County Championship: Worcestershire beat Sussex by 11 runs in Hove thriller
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| Specsavers County Championship Division Two, Hove, day three |
| Worcestershire 306: Magoffin 5-38 & 194: Fell 85, Cox 56; Magoffin 5-32, Wiese 4-18 |
| Sussex 229: Jordan 57; Cummins 7-84 & 260: Wiese 70*, Jordan 50; Cummins 5-82 |
| Worcestershire (22 pts) beat Sussex (4 pts) by 11 runs |
| Scorecard |
West Indies fast bowler Miguel Cummins proved Worcestershire's matchwinner as they beat Sussex by 11 runs in another thrilling finish at Hove.
Less than three weeks on from a tense two-wicket win over Northants, Steve Rhodes' side edged another nailbiter.
Resuming on 13-1, an away win seemed a formality at 113-6 before Chris Jordan and David Wiese shared a 114-run stand.
But, when Sussex needed only a further 45, Cummins (5-82) returned to the attack to take the final four wickets.
With Wiese left stranded on 70 that left Cummins, who had taken 7-84 in the first innings, with a career-best 12-wicket match haul.
The visitors were also indebted to Brett D'Oliveira, who ran out Ollie Robinson for 42 off the last ball before lunch with a brilliant piece of fielding at point before then taking a stunning catch for the ninth wicket, Danny Briggs.
Worcestershire's fifth win of the season edges them above Sussex into third, both sides now being 19 points behind second-placed Kent, whose final game is at home to Division Two champions Essex.
Rhodes' side finish their season at home to Derbyshire at New Road next week, while Sussex visit Bristol to face Gloucestershire.
Cummins (12-166) was one of two bowlers to take 10 wickets or more in the match, Steve Magoffin (5-38 and 5-32) having done the same for Sussex, for whom England all-rounder Jordan hit two half centuries (57* and 50).
Earlier in the morning, Worcestershire vice-captain Joe Leach (3-70) had ripped through the Sussex top order to reach 60 Championship wickets for the season.
David Wiese told BBC Sussex:
"The game did ebb and flow throughout. We were kind of down and out when Ollie Robinson was run out just before lunch and we were 113-6.
"CJ and I decided there was no point going into our shells. We wanted to be positive because, if you hung about, you'd eventually get knocked over.
"We put pressure on their bowlers and went through stages when we could score quickly. We complimented each other well and, all of a sudden, it looked like we might win.
"But they took two really good catches and Miguel Cummins kept coming in hard at the end. It was a terrific game. It's just a shame we couldn't get over the line."
Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes:
"It's a shame one side had to lose and I genuinely mean that. It was a great game and a fantastic advert for Championship cricket.
"I was pleased with the way we stuck at it because when Chris Jordan and David Wiese were batting together I thought that might be it for us - it looked like being the crucial stand.
"But Miguel Cummins has come back and won it for us. To take 12 wickets and keep running in hard as he did was a mighty fine effort.
"Brett D'Oliveira made a big contribution with the run out of Ollie Robinson and the catch to get Danny Briggs out. Sometimes his head drops but he doesn't need to because he is such a good fielder."