Wells guides Sussex home

Leicestershire versus Sussex, Specsavers County Championship, Day 4:

SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE 

INTERVIEW | Head Coach Pierre de Bruyn spoke to BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae at stumps, the interview is available HERE

HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the fourth day are available HERE

RESULT | Sussex (21 points) beat Leicestershire (6 points) by five wickets 

REPORT | Leicestershire’s bowlers gave it everything but Luke Wells steered Sussex to a five-wicket victory with a vital unbeaten 90 at the Fischer County Ground.

Wells has been in tremendous form this season and this controlled innings, his sixth of the competition, took his Specsavers County Championship tally to an impressive 540 runs at 108.00.

Clint McKay, Ben Raine and Zak Chappell each took a wicket on the final day but, ultimately, it was not enough to prevent Sussex from getting over the line.

The seamers worked their socks off throughout the match; leading wicket-taker Raine finishing with an overall analysis of 6-99 from 39.5 overs while McKay claimed match figures of 5-71 from 42 overs, including 18 maidens.

With the visitors resuming at 100-2 in pursuit of 232, Leicestershire were in need of early wickets on the final morning.

Only five runs had been added to the overnight score of 100-2 when McKay made the breakthrough. Paul Horton took a fine diving catch to his left at first slip to dismiss nightwatchman Danny Briggs (14).

McKay and Raine were highly accurate in the opening exchanges but the left-handed duo of Wells and Stiaan van Zyl played the situation extremely sensibly.

The run rate was never going to be a problem for Sussex and the pair took a risk-free approach to put their side in the driving seat.

Both then upped the tempo as the session progressed, Wells being rewarded for his patient approach with two boundaries in the 41st over from McKay through mid-on and cover point respectively. 

van Zyl also started to be more expansive, looking particularly strong square of the wicket against the added pace of Dieter Klein and Chappell.

Sussex progressed to 149-3 from 45 overs and Colin Ackermann was then introduced by Mark Cosgrove. Wells struck a maximum down the ground in the off-spinner’s first over to progress to 50 from 124 balls, the innings also containing six fours.

The stroke also recorded a 50 partnership while a glance off Chappell brought Wells a further boundary as it evaded a diving Ned Eckersley behind the stumps.

Cosgrove continued to mix up the attack, including reintroducing Raine from a different end, but Wells sent his first delivery towards the manual scoreboard with a trademark cover drive.

The skipper then brought himself on from the Pavilion End alongside Raine, who struck for a third time in the innings when van Zyl (24) opted to play no stroke and lost his off stump.

It ended a 70-run stand but the two Lukes, Wells and Wright, guided Sussex to 191-4 at lunch, the visitors requiring a further 41 to win at that point.

Chappell struck in the third over after the restart, Wright (17) edging Chappell to Horton at first slip, and another opportunity was created when Wells nicked the young seamer. 

Unfortunately the chance could not be taken by Eckersley, and the left-hander went on to strike his second maximum of the innings off Ackermann in the 66th over. Wells then hit the winning four as he and Michael Burgess (9*) shared an unbroken 33 for the sixth wicket.

The number three batsman ended ten shy of a deserved century, striking 11 fours and a brace of sixes in his 190-ball innings. Wells had already posted scores of 258, 155 and 75 in the competition, so this was the latest impressive innings from a player rapidly closing in on 6,000 first-class career runs.

Leicestershire’s next challenge in the Specsavers County Championship is a trip to Nottinghamshire next Monday (11am).

Bowling figures for Leicestershire: Chappell 10-0-49-1, Raine 19-3-50-3, McKay 20-7-36-1, Klein 10-0-36-0, Ackermann 6-1-19-0, Cosgrove 2-0-3-0, Dearden 1.3-0-11-0.

* Thanks to Ed Melia for the photograph of Ben Raine.