Essex leaves Sussex Sharks stranded in T20 at Hove – Brighton and Hove News

Sussex 207-2
Essex 211-5
Essex won by five wickets

Essex, needing to win their last three games for a home place in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals, got off to a flying start with an unlikely victory over Sussex Sharks by five wickets with nine balls to spare.

Essex were inspired by a heroic innings of 120 not out by Michael Pepper, who faced just 53 balls and hit nine sixes and nine fours.

He was well supported by Charlie Allison, who made an unbeaten 44 off 26 with a six and four fours. The pair stunned a packed crowd with a partnership worth 121 in nine overs.

Sussex had scored an impressive 207-2 and Essex, having elected to bowl first, were soon caught out when their turn to bat came.

Ollie Robinson came into his own with the second ball of the innings when he caught the dangerous Adam Rossington at deep square-leg.

And when Tymal Mills came on for the fourth over, he immediately bowled out Dean Elgar for 11, leaving the score at 30-2.

Then when Robinson was moved to the Cromwell Road side, he took wickets with each of his first two deliveries, having Robin Das caught behind and then dismissing Paul Walter, who was caught at extra cover off one end.

Essex looked out of the game at 90-5 in the tenth over. But Pepper, who had started his innings with an attack on spinner James Coles, was already well into his innings.

He managed to take his incredible strike rate to 200 in the competition this season. He scored 488 runs at an average of 48 and this was his second hundred.

Sussex themselves needed two wins from three to earn a home quarter-final spot. And for the second time in two days, their innings were based on a dominant partnership.

Last night (Friday 12 July) it was Tom Alsop and John Simpson, putting on 139 against Kent at Canterbury. And against Essex it was Daniel Hughes and Tom Clark, putting on 110 for the second wicket in just 11 overs.

Once again, Sussex got off to a flying start thanks to Hughes and Harrison Ward (15) who scored 34 in just 3.2 overs before Ward was caught at mid-on.

But then Hughes, in particular, powered Sussex to yet another big score, with an innings of 81 from 43 balls, with five sixes and eight fours, batting at a rate of 188 to take their total to 435 runs in the competition this season.

Twice in an over, Hughes hit Shane Snater at long leg for six to take his fifty in just 26 balls.

At the halfway stage, Sussex were 94-1 and then Hughes added to the score by hitting leg-spinner Matt Critchley for a stunning six over mid-on.

At the other end, on a slightly slower pitch, Clark did not find his timing early on. But after hitting Walter over fine leg for six, his pace picked up and he finished with an unbeaten 72 off 53 balls, with eight fours and two sixes.

Alsop, in form, hit a brilliant 27 not out from 14, including a magnificent six over midwicket off Snater. But it would not be enough.