Ben Sanderson claimed career best figures of 10/55 as Northamptonshire recorded their largest ever runs victory.
Northamptonshire came into Day 3 with a 379 run advantage and made their intentions clear from the outset. Despite losing Rob Keogh in the first over of the day, Nathan Buck looked unphased as he capitalised on his nightwatchman promotion to number 6. After a crucial 34 in the first innings, Buck looked in top form again as he hammered 8 boundaries and a six on the way to his third half century of the season.
He lost Rossington for 14 and Procter for 7 before finding a partner in Zaib as the pair added 39 for the eighth wicket. Buck eventually departed for 51 with the score now at 308/8. Zaib, Hutton and Sanderson all pitched in down the order to set Sussex 499 to win with Sussex openers again set a tricky 15 minute period to bat out before lunch. They wouldn’t make it through unscathed though, Hutton trapping Salt in front for a nine ball duck.
Wells and Chopra started safely after the break before Hutton had his second wicket, Wells edging behind to keeper Rossington for 11. He had a third shortly after, Evans lbw for 3. Nathan Buck, wicketless in the first innings despite 4 maidens in his 6 over spell, had his first of the match in the next over. Chopra with an inside edge through to Rossington, Sussex now 41/4.
Rawlins batted with clear intent in his 20 ball innings, eventually succumbing to one attempted shot too many when he miscued a pull to hand Buck his second wicket. Ben Sanderson returned with devastating effect, claiming four of the final five wickets to record his second 10 wicket haul in first class cricket with figures of 4/18 in 11.3 overs in the second innings. Wiese and Beer both edged behind in the same over, Beer becoming Sanderson’s 200th first class victim.
Ben Brown went down swinging, reaching 46 in just 38 balls before a great catch by Keogh at point ended his cameo, giving Sanderson his third. Robinson was gone in the next over from Hutton, providing Rossington his fourth catch of the innings and sixth of the match. Sanderson wrapped things up in the over after that, rattling Thomason’s off stump to see Northamptonshire win by 393 runs, their highest ever winning margin and Sussex’s heaviest defeat against county opposition.
Northamptonshire 273 (Zaib 54, Wakely 36) & 331 (Vasconcelos 88, Newton 54)
Sussex 106 (Sanderson 6/37, Hutton 3/47) & 105 (Sanderson 4/18, Hutton 4/32)
Photo with thanks to Nick Arnold.