Sussex beat Surrey by 239 runs in the County Championship Division 1 on Tuesday at Hove. The hosts posted 560 in their opening innings before bowling Surrey out for 321, extending their advantage over the visitors with a comfortable margin.
And here's the thing about that first innings — 560 is a score that puts pressure on any side for the next three days. The batting looked settled, with partnerships building steadily. Surrey's bowlers ran out of ideas somewhere in the middle session, and the runs piled up without much resistance.
Surrey began reasonably enough but then felt the pressure as wickets fell in clusters. They never really got going, and by then the match was already slipping away. The visitors looked short of answers when the setting sun came in.
The result keeps Sussex moving in fourth place with 146 points from eight games. Surrey sit sixth on 129 points after five matches. The gap between them narrows slightly, though Surrey have played fewer fixtures so the comparison isn't straightforward.
To be fair, Sussex have shown consistency recently with five wins in eight outings. They lost their last outing to Essex but bounced back strongly here. Surrey's form has been patchy — they beat Essex but have struggled against the top sides this season.