Sussex seal first Division One win in a decade at Hove
Sussex beat Somerset by 260 runs at the 1st Central County Ground to claim their first top-flight County Championship victory since 2015
Sussex have secured a long-awaited Division One win after bowling Somerset out for 334 on the final day in Hove. It marked their first victory in the top tier of the County Championship since their return to Division One this season, and their first since 2015.
They began the final day needing six wickets, and despite being without key bowler Sean Hunt, who had taken nine for 76 in the match but was unable to bowl due to an arm injury, they were able to dismiss the visitors and win by a comfortable margin.
Jayden Seales played a key role, taking two wickets in a sustained opening spell and returning later with the new ball to remove Migael Pretorious, ending a frustrating 82-run eighth-wicket stand.
"The plan was to keep things tight and be patient," said Seales. "We knew the new ball would be important, so it was about keeping pressure on until that point."
Somerset had been dismissed for 201 in their first innings, leaving them with too much to do. Tom Abell top-scored with 96, and Lewis Gregory added 56, but Sussex remained in control throughout.
Seales removed James Rew early in the day, with the batter caught in the gully for 20. Abell survived two dropped chances before falling just before lunch, edging a rising delivery from Danny Lamb to slip.
Pretorious hit a quick 50, including a six and eight fours, but Seales bowled him with a yorker in his second spell. Sussex then wrapped up the innings with wickets from Tom Clark and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who also took four in the first innings.
"It's a great feeling to get over the line," said Sussex captain Tom Alsop. "We've worked hard for this and it's a good step forward for the team."