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Day Four

Morning: Still plenty of clouds above early on Thursday, and a positive start for Worcestershire with Adam Finch banging in a short ball that Archie Lenham top-edged through to the keeper on the pull for 9. A few overs later, just before the new ball became available, Jack Carson got a little too eager to advance the score and pulled Finch straight to a diving deep square leg for 7, leaving the visitors 234-8. A spellbinding passage of play followed the new nut, with 16-year-old Dan Ibrahim bidding to become the youngest centurion in the history of the County Championship, having already become the youngest to a half-century in June, while the Pears looked to wrap things up quickly. Having taken the lead beyond 300, Henry Crocombe lobbed up a leading edge to cover for 6 off Dillon Pennington, leaving Ibrahim (in the absence of a declaration) to try and write his name in the history books off the last-wicket stand. In the end, with Worcestershire pulling every fielder back to the boundary, he came within six runs before falling at the final hurdle; Joe Leach sent down a legside ball that drew a wild pivoting swing across the line with no result except a simple catch for the keeper, prompting a late and somewhat half-hearted appeal from the skipper alone. Having been asked the question, the umpire instantly adjudged the ball to have been gloved behind and cut Ibrahim's knock short on 94, bringing the Sussex innings to a close on 263 and setting Worcs what seemed like a nominal target of 315 to win. Resuming at quarter past noon, the openers made a positive start, but on the stroke of lunch Daryl Mitchell was bowled off the pads by a ball that jagged fiercely back in, and the home side went into the interval 39-1.

Afternoon: He may have intended to simply keep up the attacking intent, but it all went horribly wrong once again for Tom Fell after cutting his first delivery away for four. Having been reprieved once by a dropped catch behind, the number three soon departed to a poorly-judged and poorly-executed pull that dropped into the hands of midwicket for just 4. On the verge of an all-too-familiar collapse, it required a patient and watchful stand from Jake Libby and Jack Haynes to steady the ship. Though the former enjoyed a little luck here and there - his first delivery was edged through a vacant fourth slip, and a couple of further edges fell short of the cordon - he reached his half-century in assured style, and tea was taken with Worcestershire 129-2 and no longer in imminent danger of losing the match.

Evening: For the first time in a cloudy and chilly week, the sun broke through and lit up New Road splendidly as the batsmen motored along on a flattening pitch. Haynes completed his own fifty in the first over after the resumption, but a note of caution was sounded soon after when a ball from Fynn Hudson-Prentice stuck in the pitch and had the young man caught and bowled for 62. Nevertheless, Sussex were perhaps guilty of going a bit too defensive a bit too soon with their field, and with no slips to threaten him, Libby was all too happy to bash Henry Crocombe all around the ground as he raced to his tenth first-class century. For his part, Ben Cox got stuck into the spinners with his full array of slog-sweeps and straight drives, and though the required run-rate had climbed to a run a ball by the time he was caught at long-on for 37, with just a few dozen to knock off and wickets in hand it was a fairly simple equation. Dolly promptly came out in T20 mode and made mincemeat of whatever the young guns threw at him, reaching a 28-ball half-century with identical back-to-back sixes from simple legside flicks. In the end, it was all wrapped up with overs to spare; not necessarily a miraculous win, but certainly an unexpected and welcome one.

Worcestershire WIN by six wickets

The Verdict: The final day turnaround may well have been an age-old tale of youth coming unstuck against experience, as Sussex's undoubtedly talented line-up of teens - who'd enjoyed the better of the first three days - lost their way little by little when the momentum of the chase swung against them. They can take heart from some excellent performances, and hopefully Worcestershire can likewise find a bit of confidence after getting the basics right with bat and ball for the first time in a long while.