Sussex and Surrey settle for weather-affected draw – but Farbrace’s team are joint top

With a minimal chance of a result as it was, the sides resumed play on day four and went about their business slowly.

James Coles enjoyed some favourable LBW decisions to secure his maiden first class five-fer with figures of 5-108, and Sussex did well to wrap up Surrey’s seven remaining first-innings wickets for exactly 100 runs.

Tom Haines and Daniel Hughes then went about their business serenely in the afternoon session, putting together an unbeaten stand of 132 by the time bad light won the day.

With conditions never looking likely to improve, the umpires called the match with Sussex taking 14 points and Surrey 15.

Sussex captain John Simpson: “It was a really positive four days for us. We knew it was going to be a huge challenge coming into this game against a fantastic Surrey team.

“Maybe we left a few runs out there in the first innings. But I thought overall, was a really positive four days for us. Moving forward, it's about what we learned from them, the positive stuff that we're doing, and trying to maximize the potential in that changing room.”

Following three days of play in which only 218.2 overs had been possible and 13 wickets had fallen, the prospects of anything changing on a gloomy Easter Monday looked scarce.

Dan Lawrence and Ben Foakes were imperious in their 153-run partnership the previous afternoon and the stage was set for them to make their England cases once more.

It was rather a surprise, then, when the third ball of the morning brought an inexcusably tame shot from Lawrence, chipping straight to substitute fielder Oli Carter at short mid-wicket from the bowling of Ollie Robinson. After 117 runs from 105 balls on Sunday, it was a poor way for a great innings to end.

This was, however, to the joy of the Sussex dressing room after head coach Paul Farbrace rued losing consecutive sessions for the first time this season on Easter Sunday.

The positive signs for Sussex continued . Surrey, without any of the grit or fluency they had previously exhibited, crumbled just as parity came into sight, with Foakes (60) and Ryan Patel (24) both dismissed edging Jayden Seales to John Simpson.

While an entertaining 37 from 43 balls flowed from 20-year-old all-rounder Ollie Sykes in just his second FC appearance, Coles then interrupted Surrey’s flow.

After picking up the wicket of opener Dom Sibley on Day 3, Sussex’s left-arm spinner then took advantage of a dry surface and two questionable LBW decisions to remove Jordan Clark (14), Gus Atkinson (4), Matt Fisher (0) and then Sykes for his five-fer.

In ten minutes before Lunch and the majority of the afternoon session, Sussex were untroubled in their effort to ensure the draw.

Haines and Hughes resumed their rhythm from day one, batting with purpose and vigour, and saw off opening bowlers Dan Worrall and Gus Atkinson, with the latter again proving leaky with extras.

Surrey went through the motions after Sussex passed their first-innings deficit of 55 and the visitors tried seven bowlers in the end, with Sykes and Lawrence the most threatening with their spin.

Openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley both got to turn their arms over, with Sussex’s batsmen feasting upon some regulation bowling as Haines reached 69 from 104 balls and Hughes a 117-ball 49 by the time bad light arrived.

Despite the umpires’ best attempts to get play restarted after tea, the clouds would not lift and the captains shook hands for a draw.

Sussex go joint top of Division 1 with Nottinghamshire after three games – and it is Trent Bridge where Farbrace’s side travel next.

This Friday, they begin another testing four days of action in Nottingham, looking to extend their unbeaten start to 2025 at a side boosted by the return of England bowlers Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington.