Sussex won by eight wickets

KENT’S county championship campaign for 2005 ended in misery and a likely fourth-place finish when they lost by eight wickets in just over two-and-a-half days to Sussex in Hove.

The game finished in steady rain and poor light as the hosts refused three offers from the umpires to go off, in order to win the game with four sessions to spare.

It was Kent’s third defeat of the season and their second in succession of a Division 1 campaign that has tailed away badly since the re-call of their two overseas stars by the United Cricket Board of South Africa.

In the end Sussex, who may yet claim the £40,000 sponsors’ cheque for finishing runner’s-up to Nottinghamshire, made light work of a dispirited Kent outfit who have finished the season on a low note.

Set to chase 148, Sussex rattled along at nearly five an over thanks to half-centuries from Carl Hopkinson and Michael Yardy, this after opener Richard Montgomerie had spanked four fours and a six on his way to 26 from 21 balls.

Min Patel bagged his 59th scalp of the summer to send back Montgomerie courtesy of an excellent slip catch by Darren Stevens and Robbie Joseph dismissed Hopkinson with Sussex only four runs from victory, but they were hollow successes for a beleaguered Kent bowling attack.

Yet it was Kent’s batting that had once again let them down in this game as it had against Nottinghamshire, as established batsmen failed to capitalise on decent starts.

This Kent batting collapse started in the 13th over of the day with the needless run out of Martin van Jaarsveld.

Showing no signs of the bruised calf that forced him to bat at No5 rather than his usual berth at three, the South African moved smoothly to 17 before his unexpected demise.

Pushing forward and setting off for a cheeky single, van Jaarsveld was sent back by Stevens but lost the race back to his crease as Rana Naved followed through and threw down the stumps.

It sparked a collapse of seven wickets for 56 runs inside 15 overs.

In the next over Stevens (36) went back and across to a Mushtaq Ahmed leg-break to go leg before then Neil Dexter was caught on the crease by a length ball and could only edge to the keeper.

Sadly for the visitors there was no tail-wagging second time around and the collapse gathered momentum when Niall O’Brien, for the umpteenth time this summer, miscued his impulsive sweep shot to be well caught by Yardy running back toward deep mid-wicket and become Mushtaq’s 80th scalp of another prolific season.

Patel edged to slip off the hostile James Kirtley then James Tredwell nicked another from the same bowler to stand-in wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose diving to his left.

Ambrose, who is being linked with a move away from Hove, again showed his prowess with the gloves by taking off to dismiss Martin Saggers to leave Sussex with a simple task of knocking off 148 for victory.

Kent will now hope to lift their spirits in time for their totesport League trip to play Leicestershire Foxes at Grace Road, their final game of the season.

SCORECARD

Kent first innings

D P Fulton c Mushtaq b Kirtley 6
R W T Key lbw b Naved 8
M van Jaarsveld c Ambrose b Kirtley 11
M J Walker c Prior b Kirtley 34
D I Stevens c Prior b Naved 26
N J Dexter c Ambrose b Naved 34
N J O’Brien c Adams b Kirtley 61
J C Tredwell lbw b Naved 0
M M Patel c Wright b Mushtaq 51
M J Saggers not out 16
R H Joseph c Adams b Mushtaq 0
Extras 10

Total 257 all out off 78.4 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-16, 2-27, 3-28, 4-80, 5-103, 6-169, 7-169, 8-201, 9-257.

Bowling: Kirtley 19-5-53-4, Naved 20-0-83-4, Martin-Jenkins 7-1-25-0, Mushtaq Ahmed 27.4-5-81-2, Wright 5-0-11-0.

Sussex first innings

C D Hopkinson run out (Patel) 7
R R Montgomerie b Joseph 2
M H Yardy b Patel 43
T R Ambrose lbw b Dexter 44
C J Adams b Patel 41
M J Prior c Joseph b Patel 4
R S C Martin-Jenkins st O’Brien b Tredwell 20
Rana Naved c Fulton b Patel 4
L J Wright c Fulton b Patel 37
Mushtaq Ahmed not out 90
R J Kirtley lbw b Joseph 17
Extras 34

Total 348 all out after 90.4 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-14, 2-14, 3-115, 4-117, 5-154, 6-184, 7-192, 8-192, 9-274.

Bowling: Saggers 18-3-71-0, Joseph 18.5-4-69-2, Tredwell 11-3-38-1, Dexter 11-1-44-1, Stevens 7-0-29-0.

Kent second innings

D P Fulton c Yardy b Naved 13
R W T Key c Prior b Martin-Jenkins 84
M J Walker c Montgomerie b Mushtaq 33
D I Stevens lbw b Mushtaq 36
M van Jaarsveld run out (Naved) 17
N J Dexter c Ambrose b Naved 4
N J O’Brien c Yardy b Mushtaq 9
J C Tredwell c Ambrose b Kirtley 15
M M Patel c Yardy b Kirtley 12
M J Saggers c Ambrose b Kirtley 3
R H Joseph not out 0
Extras 12

Total 238 all out in 63.2 overs

Fall of wicket: 1-43, 2-122, 3-144, 4-182, 5-168, 6-194, 7-214, 8-234, 9-237.

Bowling: Kirtley 9.2-1-45-3, Rana Naved 12-2-41-2, Wright 3-0-5-0, Mushtaq Ahmed 26-3-92-3, Yardy 6-1-22-0, Martin-Jenkins 7-2-22-1.

Sussex second innings

C D Hopkinson c O’Brien b Joseph 57
R R Montgomerie c Stevens b Patel 26
M H Yardy not out 55
T R Ambrose not out 3
Extras 7

Total 151 for two after 31 overs.

Fall of wicket: 1-35, 2-144.

Bowling: Joseph 6-0-33-1, Patel 10-3-34-1, Saggers 5-0-27-0, Tredwell 8-0-41-0. Dexter 2-0-9-0.

Sussex (20pts) beat Kent (5pts) by eight wickets.