da heads bet： Sussex’s 20-year-old left-hander Luke Wells rode his luck to complete hismaiden century before his team suffered some late jitters on the way to a thrillingtwo-wicket win against Durham at Chester-le-Street
23-Apr-2011
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Sussex’s 20-year-old left-hander Luke Wells rode his luck to complete hismaiden century before his team suffered some late jitters on the way to a thrillingtwo-wicket win against Durham at Chester-le-Street.A fifth-wicket stand of 128 between Wells and Ben Brown had taken Sussex towithin 32 of victory. But they then lost four wickets for 17 runs, all to Ruel Brathwaite, Durham’s England-qualified West Indian paceman, who finished with 5 for 58.Brathwaite almost had a sixth with 15 runs still needed, when Amjad Khan edged him lowto third slip’s right, where Scott Borthwick’s dive could only parry the ball for four. Wells, dropped before he had added to his overnight 74, was constantly troubledby Mitch Claydon but reached 103 before he was sixth out with 21 needed.Wells edged or sliced the Australian paceman for three fours through the slipcordon but remained totally unruffled before finally driving him through extracover for his 17th four to complete his century off 241 balls.Sussex needed 72 to complete the turnaround when they resumed on 237 for 4and 22-year-old Brown, out first ball in the first innings, was the dominantpartner this morning.He played some fine shots to reach 61 before edging an attempted pull offBrathwaite to wicketkeeper Michael Richardson.Brathwaite took the next wickets either side of firing a ball well down the legside for four wides. Wells was squared up by a ball which pitched on leg stump and left him to take the shoulder of the bat on the way to point. Then Rana Naved-ul-Hasan danced down the pitch and went for a big drive, onlyto edge to Richardson.James Anyon survived an impassioned lbw appeal two balls later and somethingsimilar off the next delivery brought a raised finger. But Khan’s edge proved to be the final scare as Sussex jubilantly completed a win which had looked unlikely when they trailed by 98 on first innings.They also looked doomed when Durham began the third day 265 runs in front withfive wickets standing. When those five wickets went down for 44 they lost Richardson to the first ballof the day.But when they had the chance to take a wicket in the first over this morningsubstitute fielder Gareth Breese was unable to hang on when diving to his rightat second slip. He was on for Michael Di Venuto, who had also been off the field yesterdayfollowing a back spasm.Wells was the beneficiary of the dropped catch as Claydon troubled him withballs leaving him from an off stump line, as he had in the first innings.He continued to ride his luck and it was his century which proved decisive inthe match as Sussex got home to win.