Sussex Sharks defeat Middlesex to set up home T20 quarter-final – Brighton and Hove News

Sussex Sharks secured a home place in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals after defeating Middlesex by nine wickets in front of a sell-out crowd at Hove tonight (Friday, July 19).

They leapfrogged Somerset, who lost heavily to Glamorgan in Cardiff, and moved back into second place after securing a ninth win in the South Group.

They will host the team that finishes third in Group North in the round of 16 when the competition resumes in September.

The 1st Central County Ground was being used for the third time, but Middlesex’s 159-9 performance never seemed to be enough.

The conditions were put into perspective by Sussex openers Harrison Ward and Australian left-hander Daniel Hughes, who made 141 in 15.1 overs, Sussex’s fourth-highest score for any wicket in T20.

Hughes is now the highest run-scorer in his debut season in the Blast after taking his total to 560 runs with an unbeaten 96.

Ward, who was called up to the Hundred for the first time with the Oval Invincibles earlier in the day, celebrated by easily reaching his third half-century in this season’s competition.

Apart from a mix-up that almost resulted in Hughes being run out, the Sussex duo did as they pleased until Ward was caught at midwicket for 56 (42 balls, 5 fours, 1 six).

Hughes faced just 54 balls and hit 12 fours and three sixes – the third to win the game with 22 deliveries to spare, equalling his career-best T20 performance with his fourth fifty.

Some disciplined bowling had set Sussex up. They reduced Middlesex to 22-3 in the third over with Ollie Robinson picking up a wicket with the first ball of his first two overs.

The dangerous Leus du Plooy was superbly caught by Hughes at short cover, and Danny Lamb made an even better effort to remove Max Holden, darting to his left to hold off a powerful drive at backward point.

Later in the same innings Lamb had a much easier chance to beat Jack Davies without conceding a goal and had to go off with a right shoulder injury.

That left Sussex with a light bowler, but slow left-hander James Coles (2 for 28) and off-spinner Jack Carson (2 for 23) strangled Middlesex’s attempts to accelerate, although Davies celebrated his reprieve by making 52.

Davies hit four boundaries in an over against Scott Currie and also plundered three sixes, but Carson caught him in the 14th over courtesy of one of three catches on the mid-wicket boundary by Tom Clark.

Luke Hollman made it 28 late on but Hughes and Ward soon brought Sussex’s chase under control, with Middlesex finishing another disappointing campaign in second-bottom place after winning just three games.