Video highlights – Click here Scorecard – Click here Points – Durham 6, Sussex 4.
First Division leaders Durham are on course for their sixth win of the season despite a burst of four wickets in 15 balls by Sussex seamer Steve Magoffin.
The Australian blew away Durham’s top order as they lurched to 13 for 4 before Scott Borthwick and Gordon Muchall led a spirited fightback on the second day of the Championship match at Arundel as Durham reached 168 for 6 at stumps, a lead of 268.
The pitch continued to offer seam movement, particularly from the Park End, but Sussex were unable to build on the platform established by Magoffin.
He had to share the workload with on-loan Tim Linley because Ajmal Shahzad was unable to bowl because of injury and when they were out of the attack Borthwick and Muchall were able to ease their side into a strong position.
Borthwick contributed 74, including nine fours and a six, to a fifth wicket stand of 118 while Muchall reached stumps unbeaten on 66 to add to his 81 in the first innings.
For injury-hit Sussex it was another chastening day. Bowled out for 201 in their first innings, they had to employ three substitute fielders including strength and conditioning coach Nick Lee and club coach Carl Hopkinson at one stage as Chris Nash (sickness) and, briefly, Luke Wright had to go off.
At least Magoffin’s spell kept spirits up. He started by having Mark Stoneman taken at slip and Keaton Jennings by wicketkeeper Ben Brown in his first over before nipping good-length balls back to bowl Paul Collingwood (2) and Michael Richardson (0).
But as Durham established a winning position in the evening session their only other successes came when leg-spinner Luke Wells turned one past Borthwick’s defences and Linley knocked back Ryan Pringle’s off stump for 15.
Earlier, Chris Rushworth had taken his tally of first-class victims this season to 52 with 6 for 49 as Durham established a first innings lead of 100.
Rushworth said: “There is a spot on the wicket at one end where there is variable bounce and when you have got quality bowlers like Steve Magoffin, Graham Onions and Tim Linley to exploit conditions it’s going to be hard for batsmen at times.
“They were my best figures of the season which I was pleased with and it’s good to have put us in a decent position. I’m in good form at the moment and if that helps Durham to win games then I will be happy.
“The partnership Scotty Borthwick and Gordon Muchall put together was crucial and if we can get another 70-80 runs tomorrow we will be in a strong position.”
They might have had an even bigger advantage had Sussex’s last two wickets not added 66 with on-loan George Dockrell’s unbeaten 37 ushering them to an unlikely batting bonus point.
Bowling from the Park End which Magoffin employed to devastating effect later in the day, Rushworth benefitted from a surface also showing signs of occasional low bounce.
Having removed both openers on the first day, Rushworth picked up Luke Wright when he nibbled fatally outside off stump before claiming Nash (16) and Shahzad (15) in successive overs of his second spell just before lunch.
The Durham seam attack had established a stranglehold by then. Keaton Jennings produced a superb one-handed catch at short midwicket to remove Matt Machan (21) and give Graham Onions the first of two wickets while Sussex skipper Ed Joyce spoiled a solid start when he slashed to point off John Hastings for 23.
With Ben Brown held at slip off Paul Coughlin Sussex were in danger of being asked to follow on at 135 for 8, but Dockrell organised some spirited tail-end resistance with Magoffin (14), who edged to slip to become Rushworth’s sixth victim, and Linley (10), with whom he added 40 for the last wicket before a miscued pull off Onions went to mid-wicket.
Sussex (44-2) trail Durham (301 all out; Muchall 81*, Stoneman 51) by 257 runs with eight first innings wickets remaining.
Video highlights – Click here Scorecard – Click here Points – Durham 3, Sussex 3.
Half-centuries from Gordon Muchall and Mark Stoneman helped Durham to post 301 on the first day of the LV= County Championship match with Sussex at Arundel Castle.
Tim Linley made a profitable return to Sussex by taking five wickets for the first time since 2012.
The 33-year-old took 5 for 63 at the start of a month-long loan spell from Surrey before Chris Rushworth gave the league leaders encouragement by removing openers Mike Yardy (20) and Luke Wells (13) in successive overs.
Yardy was bowled shouldering arms and Wells got a thin inside edge as Sussex closed on 44 for 2.
Durham had earlier been in trouble at 197 for 7 but the tail was adroitly marshalled by Muchall, who finished unbeaten on 81 after he helped Durham’s last three wickets add 104 and they collected their first batting bonus points for five matches.
Muchall said: “At the start of the day it looked a pretty good wicket to bat on but there was always a ball with your name on it so you had to try and be positive when you could.
“Once I got in I didn’t feel in too much trouble and it was nice to get a few runs. I thought Sussex set pretty good fields so we couldn’t keep powering along but 301 and three batting points is a decent performance, I think we would have been happy with that at the start of the day.”
Linley had to endure a heavier workload than he might have expected after Ajmal Shahzad broke down just four overs into his comeback when he suffered a recurrence of the pectoral muscle injury that had sidelined him for five weeks.
After Steve Magoffin had bowled Keaton Jennings through the gate in the fifth over Durham counter-attacked impressively through Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick, who thrashed 69 runs in just 8.3 overs.
But Linley settled on a probing line straight away, his first victim Borthwick (24) taken at second slip fencing outside off stump. In the next over Stoneman, who’d struck nine fours and a six in 44 balls for his 51, edged a beauty which nipped away to first slip before skipper Paul Collingwood (9) was leg before offering no shot.
Durham still scored at nearly five an over in the morning session as Sussex skipper Ed Joyce used seven bowlers to try and staunch the runs. His bowlers showed more discipline in the afternoon once Magoffin had ended a stand of 83 in 24 overs for the fifth wicket when Michael Richardson, who was just a boundary away from reaching his half-century, was superbly caught by the diving Chris Nash at mid-wicket.
When Linley returned to bowl Ryan Pringle with a ball which kept a shade low and Paul Couglin fell for a second-ball duck Sussex were well on top, but Muchall showed impressive discipline while feasting on anything short or wide. His footwork against the leg spin of Wells and slow left-armer George Dockrell, who was also making his Sussex debut after joining on a month’s loan from Somerset, was eye-catching.
John Hastings (23) helped Muchall put on 36 for the eighth wicket and Chris Rushworth gave him excellent support in a ninth-wicket alliance of 63. Both fell to Wells, who has switched to leg spin after bowling off breaks earlier in his career. Muchall came down the pitch to drive Dockrell through mid-wicket for his 11thboundary to bring up Durham’s 300 before the innings ended in the next over when Graham Onions drilled the ball to mid on.
Wells finished with a career best 3 for 35 while Muchall’s unbeaten 81, his highest score of the season, came off 156 balls and also included a six over long-off off Dockrell.