Win at Hove keeps Gloucestershire promotion hopes alive

Gloucestershire kept their promotion hopes alive after beating Sussex by an innings and 11 runs in less than two days at Hove.

Sussex seemed to have got back into the match when they took the last seven Gloucestershire wickets for 68 runs to restrict their first innings lead to 89.

But the home side were then routed for a miserable 71 in the second innings, all of the wickets falling for 36 runs in 19 overs after openers Richard Montgomerie and Michael Yardy had put on 35 for the first wicket in six overs.

Ian Harvey again did most of the damage, taking 4-13 from ten overs to finish with match figures of 10-32. He was well supported by skipper Mark Alleyne (3-10) as the pair took the first three wickets to fall in the space of five deliveries with the score on 40. Jonathan Lewis mopped up the tail to finish with 3-20.

Yardy (12) top scored in a dismal batting performance by the home side whose total included 26 extras.

Earlier Sussex had bowled out their opponents for 227. Harvey made a hard-hitting 60, but James Kirtley (4-53) and Jason Lewry (3-51) leading the fightback with left-armer Lewry passing 50 wickets for the season in the process.

Defeat means Sussex will finish bottom of the table if Middlesex collect five points from their final game against Glamorgan next week. Gloucestershire, meanwhile, could still round off a remarkable season which has seen them complete a clean sweep of of one-day honours with promotion.