Sussex win promotion with innings victory over Gloucestershire on day three at Bristol

Gloucestershire 109 (43.4 overs) and 195 (72.1 overs)
Sussex 311 (92.5 overs)
Sussex win by an innings and 7 runs

Jubilant Sussex needed less than a session of the third day to wrap up an innings victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol and clinch promotion from Division Two of the Vitality County Championship with a game to spare.

Resuming on 140-3 in their second innings, trailing by 62 runs, the home side were skittled for 195, left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat finishing with three for 39 and match figures of seven for 71, while Henry Crocombe took four for 22.

The margin of victory was an innings and seven runs, Sussex taking 21 points to Gloucestershire’s three from an eighth Championship win of a memorable campaign and building an unassailable advantage over third-placed Middlesex.

When Crocombe claimed the final wicket at 12.08pm it provoked scenes of celebration, the seamer raising both arms in the air before joining in a group hug on the square involving the whole team.

The Division Two title awaits for the runaway leaders, who have been far and away the best and most consistent side.

Knowing they were on the cusp of earning a place in the top flight, Sussex were on their game from the opening over, which saw Chris Dent bowled by Unadkat’s fifth delivery without adding to his overnight score of 61.

James Bracey could make only two before a thick edge off Ollie Robinson saw him snapped up by Tom Haines in the gully and it was 153-6 when Graeme van Buuren drove at a full delivery from Unadkat and got a nick through to wicketkeeper John Simpson.

Nightwatchman Ed Middleton battled away for 64 balls and shared a seventh-wicket stand of 36 with Tom Price before edging another catch to Simpson off Crocombe to make it 189-7. Gloucestershire still trailed by 13 runs.

In his next over Crocombe bowled Zafar Gohar with a yorker and removed Zaman Akhter’s off stump with the following delivery. The hat-trick ball was too wide and left alone by last man Dom Goodman.

Gloucestershire’s only remaining hope was to avoid an innings defeat. It proved beyond them as Crocombe struck again from the Ashley Down Road End, finishing a spell he will long remember by pinning Goodman leg before for two.