DAY 1
On a fluctuating first day of Worcestershire’s LV=County Championship Division One clash with Sussex at New Road the visitors ended the day on 283-8.
Worcestershire made two changes from the match against Surrey, with Gareth Andrew and Jack Shantry replacing the injured Alan Richardson and Aneesh Kapil.
Sussex won the toss and elected to bat in glorious sunshine and Chris Nash and Ed Joyce started well for the visitors with Nash, in particular, playing some attacking shots as the opening partnership went past 50 but Joyce was finding it more difficult and, with the score on 57, he was the first wicket to fall when he edged behind to Ben Scott off Richard Jones for 6. Nash then went to his 50 from 64 balls which included 8 fours, as Sussex went to lunch at 101-1.
In the afternoon session Nash became Andrew’s first wicket for Worcestershire this season when he drove loosely to Daryl Mitchell at second slip for 84 off 116 balls, with 11 fours, and then Murray Goodwin followed shortly after when David Lucas trapped him lbw for 1, with the score on 110-3. Luke Wells (39) and Michael Yardy (15) then put on 43 for the fourth wicket before they were both lbw to Jack Shantry, who then took his third wicket of the innings, when Joe Gatting hit straight to Matt Pardoe at cover point for 5, as Sussex went to tea on 168-6.
The evening session saw Ben Brown and Naveed Arif Gondal adding runs at a quick rate and their seventh-wicket partnership of 84 swung the game back towards Sussex. But then, with the score on 251, Brown (42) got a top edge from Lucas that flew over the slip cordon and Vikram Solanki was able to go back and take the catch. In the next over Gondal (46) was dismissed when, attempting to play a short ball from Jones, he nicked behind to Scott, with Sussex on 256-8, and then Steve Magoffin hit 4 fours in the remaining few overs as Sussex reached 283-8 at stumps.
DAY 2
Worcestershire ended the second day of their LV=County Championship match against Sussex at New Road on 231-7, trailing by 84 runs.
Play began on time, despite some rain in the early part of the morning, and Steve Magoffin and James Anyon carried on from the previous evening by frustrating Worcestershire, as their eighth wicket partnership reached 59, before Anyon top edged a Gareth Andrew delivery and was out to a good catch from Richard Jones, running in from fine leg for 17, and when Jones bowled Monty Panesar for 0 Sussex were bowled out for 315 off 101.4 overs, with Magoffin unbeaten on 41. Jones (3-79) and Jack Shantry (3-72) were the leading wicket-takers for Worcestershire, with support from both Andrew (2-57) and David Lucas (2-75).
Worcestershire’s reply began steadily as Daryl Mitchell and Michael Klinger took the score to 31 in the 18th over, before Mitchell was adjudged lbw off Anyon for 17, and at lunch the County were on 41-1.
Shortly after lunch Klinger edged a Magoffin delivery to Michael Yardy at first slip for 15, with the score on 45, and then Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali seemed to steady the ship, as they put on 47 for the third wicket, before Solanki charged at Panesar and was bowled for 34. James Cameron then hit Panesar’s next ball for six to the New Road stand but on 13 he edged a Panesar delivery, which pitched on the rough, and was caught by Chris Nash at short leg to leave Worcestershire on 110-4.
Ali and Matt Pardoe added a further 13 runs before tea and then, in the evening session, they both looked in fine touch as they went past the follow-on target of 166. Ali was to get to his 50 off 129 balls and the fifth wicket partnership had reached 96 until Ali was lbw to Naveed Arif Gondal for 85, off 179 balls, with 6 fours and 1 six.
Then, before the close, Worcestershire were to lose two further wickets as Gareth Andrew was lbw to Magoffin for 10 and Pardoe edged to wicket keeper Ben Brown off Gondal for 28, with the score on 217-7, and it was left to nightwatchman Jack Shantry and Ben Scott to survive the remaining overs as they added on a further 14 runs before the close of play.
DAY 3
On a truncated third day at New Road Sussex, at the close, were on 143-0 in their second innings and lead by 199 runs.
Worcestershire began the day on 231-7 and ten runs had been added until Ben Scott was trapped lbw off James Anyon for 5. Jack Shantry and David Lucas took Worcestershire past 250 but then, with the score on 257, Lucas went forward to a Monty Panesar delivery and was out of his ground when Chris Nash, at short leg, acted sharply to be run out for 8. Then Richard Jones was the last wicket to fall by mistiming a drive straight to Naveed Arif Gondal at mid-on for 0 as Worcestershire were all out for 259, with Shantry unbeaten on 22.
Sussex began their second innings with a lead of 56 runs and Nash and Ed Joyce batted with aggression as they went past an unbeaten century partnership. Joyce was the first to get to his 50 off 95 balls whilst Nash got to his 50, with the next ball, off 64 balls as the visitors took a firm grip of this match.
With the score on 143-0 the players went off for bad light at 3pm and then eventually the rain arrived as the umpires, Peter Hartley and Steve Garratt, ended proceedings for the day at 5:45pm.
DAY 4
Worcestershire held on to a draw in their LV=County Championship match against Sussex at New Road.
Overnight rain and continuing light drizzle in the morning meant that play could not begin until 1:10pm, with 72 overs left in the day’s play. Chris Nash and Ed Joyce carried on from the previous evening by taking the attack to the Worcestershire bowlers as they added a further 46 runs in just 4 overs until Nash was trapped lbw off Moeen Ali for 98 off 99 balls, with 12 fours and 3 sixes.
Joe Gatting scored a quickfire 36 off just 11 balls until he was caught by Matt Pardoe at deep mid-wicket, with the score on 239, but Joyce got to his century, with a 6 over long-on, off 139 balls as the visitors scored 115 runs in just 10 overs, with Murray Goodwin caught by Michael Klinger off David Lucas for 6 and Ben Brown returning a catch to Jack Shantry for 1, before they declared on 258-4 off 44 overs.
Worcestershire needed 315 runs to win off 60 overs and Daryl Mitchell and Michael Klinger began solidly until Mitchell was lbw to Naveed Arif Gondal for 5, with the score on 21. Klinger, in his final innings, played aggressively as he went past 50 but then he top edged a pull off James Anyon to wicket-keeper Brown for 67 off 101 balls, with 8 fours and 1 six, with the score on 97.
Ali also looked to be positive before he was stumped by Brown off Monty Panesar for 19 off 10 balls and then James Cameron (1*) had to retire when he was struck by a James Anyon bouncer. Pardoe was adjudged lbw off Panesar for 1, with the score on 128-4, but Vikram Solanki (44*) and Gareth Andrew (27*) stood firm and eventually their unbeaten partnership of 46 secured the draw for Worcestershire, who took 8 points, as both teams shook hands at 5:50pm.
WORCESTERSHIRE (259 & 174-4) DREW WITH SUSSEX (315 & 258-4d)
