Win one, lose one: High-scoring clashes mark end of Sussex Sharks' Vitality Blast campaign

Daniel Hughes gave a batting masterclass to register his maiden T20 hundred and set up a rare Sussex win in the Vitality Blast as they triumphed against fellow South Group strugglers Middlesex on Friday.

The Sharks opener batted right through for an unbeaten 108 from 52 balls at Merchant Taylors’ School, sharing a county record T20 partnership of 169 with the recalled Jack Leaning (65 from 48).

Middlesex had good cause to regret dropping Hughes on 28 as Sussex went on to post a daunting 213 for three – although the home side looked nicely poised to challenge that as Max Holden slammed 52 from 20, his second successive half-century.

But Sussex’s spinners applied the brakes in the middle overs and captain Tymal Mills finished with three for 34 as his side ended their four-match losing streak.

Harrison Ward dominated the initial stages after Middlesex won the toss and put the visitors in, clattering two leg-side sixes and a trio of fours in his 29 from 16 before Naavya Sharma (two for 34) trapped him in front.

Sussex also lost George Thomas in the powerplay, miscuing Noah Cornwell to mid-on to leave them at an unsteady 44 for two, but Hughes and Leaning transformed their prospects in uncompromising fashion.

Hughes was fortunate to survive when he top-edged a sweep off Luke Hollman only for Zafar Gohar to spill the catch on the boundary – and the opener took full advantage, hitting the accelerator in the second half of the innings.

He carved Tom Helm beyond point to the rope to reach his 50, one of four boundaries in the over, and then unveiled a series of wristy strokes to which the home bowlers could find no answers.

Hughes’ second half-century used up only 17 deliveries, while Leaning played the supporting role to perfection, punching Hollman to the long-on boundary to pass 50 before eventually departing to the final ball of the innings.

Middlesex lost Josh de Caires in the second over of their reply, paving the way for Holden to launch a ruthless powerplay offensive as he lifted Leaning for successive sixes and crashed both Mills and Sean Hunt over the infield to the cover fence.

Matt Boyle (34 from 24) kept his fellow left-hander company as the total climbed by 75 in just 30 deliveries, but the home side were forced to regroup once the pair were dismissed in successive overs.

However, spin duo Jack Carson – whose previous six balls had cost 20 – and Danny Briggs (three for 35) both delivered tight overs to send the required rate shooting up while wickets continued to fall.

Middlesex’s fading hopes rested with captain Leus du Plooy (37 from 28), who heaved Mills over point for six but, after he attempted another big shot against his opposite number and was caught in the deep, the visitors closed out the contest.

Hughes said: “It probably wasn’t pretty to watch at the start of our innings, but Wardy played beautifully in the powerplay and got us off to a flyer, which helped me find my feet and get the pace of the wicket.

“Me and Jack Leaning had a nice partnership. We’ve had a few partnerships this year in four-day cricket as well and he’s a great fellow to bat with – he keeps pretty calm and keeps it pretty simple.

“We’ve lacked that sort of partnership in a few games we’ve played this year, we’ve had a few starts where we’ve batted well at the top and thrown it away, so it was nice to have a platform to launch at the end.

“Then we got it right with the ball as well. We didn’t quite get it right in the powerplay, we were a little bit too full, and then as the innings progressed we learned and got the job done. I didn’t really think I had a chance of getting there until I was on about 95 with a couple of overs to go. I’ve always wanted to get a T20 hundred so that was nice, but it was just great to get over the line because it’s been a tough campaign.”

On Sunday, a stunning partnership of 112 in 10 overs between Hilton Cartwright and Ben Mayes gave the Hampshire Hawks a winning finish to their Vitality Blast campaign after they had lost three of their previous four games.

Cartwright (70 off 31 balls, with seven sixes) and the gifted 18-year-old Mayes (55 off 36) hit the Sussex Sharks bowlers to all corners of the County Ground but they still got home with only one ball to spare.

Hampshire had qualified for the quarter-finals with six straight wins before their form faltered. But Sussex finish with just three victories.

Hampshire, who had chosen to field, broke through in the second over when the in-form Harrison Ward pulled Sonny Baker – bowling with some pace down the hill and with the wind behind him - into the safe hands of Cartwright at long leg. Ward stood his ground for a while, appearing to suggest that the delivery had been above shoulder height.

Dan Hughes and George Thomas then added 65 for the second wicket in just seven overs, the best stand of the innings. At the end of the six-over power play Sussex had reached a very respectable 69 for one, Hughes leading the way with 42 of them.

The Australian left-hander, fresh from his century against Middlesex on Friday, had made 55 from 32 deliveries, with ten fours, when he slapped a ball from Delano Potgieter straight to extra-cover. And two overs later it was 104 for three when Thomas flicked a Scott Currie delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Jack Leaning lost his leg stump to Baker for 19 to leave Sussex 121 for four after 13 overs and with Liam Dawson putting a brake on the scoring it was a good passage of play for the Hawks.

But the Sussex innings was revived by a fifth wicket stand of 52 in 5.4 overs by Tom Alsop and Charlie Tear, who with sweet timing hit four leg-side sixes in an unbeaten 40 from 25 deliveries.

Hampshire made a hesitant start to their reply. Toby Albert skied a return catch to Tymal Mills in only the second over and captain James Vince had scored only nine when, attempting to hoist Tom Price over mid-on, he picked out the fielder instead.

At the end of the power Hampshire were 47 for two and in the next over they lost their third wicket when Dawson was caught by Thomas, sprinting in from the midwicket boundary.

But Hampshire were really up against it when they lost two wickets in the same Jack Carson over. Joe Weatherley, their leading scorer in the competition this season, trod on his stumps as he attempted to work the off-spinner off the back foot and Potgieter was caught behind two balls later.

But from 61 for five at the end of the eighth over Hampshire displayed the power of their middle-order as Cartwright and Mayes went on the attack.

Sharks skipper Mills said: “It was a good game. That’s what T20 games should be all about. Games that go down to the wire. I thought we stuck in well today. The wind was blowing down the hill today, which made it tough at times. I thought Hilton Cartwright played very well today. He hit some very clean balls.

“We’ve finished the campaign with a couple of good performances after a very disappointing early and middle part. It was nice to have the crowd behind us at the end. It’s disappointing to lose, as always, but I was happy with the fight we showed.

“I thought Charlie Tear played brilliantly. We thought the last few matches gave us a chance to play some of the guys who haven’t played. And Charlie batted really well. He improvised and manipulated the crease well against some very good bowlers.”