Hoggard strikes but Sussex secure draw

Sussex 385 and 121 for 4 (Prior 47) drew with MCC 425 and 327 for 5 dec (Shah 120*, Gidman 56)
Scorecard

Matthew Hoggard traps Murray Goodwin lbw for 2 © Getty Images Enlarge

Sussex batted out a draw on the final at Lord's after being set an unattainable 368 in 49 overs by MCC. But they had to overcome an uneasy start to their second innings as Matthew Hoggard struck twice after Owais Shah moved to an unbeaten 120. There was a late injury scare when Hoggard left the field following a dropped catch, but fears were eased of a major problem.

Hoggard, who struggled for his rhythm in the first innings, spent part of yesterday afternoon working on the Nursery Ground with Peter Moores, acting as MCC's coach for this match. The extra practice paid off as he appeared more comfortable in the second innings, removing Carl Hopkinson with an edge to first slip then trapping first-innings centurion Murray Goodwin lbw.

Sandwiched between Hoggard's strikes, Alex Gidman had Chris Nash caught behind and at 30 for 3 - with Michael Yardy unable to bat after breaking his finger on Sunday, ruling him out for up to six weeks - the champions were under pressure. But this isn't a fixture where players want to push themselves too hard and Hoggard was rested after six overs, while Steve Harmison delivered just a four-over burst.

After tea, the attack was largely in the hands of Alex Loudon and Adil Rashid, leaving Matt Prior and Andrew Hodd with a comfortable task of batting out time. Hoggard dropped Prior at long on, then immediately left the field with a suspected hand injury, but it was later confirmed there was no break. Prior fell three short of a half-century when he was caught behind off Rashid a few overs before the draw was agreed.

The morning session had been cut to 45 minutes after a faulty sprinkler allowed water to leak under the covers at the Nursery End, leaving a damp patch on the bowler's follow through. The groundstaff used torches to dry the area as the umpires, Trevor Jesty and George Sharp, made two inspections.

On resumption, Shah moved to his century off 208 balls and Gidman eased to a fifty. Gidman was deceived in the flight by Ollie Rayner shortly after lunch, but Alastair Cook batted on as Shah and Steven Davies added another 40.