This diminution of bowling strength plus Ireland's current weak bowling situation plus a good placid pitch saw batsmen dominate. 967 runs were scored in 13 ½ hours scheduled playing time and only 14 wickets fell, two of them to run outs. Ireland left out Halliday, after 25 successive matches, in order to augment the batting by playing MP Rea for his second cap. Jackson cried off due to family illness. Bailey took his place and Warke became captain - at which job he performed very well. Corlett returned instead of Jeffrey. JMA sponsored the match for £2500 but the crowd was poor (£470) despite two reasonable week-end days.

Sussex won the toss and sent Ireland in to bat. This probably meant that Ireland could not win the match. The wicket looked a little moist but it proved to be a batsman's dream (prepared by former international and ICU President Joe Caprani). Warke and Cohen set off with no problems against Kimber and Boarer. Kimber moved a few away from the bat but there were no alarms. Ricketts (slow left arm) and CM Wells came on with the score in the 30s.

50 came up in 19 overs after 11 minutes had been lost to a slight shower. Cohen was in great form. He cut and drove eight fours and hit Ricketts for a six over long on in going to his 50 in 97 minutes. Kimber was given another spell and Heseltine (off spin) and Standing were tried before lunch. 100 came up in 31.5 overs - an excellent rate. At 110 Cohen (56) gave Ricketts a straightforward if rather low chance at cover off Kimber. It was put down. Meanwhile Warke grafted away and eventually reached his 50 in the last over before lunch in 128 minutes. Lunch, after 43 overs, was taken with the score at 130-0, Cohen 63 Warke 50.

The highest previous opening stand against any of the Counties or Test teams was 143. This was passed. 150 came up in 49.3 overs. With the highest opening stand of all (161 against MCC in 1879) in sight, Warke was out, caught at the wicket, cutting at CM Wells. The stand had been worth 154 in 151 minutes. Warke hit only two fours in his 57, scored in 151 minutes. When Rea came in Cohen was 79. He passed quickly through the 90s and went to his first century for Ireland in 185 minutes. 200 went up in 61.4 overs, the last 50 coming in 12. At 221 Heseltine broke the stand of 67 which had come in only 47 minutes. He had Cohen well caught by Green diving to his right at square leg. 221-2-118. Cohen hit 15 fours and two sixes, batted 199 minutes and faced 197 balls. It was a very fine innings of clean strokes and correct defence. Masood did not stay long. He scored 12 with two fours. Kimber returned for Ricketts. Masood wafted at his third ball and was caught at the wicket. 223-3.

Dennison joined Rea who was playing his shots extremely well. 250 came up in 71 overs, the last 50 in less than 10 overs. Rea hit Heseltine for a six and took 12 off the over. He reached 44 in 69 balls when he was caught at mid-on with the score at 258. One over later, after 75 overs, Ireland declared having scored 263-4 in 224 minutes against seven Sussex bowlers.

There was 50 minutes before tea in which Standing and Green scored 36 without loss in 15 overs, all but one from Corlett and Milling. In 116 minutes after tea Sussex scored 160 more off 40 overs. Garth shared the bowling after tea with McBrine. The crucial point came at 49 when Harrison, at first slip, dropped a catch off Standing (19). Garth was the unfortunate bowler. No other chance was offered until Standing was out for 50 with the total on 176.

50 was up in the 22nd over and 100, 15 overs later. Green suddenly blossomed into stroke play. He took three successive fours off Garth and went to 50 in 92 minutes. 47 minutes later he had reached 100. He hit a six in Harrison's first over and four fours in a Milling over. In his 100 he had a six and 16 fours, having faced only 119 balls. His strokeplay was positive and played with the full face of an open bat. 150 came up in the 46th over. Garth returned with the total on 176 and got Standing with his third ball. Cohen jumped to his left at cover to take a catch two-handed. Standing had grafted away for 150 minutes (178 balls) and had just completed his 50, with only two fours.

11 minutes later play ended with Green 131 in 162 minutes off 143 deliveries with a six and 21 fours. Parker was 5 and Sussex declared 67 behind. Ireland used six bowlers to bowl 55 overs. Corlett bowled most with 13, Harrison the least with five. Garth took the only wicket for 38 in 11 overs. Masood was the least expensive bowling eight overs for 18. He bowled four of the 10 maidens bowled.

Day 2

At 11 AM on the second day Warke and Cohen set out to try to set Sussex about 5 ½ runs per over by mid-afternoon (close was at 6:30 PM). Everything went according to plan. Warke again found scoring difficult but he stuck at it with Cohen while 68 were put on. 50 came up in the 19th over. When Warke was out, caught and bowled by AP Wells, he had made only 16 to Cohen's 39. AP Wells also took the second wicket, having Cohen caught behind for 45 with the total at 81. He hit six fours in 106 minutes and had scored 163 runs in the match.

Heseltine came on at 68 and Ricketts at 91. They bowled together until the score was 206. Masood had come in with everyone hoping for a quick brilliant innings from him. He did not disappoint. He scored 84 in only 80 minutes, off 83 deliveries, with a six, a five and 10 fours. He reached 50 (53 in fact) in 64 minutes and added another 31 in only 16 minutes. 100 came in the 39th over and the lunch score (after 40 overs) was 107-2, Rea 17, Masood 15.

Rea's innings must not be underwritten. He was 6 when Masood came in and 51 when Masood was out. Together they added 131 in 80 minutes off 29 overs. It was the best ever third wicket stand in Ireland. Rea, on his way to 50 in 100 minutes, hit two fours and three sixes - all drives off Ricketts. Kimber came back for the 61st over and had Masood caught at the wicket. After 63 overs Ireland declared at 221-3, Rea 60 not out scored in 118 minutes having hit two more fours. Rea had played once before against Scotland in 1985. In this, his second match, he scored 104 for once out. Four of the six Sussex bowlers had conceded four an over.

Sussex went out to seek 289 in 124 minutes plus a minimum of 20 overs. At around five an over many felt the declaration too generous. And so it seemed until the very last ball was bowled. In the 50 minutes before tea 17 overs were bowled by Corlett, Milling, McBrine (two) and Garth (one). Standing, now much more aggressive, was 35 and Greene 20 with the tea score 59-0. McBrine and Garth bowled the first 16 overs after tea. 100 came up in 22.4 overs, only 5.4 overs after tea. Standing reached 50 in 71 minutes (as compared with 144 minutes in the first innings).

With the score on 124 Garth had a success. Green had got his 50 in 68 minutes but, when 56, lobbed a catch to Warke at short mid-wicket. He had hit eight fours. He should have been out for 3 when the score was 10. He was sent back by Standing and was far out when McBrine threw low and wide. Bailey was unable to gather cleanly and the chance was lost. The stand of 124 had occupied only 81 minutes. Parker came in and played very well, scoring off a high percentage of the balls he faced. 150 came in 32.1 overs. Drinks were taken illegally 10 minutes before the last hour, thereby depriving Sussex of an over, if not two. 109 were required in 20 overs. 200 came in 43.1 overs, the last 50 in 11 overs. Corlett was now bowling from the top end and not giving too many runs away.

Harrison bowled two overs for 17 before giving way to Garth. Standing reached 100 in 135 minutes. With the first ball of the 12th over of the last 20, Corlett got Standing. Harrison dived to his right at short mid-wicket to catch him two-handed for 114 scored in 161 minutes off 155 balls with seven fours. 60 were now needed in 7.5 overs. The Standing/Parker stand put on 105 in 79 minutes. AP Wells came next. 24 were added in 12 minutes, Parker reaching 50 in 86 minutes. On the third ball of the 15th over of the last 20 AP Wells was run out for 10.

35 were now required from 5.3 overs. Garth prevented CM Wells scoring from the next three balls. Corlett then conceded 9 to Parker in the 16th over. 27 were now needed in four overs. Garth bowled again and Parker scored another 9. 18 in three overs.

All looked lost. Corlett however confined both batsmen to 5 singles in the 18th over. Now 13 were needed in two overs. Garth's first three balls of the 19th over saw four runs scored. Then, off the fourth ball, the vital wicket of Parker fell. He swept to long leg and Dennison, running along the boundary, brought off a fine catch. Parker's 81 had a six and eight fours. He batted for 108 minutes and faced 105 balls.

The batsmen had changed ends. Garth bowled a "dot" ball to CM Wells and two came off the last ball. Now seven were needed from Corlett's last over. Alikhan was now facing. Corlett had no deep leg-side fielder. There was no run of the first ball. Alikhan wafted the 2nd to deep mid-wicket. It stopped inches from the boundary and three were run.

4 now needed from 3 balls. The next ball was mistimed by CM Wells and Cohen caught the lobbed catch. Kimber came in and had to face as the umpires insisted Alikhan had not crossed before the catch. Kimber got a run and then Alikhan got a leg-bye. Two now were needed from one ball. Kimber failed to make contact, ran up the pitch and Bailey running up to the wicket ran him out.

A great finish! A fine over by Corlett, good bowling by Garth, good fielding, two fine catches by Harrison and Dennison, excellent captaincy by Warke who kept everyone's spirits up in the final overs.

Derek Scott