Hampshire v Sussex LVCC Day 4 28th July

Hampshire v Sussex LVCC ends in a draw on Day 4 John Crawley scored an unbeaten 113 Daren Powell took five wickets on his debut

CRAWLEY HITS CENTURY IN HAMPSHIRE'S DRAW

John Crawley scored an unbeaten 113, his first century for Hampshire this season, as the rain-hit Liverpool Victoria County Championship match against Sussex ended in a draw at The Rose Bowl on Saturday. Play started 90 minutes late at 12.30pm.

Having come in at 3-1, Crawley composed a superb, stylish knock that enabled Hampshire to declare at 250-9, a first-innings lead of 105, immediately after securing a second batting point.

Chris Benham was Hampshire's second-highest scorer with 31. He shared a fourth-wicket stand of 68 with Crawley before being trapped lbw by Mushtaq Ahmed. The leg-spinner then had Shane Warne stumped as he came down the wicket..

But seamer Naved-ul-Hasan was Sussex's outstanding bowler. He took 5-106 and posed constant problems.

Hampshire's outside hopes of victory rose briefly when Sussex, trailing by 105 runs on first innings, slumped to 8-2 and then 21-3 second time around.

Richard Montgomerie, top-scorer with 46 in the first innings, was out for nought, caught low down at second slip by Warne off West Indian Daren Powell who went on to take five wickets on his debut. Michael Yardy was then caught behind in Dimi Mascarenhas' first over and Chris Nash followed, trapped leg-before by James Bruce.

But Hampshire were frustrated by a fine fourth-wicket stand of 89 between Murray Goodwin, who finished with an unbeaten 68, and Chris Adams who scored 38 before Powell's superb yorker saw the Sussex skipper given out lbw as the ball cannoned onto his boot. Sussex closed on 124-4, an overall lead of 19 runs.

Hampshire's nine points from the match saw them make up two points on Sussex who are the reigning champions. Sussex trail top-of-the-table Yorkshire by 16 points with Hampshire a further 14 points back, but both have a match in hand on the leaders.

SUSSEX 145 (Montgomerie 46, L.Wright 43, Bruce 5-64, Powell 3-46) and 124-4 (Goodwin 68 not out, Adams 38, Powell 2-32); HAMPSHIRE 250-9 dec (Crawley 113 not out, Benham 31, Naved 5-106).

Match drawn. HAMPSHIRE 9 pts, SUSSEX 7.

* Hampshire return to one-day action on Sunday when they meet Essex at The Rose Bowl in the NatWest Pro40 League. The match starts at 1.45pm.