County Championship: Seales the real deal as Sussex secure first Division 1 win in a decade

With Somerset still requiring 470 runs for victory after being reduced to 125-4 overnight, the likelihood of anything other than a Sussex victory was minimal.

Paul Farbrace’s side toiled at times on the final day, but with Seales taking 3-95, the hosts continued a fantastic run at Hove that now extends to 19 first-class matches without defeat.

All this was without Sean Hunt, too, after the star of the match with nine wickets suffered a muscle injury late on day three.

With Sussex ultimately making far better use of an excellent pitch, they were great value for a victory which puts them top of Division 1 after two matches.

The absence of Hunt was the factor on everyone’s lips on day four, with the seamer reported to have a sore bowling arm after taking four Somerset wickets the previous evening. Sussex had victory in their sights, however, and nothing could stop their surge.

Jack Carson and Seales started the day under gloomy skies, and with his first ball, Seales drew a top edge from James Rew, who was out for 20.

There were chances for a quick second wicket, with Rew’s overnight partner Tom Abell jabbing an errant shot into the slips and fortunate not to be caught by Tom Clark.

Kasey Aldridge was then put down on 13 by Fynn Hudson-Prentice, but it did not prove to be costly, with the all-rounder adding one more run before nicking Seales behind.

Abell was flustered on 78 when he poked at Seales again and his shot bounced inches in front of first slip Tom Alsop, while the batsman was then put down on 85 by substitute fielder Harrison Ward.

With Lunch less than 10 minutes away and the former Somerset captain finally looked settled, it was an opportune time for Danny Lamb to strike.

Abell was his county’s only real hope of surviving the day, and on 96 looked set to hang around for a while, but he edged a rising Lamb delivery through to Alsop.

New ball joy

The post-Lunch atmosphere was particularly odd, with only Sussex and Somerset’s most loyal fans sticking around in some chilly weather to see the contest’s conclusion.

At first, Sussex toiled with the visiting tail. Lewis Gregory and Migael Pretorius were able to cash in on Sussex’s change bowlers, James Coles, Lamb and Hudson-Prentice, while racing towards respective half-centuries.

As soon as Pretorius brought up his 15th first-class 50 from 59 balls, though, the new ball spelled the end of his match.

In the 81st over, Seales castled the South African all-rounder for 59. Coming immediately after a wild full toss, Seales’ wicket ball encapsulated a messy end to the match.

Sussex turned to Tom Clark of all people six overs after the new ball was taken, and in his first over of the day, the occasional medium-pacer tempted Josh Davey (10) into a wild shot that fell into the mitts of Daniel Hughes.

While there was another frustrating wait for the final wicket, with tea on the horizon, Gregory finally holed out, with Hudson-Prentice breaking a 30-run partnership as third slip Coles held onto the catch.

Sussex finish the second week of the 2025 Division 1 season top of the table, after taking 18 points from this outing. That takes them above the other winners from this round, Yorkshire, and means they are one of just five sides yet to lose this season.

The next challenge, however, will be Sussex’s greatest in the last decade. Champions of the last three County Championship seasons, Surrey, arrive at Hove this Friday for an age-old southern battle.

Mixed injury news ahead of that contest sees Ollie Robinson fit to return but Hunt unlikely to play, which would mean a return to the starting XI that began the season.

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace: “For three and a half days, we played really good cricket. Bat and ball, catching, I thought were excellent.

“This afternoon, it was no surprise we dropped a few catches because our enthusiasm dropped off. We can’t afford to have sessions like that. But that can happen. It’s a good lesson for us. The good thing is, we know we’ve got a long way to go and we’ve got a lot of learning to do.

"It's a good win against a strong Somerset side, it will do our confidence good to beat a team consistently challenging over the last few years.”

Somerset captain Lewis Gregory: “I can’t fault how the guys fought. It was always going to be a big ask. Unfortunately, we just didn’t have enough this week. We’ve obviously been comprehensively outplayed in this game and it’s frustrating.”