Worcestershire will begin the final day at Hove requiring 244 more runs for victory in their Rothesay County Championship fixture against Sussex, after a determined unbeaten half-century from Jake Libby anchored the reply to Sussex’s second-innings 256.
Set a challenging target of 361, Worcestershire closed on 117 for 3, with Libby resolute on 64* from 105 balls, a composed and fluent innings that has kept the visitors in the contest. He will resume alongside nightwatchman Ben Allison (3*) as the Pears look to defy a strong Sussex attack and chase down what would be a memorable fourth-innings total.
It was a day of fluctuating fortunes, but late wickets in the evening session gave the hosts the upper hand. Sussex debutant James Hayes claimed his maiden first-class wicket in dramatic fashion, tempting New Zealand international Henry Nicholls (38) into a mistimed pull that was well caught by John Simpson down the leg side behind the stumps. And with just two overs remaining in the day, England seamer Ollie Robinson produced a trademark delivery that found the edge of Kashif Ali’s bat and was smartly held at third slip by James Coles.
Earlier, Gareth Roderick was the only early casualty in the Worcestershire innings, bowled by a dipping yorker from Ari Karvelas for four. But Libby and Nicholls added 81 for the second wicket, laying a solid platform for the final-day effort. Libby reached his half-century with a fierce cut to the boundary off Hayes and looked in excellent rhythm, punishing anything loose.
Sussex had begun the day in a position of strength, thanks to a commanding 125-run stand between Tom Alsop and James Coles. The pair resumed in the twenties and made the most of some wayward bowling from the Worcestershire seamers, striking 21 boundaries between them. Coles brought up his fifty with a crisp clip through midwicket off Ben Gibbon, while Alsop reached the same milestone with a confident shot against the same bowler an over later.
Their dismissals shortly before lunch, Coles lbw to Matthew Waite for 68, and Alsop bowled by Fateh Singh for 72, sparked a mini-collapse as Sussex lost four wickets for 45 runs. Ben Allison, impressive throughout, struck twice in quick succession to remove Simpson (13) and Hudson-Prentice (2), both caught behind. He finished with figures of 3 for 52.
With the lead already past 300, Sussex opted for aggression in the afternoon, with Jack Carson and Ollie Robinson adding 47 in entertaining fashion. Both took on left-arm spinner Singh, who was struck for back-to-back boundaries by Carson and a towering six by Robinson. However, a mix-up led to the latter being run out for a punchy 30, and Singh wrapped up the innings shortly after with the final two wickets, returning fine figures of 3 for 58.
It leaves the match finely poised heading into day four, with Worcestershire needing a further 244 runs and Sussex eyeing seven wickets for victory. Much may rest on the shoulders of Libby, who has looked unflustered and assured throughout, as the visitors aim to pull off what would be a famous chase.
