In a thrilling encounter at Hove, Essex emerged victorious over Sussex Sharks, securing their third win in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. The match saw Sussex struggling as they collapsed to 50 for 6, thanks to a stellar performance by Jamie Porter who picked up four crucial wickets with the new ball. Despite skipper John Simpson’s valiant effort with 69 runs, Sussex could only manage to post 226 for 9 on the board, a total that never seemed enough on the slow pitch at the 1st Central County Ground.
Essex’s chase got off to a solid start as opener Robin Das fell early to left-armer Jack Campbell. However, Luc Benkenstein and skipper Tom Westley steadied the ship with a brilliant 94-run partnership for the second wicket, scoring at a run a ball. Benkenstein, who had smashed two sixes off leg-spinner Archie Lenham, was run out by a direct hit from Tom Haines, but by then Westley was in control. He notched up his third fifty of the season with a six off Lenham, eventually reaching 76 with 12 boundaries before getting dismissed by Lion-Cachet’s direct hit.
Essex was comfortably placed needing only 63 runs from 21 overs at Westley’s departure. Despite some late fightback from Bertie Foreman and Lenham, Nick Browne and Ben Allison saw Essex over the line with 28 balls to spare.
Sussex’s woes continued as they suffered their seventh defeat in the competition, leaving them languishing at the bottom of Group B for the second consecutive season. The team has only managed to secure two wins since their semi-final appearance in 2022.
Sussex won the toss but failed to capitalize on it as openers Tom Clark and Haines were dismissed after a promising start. Allison struck first by removing Clark, followed by a fiery spell from Porter who rattled the Sussex top order. Haines, Tear, and Carter fell quickly, leaving Sussex reeling. Lion-Cachet’s wicket added to the misery, and Richards further compounded the issues by dismissing Rogers.
It was a dominant display by Essex, who outplayed Sussex in all departments to secure a comprehensive victory and further condemn Sussex to the bottom of Group B. As Sussex reels at the foot of the table, Essex celebrates their third win in the One-Day Cup, continuing their strong campaign in the tournament.