Pettini makes sparkling 142*

Sussex versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 3:

SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE

INTERVIEW | An interview with Mark Pettini with BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae is available HERE

HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the third day’s play are available HERE

REPORT | Batsmen on both sides made hay on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship game between Sussex and Leicestershire at Hove but the visitors remain in a good position.

Mark Pettini’s tremendous unbeaten 142 helped Leicestershire pass 400 in the first innings for the third consecutive match, the team establishing a lead of 310 before Mark Cosgrove called time.

Pettini hit 13 fours and three sixes in more than four and a half hours at the crease to register his first hundred for the club, sharing 143 for the fifth wicket with Niall O’Brien (55) as County declared at 473-8.

Sussex openers Chris Nash and Ed Joyce made inroads to the deficit either side of tea as the home side closed on 113 without loss in their second innings, still trailing by 197 going into the final day.

It was a strange day for the bowlers; a wicketless spell of 35.3 overs was followed by four victims in the space of 7.4 overs shortly after lunch before another barren period of 51.3 overs.

Pettini said: “It was a really enjoyable innings for me personally, but the most important thing was to help us get a big lead which has put us in a good position.

“We wanted to give ourselves about 125 overs to try to get Sussex out. It’s a good wicket so the same basics we showed in the first innings apply again – hitting line and length and being disciplined.

“If we take ten wickets we will win the game. They are still nearly 200 behind and there is some turn for Jigar Naik so he will have a big part to play in keeping an end closed and the seamers fresh at the other end. We need to go hard at Sussex again in the morning and see what happens.”

County continued to put themselves in a strong position in the opening session after Pettini and O’Brien got through to lunch without alarm in taking the team to 400-4.

There was symmetry to proceedings as the duo added 45 apiece to their overnight scores of 42 and 7 respectively. In doing so, Pettini and O’Brien extended their fifth wicket alliance to 130 in 41 overs without offering a chance.

Pettini became the fourth batsman of the season to pass three figures for Leicestershire, a list that includes fellow new signings Neil Dexter and Paul Horton, as well as captain Cosgrove. His half-century came off 86 balls and included six boundaries.

The ball was new at the start of the session and Sussex skipper Ben Brown employed six different bowlers but continued to look immovable.

County continued their solid progress and recorded four batting points in progressing to 385-4 in the first 110 overs of the innings. O’Brien moved to a 106-ball 50 with a straight six and sweep for four off left-arm spinner Danny Briggs, and was unbeaten on 52 at the break with Pttini on 87.

There was some belated success for Sussex’s attack before the declaration arrived 40 minutes before tea.

Steve Magoffin picked up O’Brien (55) and Clint McKay (0), caught by ‘keeper Brown and Nash at mid-on respectively, while Luke Wells bowled Wayne White (0) and Ben Raine (3) as four wickets were picked up for the addition of 10 runs. That cluster of wickets proved to be the first and last taken during the day.

Sussex contributed 56 extras including 29 no balls and the innings finished in style as Pettini pressed his foot on the gas. He and Jigar Naik (8*) added an unbroken 50 for the ninth wicket in 12.3 overs.

Home openers Joyce and Nash negotiated seven overs to reach 23 for 0 at tea, although Nash was dropped on nine at first slip by Horton off McKay.

The attack stuck to their task on the unresponsive surface. To go along with the chance created, McKay made both openers play and miss several times in lively spells either side of the interval and Naik (8-3-10-0) extracted some turn in a tidy display.

Joyce passed 17,000 first-class runs when he reached 37 and he progressed to an 89-ball 50 that included seven fours before stumps. The Ireland international ended unbeaten on 62 with Nash 45 not out.

Bowling figures for Leicestershire: McKay 11-1-21-0, Raine 9-2-34-0, Shreck 7-3-19-0, White 4-0-23-0, Naik 8-3-10-0.