Chris Nash leads Sussex to victory
Sussex boosted their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20 and virtually ended Gloucestershire's at the same time with a six-wicket win at Arundel
03-Jul-2011
Sussex boosted their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Friends Life t20 and virtually ended Gloucestershire's at the same time with a six-wicket win at Arundel.
Chris Nash took 4 for seven as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 121 and then made an unbeaten 36 to steer Sussex home with 11 balls to spare. The result lifted Sussex into second place in the south division while Gloucestershire are now five points adrift of the top four with the same number of games remaining.
Hamish Marshall got Gloucestershire off to a good start as he and Kevin O'Brien put on 42 for the first wicket off 28 balls. There was to be no repeat of their 192-run stand against Somerset, though, as O'Brien holed out to Nash at long-on off the bowling of Luke Wright for just four.
Chris Liddle put down a straightforward catch on the midwicket boundary in the same over and Marshall threatened to make the most of the reprieve. He had made 41 of Gloucestershire's 64 runs when he was third out pulling Ollie Rayner to deep square leg where Wright took the catch.
Ian Cockbain and Chris Taylor put on 29 for the fourth wicket, but when the former fell to Monty Panesar (2 for 29) for 18, Gloucestershire's innings fell apart as they lost their last six wickets for 27 runs.
Nash was the main destroyer as he removed Jack Taylor with his fourth ball and then bowled both Chris Taylor and Ed Young in his second over before having Jon Lewis caught at long-on in his third.
Umar Gul (2 for 16) then wrapped things up with 10 balls still remaining by bowling Richard Coughtrie and David Payne in successive balls. Sussex's reply did not get off to the best of starts with Ben Brown and Wright both departing cheaply inside the first four overs.
Brown was trapped lbw sweeping at a full length ball from Kane Williamson while Wright skied a catch off Payne to mid-off. Muttiah Muralitharan (2 for 25) then had the alarm bells ringing as he removed Matt Prior and Murray Goodwin in successive balls in his first over.
Prior top-edged a sweep to short fine leg and Goodwin went first ball as he pushed forward and edged to wicketkeeper Coughtrie. Lou Vincent and Nash guided Sussex home, though, with an unbroken partnership of 74. Vincent finished unbeaten on 44 with Nash making 36 from 32 deliveries.