Hankins, Taylor & KNB help secure draw at Hove

29 June 2017

A strong batting performance from George Hankins, Jack Taylor and Kieran Noema-Barnett helped secure a draw for Gloucestershire on an entertaining final day.

Gloucestershire had been set 351 to win in 75 overs - a motorway maximum of seventy an hour over five hours.

At lunch, at 30 for three, it looked as though it was heading towards a Sussex victory.

An impressive performance from Jofra Archer had been at the heart of the Sussex challenge, with two wickets.

He had Chris Dent caught behind and then plucked out Gareth Roderick's off stump with a in the last over before the break. Abi Sakande had taken the first wicket, bowling Cameron Bancroft for 13.

After lunch it was Archer the fielder who inspired the home side, with two magnificent catches at long-leg off the bowling of Chris Jordan.

First he dismissed Phil Mustard, high above his head and inches away from the ropes. Then, just before tea, he pulled off an even better one, this time diving forward to catch George Hankins.

It was a solid batting performance from Hankins, who provided Gloucestershire's main middle-order resistance, with a two-hour 51.

When Hankins wicket fell, Gloucestershire were in serious danger of defeat, at 117 for six with one session to go.

But Jack Taylor, who has so often been key to Gloucestershire with the bat, played a feisty innings, scoring 69 not out.

Taylor was joined in the middle by Kieran Noema-Barnett who batted for nearly two hours, scoring 37, and Gloucestershire did not lose another wicket.

Gloucestershire had declared their first innings overnight, on 150 for one, conceding a disadvantage of 208 runs.

When Sussex batted in their second innings it resembled the sort of pre-declaration bowling that was so common on Tuesdays and Fridays in the days of three-day cricket.

But with 150 overs lost to bad weather, including the whole of the second day, both sides needed to do something positive to produce the excellent finish we saw on Thursday.

Sussex thrashed 142 from 18.1 overs in their second knock, for the loss of just one wicket. Harry Finch scored 74 from 59 balls and Luke Wells hit five fours and a six in his 44.

The bowling, though, was very friendly, opened by Will Tavare and Bancroft, a fine young batsman, an occasional wicket-keeper but only a very occasional bowler, with only six balls in first class cricket before this spell, in which he conceded 67 runs from seven overs.

It was an entertaining final day and Gloucestershire will be now be looking to build on this draw ahead of the Cheltenham Cricket Festival which begins on Monday

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