, Nash reprised his resistance in an 88-run opening stand with Michael Yardy (60no) which helped the champions to a relative comfort zone of 118 for two.

Events elsewhere - namely Kent’s failure to earn a final bowling point against title-chasing Durham at Canterbury - meant both teams in this match, billed as the relegation battle of the last round, almost certainly no longer need to win to stay up.

Only a monumental turnaround at Canterbury, or defeat for either Yorkshire or Sussex could spell the end of top-flight status for them rather than Kent.

The sting was therefore taken out of this set-to, in which both teams have fought valiantly throughout so far and in turn appeared for significant periods to be surefire candidates for the dreaded drop into Division Two.

After Yorkshire’s spin twins David Wainwright (3-9) and Adil Rashid (2-41) took the last four wickets for just 14 runs to hasten the end of Sussex’s first innings, Anthony McGrath was persuaded to push for victory by asking his hosts to bat again.

But the probability tomorrow nonetheless remains an agreeable stalemate, and Nash deserves great credit for near single-handedly boosting the champions’ hopes of defying odds which had at one stage begun to stack against them.

It was he who stayed put while the remainder of Sussex’s frontline batsmen came and went - last night on the way to a hapless 25 for three, and then again today.

Nash and Murray Goodwin dug in under cloudless skies on this benign pitch, as Yorkshire’s seamers drew a blank in the first hour.

Adil Rashid worked well in tandem with David Wainwright, taking 2-41 to dismiss Sussex

But Gerard Brophy pulled off a neat stumping down the leg-side, standing up to the 6ft 4in pace of Steve Patterson, to account for Goodwin.

With another big player therefore gone for the hosts, much depended on Nash’s stand with Matt Prior.

It went well as 60 runs were added either side of lunch - until Prior slapped Patterson to point, where Richard Pyrah took a nonchalant one-handed catch.

Chris Adams then went for a duck in his final match as captain, continuing his moderate form this season when his once favourite cut shot resulted in a tame catch at gully off Tim Bresnan.

At 129 for six, Sussex’s all-important initial target of 200 was still a long way off. But Nash, who made 96 last week in the rain-ruined draw at Durham, kept his cool on the way to a 163-ball hundred which contained 11 fours.

He was already into three figures when Adam Lyth had the chance to run him out with a direct hit from mid-on.

But the same fielder made up for that missed opportunity when he caught a faulty pull by Nash when on 106 - giving Wainwright a big wicket with his first ball of the innings, in the 60th over.

Luke Wright was approaching a valuable half-century, having shared a 64-run seventh-wicket stand with Nash, but was then left stranded as yesterday’s centurions Rashid and Wainwright demonstrated their prowess with ball as well as bat.

Sussex therefore needed to bat well second time round.

After a sound start, they lost Nash for 27, caught at slip pushing forward to Rashid.

Carl Hopkinson went soon after, lbw on the crease to Wainwright.

But Yardy, showing the mettle he will need in his captaincy role next summer, proved his standing with an 87-ball half-century which provided much-needed encouragement for his team.