Sussex have title glimmer

Murray Goodwin key man as Sussex battle with Surrey

County Championship, D1, day three of four, Hove: Surrey 193 and 296 v Sussex 203 & 85-2

Match Scorecard

An intriguing final day is on the cards at Hove with Surrey setting Sussex 287 to win.

Leaders Surrey need to win after second placed Kent beat Somerset while third placed Sussex can keep their own faint title hopes alive if they claim victory.

After setting the home side a taxing target, Surrey made two early breakthroughs before the heavens opened on the south coast.

The players never reappeared after lunch, and Sussex will resume on 85 for two, with the game still very much in the balance.

The league leaders would have wanted an early wicket to put Sussex on the back-foot, and they got it in the second over of the innings when Richard Montgomerie (10) edged Ed Giddins behind.

But the hosts regrouped as Goodwin and Tony Cottey put on 62 for the second wicket.

Surrey did managed one more wicket before the rain with Cottey given out padding up to Tim Murtagh, and should have had a third with Nadeem Shahid dropping Prior at third slip first ball.

Surrey extended their lead thanks to Mushtaq Ahmed who struck a few lusty blows to take his side to 296.

After James Kirtley, playing his first championship game since fracturing his hand over a month ago, had yorked Murtagh with his first ball of the day, Mushtaq slogged his way to 47 from just 31 balls.

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Sussex: R R Montgomerie, M W Goodwin, P A Cottey, C J Adams (Capt), T R Ambrose, R S C Martin-Jenkins, M J Prior (Wkt), K J Innes, M J G Davis, R J Kirtley, B V Taylor.

Surrey: I J Ward, A D Brown, M R Ramprakash, R Clarke, N Shahid, A J Hollioake (Capt), J N Batty (Wkt), A J Tudor, T J Murtagh Mushtaq Ahmed, E S H Giddins.

Umpires: R Palmer and P Willey