The manner in which the Sussex team song, “Good Old Sussex By The Sea”, was belted out said all you needed to know. You have to go back to Hove at the end of May, when Chris Jordan’s last ball six secured a precious one-wicket win, for its last airing in the Championship. A surprise given the manner of this comprehensive innings victory over Worcestershire.
It was a clinical display that suggests a degree of falseness to Sussex’s position near the foot of Division One. Jordan, too, played a steady hand in this fixture with what Chris Nash described as a “world class display of bowling” that saw the England man take five for 68 on day one. It was only 15 minutes before the toss that Nash knew he would have to stand in as captain as Ed Joyce succumbed to a back injury. But he possessed a calmness throughout, even chipping in with 90 in Sussex’s first innings of 510, which added the gloss on Luke Wright’s 226 not out and Ben Brown’s 103.
Friday was an exercise in persistence. Just as it has for the earlier exchanges, rain punctuated day four. Yet the visitors cracked on regardless. Nightwatchman Charlie Morris, who looked accomplished at the crease, played Jordan on to his stumps. Ashar Zaidi then squared up Alex Gidman before Ross Whiteley went by the same mode to Jordan.
It was then that Worcestershire started to give a bit back and Joe Clarke was at the forefront with a brilliant maiden first class hundred in his ninth Championship match. England selectors have made no secret of their admiration of his talents. He is an uncomplicated player, who drives with little fuss and saves the flourishes for his flicks square of the wicket, on both sides. He was honest against Steve Magoffin, but also stopped the experienced seamer in his tracks with a couple of well-timed fours down the ground. It took him 174 balls to reach three figures, with a 17th four, threaded through cover, taking him to the milestone.
Other than a 31 from Ben Cox, Clarke had little help at the other end, finishing unbeaten when Magoffin nipped one back into Saeed Ajmal to hand Sussex a well-deserved victory.
The result means Sussex are in control of their own destiny, sitting on 146 points in sixth place, 18 points above the relegation zone, with two games to play. The two teams below them, Somerset and Hampshire, face off at Taunton in the next round, while Worcestershire, eight points adrift at the bottom, have a week off.
Realistically, Worcestershire will need to win away at Durham and then at home to Middlesex in the final round to have any chance of staying in Division One.
