County Championship: Derbyshire batters start well after Sussex make 402

Brooke Guest struck 12 fours and a six in his 80 not out

Derbyshire wicketkeeper Brooke Guest's unbeaten 80 frustrated Sussex on the second day of their County Championship match at Hove.

Guest, who has yet to score a century this season, came in during the third over and was still there when bad light forced the players off at 17:45 BST with his side 212-3 from 60 overs in reply to Sussex's 402, trailing by 190.

In the context of the game it was an important contribution from the 26-year-old who has so far shared a fourth-wicket stand of 70 with Leus du Plooy, the second-highest run scorer in Division Two. He has contributed 32.

With rain forcing the team off for an hour during the afternoon it was a frustrating day for Sussex, who have moved back into second place in the table as a result of Leicestershire's inactivity against Glamorgan by claiming five bonus points so far, but who are desperate to claim a second win of the season and enhance their promotion prospects.

The hosts had to be patient on a slow pitch with little sideways movement.

Harry Came, having taken three boundaries off Henry Shipley in the first over of the reply, was caught at square-leg off a mistimed pull in the New Zealander's second over, but Guest and Luis Reece progressed carefully either side of lunch as Sussex employed five seamers and off-spinner Jack Carson in search of a breakthrough.

Reece had his share of luck. On three a thick edge off Shipley dropped just short of third slip and then on 20 Ari Karvelas, diving forward at fine-leg, could not hold on to a mis-timed pull. But after adding three more runs he drove at Shipley's away-swinger and edged to slip.

Either side of an hour's delay for rain in mid-afternoon, Wayne Madsen accumulated busily and when he reached 23 he passed Denis Smith to become Derbyshire's second highest run-scorer in all formats on 20,520, although Kim Barnett's club record of 36,212 looks safe for a while yet.

But two balls after reaching fifty for the fourth time this season, Madsen was out in unlucky circumstances when a full-blooded sweep at Carson bounced off short-leg Dan Ibrahim's pads and rebounded to Karvelas, who took a simple catch in the covers.

With the floodlights on and the light poor Sussex would have fancied making further inroads but Guest, who has faced 176 balls and hit 12 fours and a six, and Du Plooy stood firm before the players went off with 22 overs not bowled.

Earlier, seamer George Scrimshaw picked up the last three Sussex batters to finish with a career-best 5-49 as he took the 1,000th five-wicket haul by a Derbyshire bowler.

Karvelas was caught in the gully and Carson edged his second ball to second slip with Sussex still 20 runs short of a fourth batting point.

But last man Shipley hit a six with the ball lodging on the pavilion roof to bring up the 400 before he was caught at point to give Scrimshaw his fifth wicket.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice was left unbeaten on 63, his fifth half-century of the season.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.