County Championship: Sussex build second-innings lead over Worcestershire

Sussex opener Tom Haines' 91 was his highest score of the season

Tom Haines made 91 and there were half-centuries for skipper Tom Clark, Tom Alsop, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Jack Carson as Sussex recovered from a mini collapse to head into the final day against Worcestershire at Hove on 359-6 with a lead of 297.

Haines and Clark knocked off their first-innings deficit of 62 in a confident opening stand of 143 that appeared to be putting their side in a strong position.

But 45 minutes after lunch suddenly there was some assistance in the Hove pitch for Worcestershire's seamers.

Haines and Clark departed to successive balls and both James Coles and Ollie Carter fell cheaply as four wickets went down in 27 deliveries for just four runs.

When Dan Ibrahim was fifth out for a skittish but in the circumstances vital run-a-ball 28, Sussex were only in front by 116.

Jake Libby, who hit 215 against Sussex last September, missed out on a second successive double century at Hove

But the obdurate Alsop and Hudson-Prentice tilted the balance back in their favour during a stand of 82 in 23 overs either side of tea.

Hudson-Prentice fell to Pakistan leg-spinner Usman Mir for 54 but Alsop was joined by Carson in another productive alliance so far worth 99.

Worcestershire opener Jake Libby had earlier been dismissed off the fourth ball of the day without adding to his overnight 198 as the Pears were all out for 410.

Libby turned down a single to protect last man Ben Gibbon only to edge the next delivery low to Clark at second slip and give Ari Karvelas, who finished with 4-54, all with the second new ball.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.