Nottinghamshire thrash Sussex by nine wickets to strengthen division one lead at Trent Bridge.
Nottinghamshire tightened their grip at the top of Division One with a crushing nine-wicket victory over Sussex, wrapping up the win inside three days at Trent Bridge.
Set just 148 to win after dismissing Sussex for 278 in their second innings, Notts made light work of the chase. Skipper Haseeb Hameed led from the front with an unbeaten 62, while England batter Ben Duckett blasted 59 not out to seal the victory in just 25.5 overs.
The hosts collected 21 points from their second win of the campaign, with Sussex managing only five after a bruising defeat.
Earlier, Sussex’s hopes of forcing Nottinghamshire to sweat were pinned on captain John Simpson. His gritty 74, supported by Jack Carson’s stubborn 43, kept the visitors alive until lunch. Yet it only delayed the inevitable as Nottinghamshire ruthlessly polished off the job before tea, keen to settle down and watch Nottingham Forest’s FA Cup semi-final.
Once again, Nottinghamshire’s teenage sensation Farhan Ahmed stood out, taking four for 54 with his crafty off-spin. Australian seamer Fergus O’Neill, playing his final match for the county, signed off impressively with figures of three for 74, ending his stint with 21 wickets in just four games.
Sussex resumed day three with an overnight lead of 64 and the experienced Simpson at the crease. Alongside Carson, the 36-year-old left-hander added 87 valuable runs. But Carson’s patient two-hour knock ended tamely, clipping Brett Hutton straight to substitute fielder Freddie McCann at midwicket.
From there, Sussex’s innings unravelled. Ahmed, handed the new ball just 12 overs old, struck immediately to remove Ollie Robinson caught behind. Simpson soon followed, skying a desperate heave to long-on where Josh Tongue pouched the catch.
Facing a modest chase, Nottinghamshire encountered ideal batting conditions as the Trent Bridge sunshine returned. Sussex’s Jayden Seales, who had earlier revived Sussex hopes with a fiery spell on day two, lost his rhythm, conceding boundaries freely to Hameed.
The damage was swift. Seales leaked four boundaries to Hameed in his first two overs and was thumped for a six and a four by Ben Slater when he switched ends. Slater, who had raced along to 36, fell pulling Seales to deep square leg, but the wicket only hastened Sussex’s misery.
Duckett arrived brimming with intent, eager to make amends after a rare failure in the first innings. He tore into Carson’s off-spin, hammering four sixes and five fours in a blistering 23-ball fifty, putting the result beyond doubt.
By comparison, Hameed’s patient half-century from 71 balls seemed almost sedate, yet no less effective. It was fitting that the Nottinghamshire captain hit the winning run at 3.27pm, sealing a comprehensive victory.
Attention now turns to Nottinghamshire’s next fixture against Hampshire on 9 May. They will be without O’Neill, whose impact has been immense, but Pakistan international Mohammad Abbas arrives to bolster their bowling ranks.
As for Sussex, the loss leaves them searching for answers, with both bat and ball failing to match Nottinghamshire’s clinical professionalism.
