Goodwin and Adams deny Surrey win

County Championship D1, Hove: Sussex 365 & 372-3 drew with Surrey 626-3d
Points: Sussex 9pts, Surrey 12pts

Match scorecard

Adams' first century of the season proved crucial for Sussex

An unbeaten double century from Murray Goodwin and Chris Adams's 102 not out helped Sussex secure a draw and deny Surrey a first victory of the season.

Resuming the day 35-2 in their second innings, still 226 runs behind, the hosts' cause was not helped when Chris Nash fell to Nayan Doshi for 46.

However, that brought Goodwin and Adams together, and the pair were superb.

Goodwin struck 28 fours in his 205 not out, to add to his first-innings 119, as he and Adams helped Sussex to 372-3.

It meant the hosts had batted all day on a flat pitch to build a lead of 111, before stumps were drawn at 1700BST.

The Surrey bowlers struggled for penetration in conditions suited to the batsmen and Australian paceman Matt Nicholson, who took 5-89 in the first innings, failed to add to his tally on the last day having removed Richard Montgomerie and Carl Hopkinson the night before.

We've got no divine right to win games but we've got a divine right to compete and we need to hold our nerve Sussex coach Mark Robinson

This was the second time Goodwin had scored a century in each innings for Sussex, having first achieved the feat against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2001, and it was a chanceless knock.

And Sussex coach Mark Robinson is confident his side's battling draw will have a stabilising effect following two successive innings defeats against Warwickshire and Kent.

"We've got no divine right to win games but we've got a divine right to compete and we need to hold our nerve," he said.

"We had been losing games so we needed to show our true team spirit and you look for big players at this time."