County Championship: Sussex face battle to survive against Glamorgan

The Glamorgan second-wicket record stand of 328 between Colin Ingram and Eddie Byrom leaves Sussex in strife

Sussex face a battle to save the match against Glamorgan as they will start the final day in Cardiff on 89-3, still 29 runs behind.

The home side piled up 494 to lead by 118, despite falling away in mid-innings.

Glamorgan posted a new county second-wicket record of 328 between Colin Ingram and Eddie Byrom, who made a career-best 176.

Ingram's 178 was his top score in the Championship.

But Henry Crocombe (a career-best 4-84) pegged them back with a three-wicket new-ball burst as Glamorgan lost 4-15 at one stage, and their lead was not as overwhelming as looked on the cards.

Ingram and Byrom were happy to accumulate in the first 20 overs of the day as they sailed past the previous second-wicket best, set by Marnus Labuschagne and Nick Selman - also against Sussex at Hove in 2019.

Byrom, 24, was dropped behind the wicket off Sean Hunt on 126, but Sussex eventually struck back with Crocombe inducing Ingram to pull to mid-wicket after a magnificent knock including 26 fours.

With Sam Northeast yorked first ball, and Kiran Carlson and Billy Root also falling cheaply, the top six batters posted triple-figure or single-figure scores in a lop-sided scorecard.

Byrom's marathon effort ended when he was caught off the persevering teenage spinner Archie Lenham, having hit 25 boundaries.

Michael Neser (33), the injured Chris Cooke (32) and Andrew Salter (32 not out) allowed Glamorgan to extend their lead past three figures.

In the Sussex second innings, Salter was quickly into the attack to have Tom Alsop caught at cover for eight, while Tom Haines was brilliantly caught by substitute keeper Tom Cullen for 19.

Tom Clark (34) and first innings marathon man Oli Carter put on 60 and looked like seeing out the day before Clark watched the final ball of the day, delivered by leg-spinner Ingram, dribble back agonisingly from his bat onto the stumps in what could be a key dismissal.

Glamorgan' batter Eddie Byrom told BBC Sport Wales:

"That partnership with Colin was pretty special, a record-breaking breaking partnership so I was very pleased to be involved in that and I had my dad here to watch yesterday,

"It was pretty tough because I haven't played too much cricket recently, so mentally and physically tough, but the physios and strength & conditioning staff have done a great job when I was injured, to allow me to do that.

"There's not an awful lot in the pitch, but there is a bit of spin on offer and the odd one keeping low, so the surface is probably breaking up a little bit. Hopefully we can stick to our guns and chase not too high a score.

"(Clark's dismissal) was a very strange wicket, a yorker from Colin that rolled back onto his stumps so a great pole at the end of the day, and hopefully we can get one or two early tomorrow."

Sussex bowler Henry Crocombe told BBC Sussex Sport:

"We had a short-ball plan to pack the leg-side and that came off (to dismiss Ingram), then the next ball I tried to bowl as quick and straight as i could (to bowl Northeast) though it wasn't meant to be a yorker.

"We didn't bowl straight enough and we bowled too full (on day two) but today we bowled a much better length and at the stumps.

"Clarky and Carts battled really well, unfortunately there wasn't much (Clark) could have done as it tricked back onto his stumps.

"We're disappointed but we're not in a bad position. The pitch has definitely flattened out since the first day and we're fairly confident we'll be able to get through the day