LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Hove:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY TWO: Sussex 217 & 113-4, Middlesex 296
Sussex 4pts Middlesex 5pts
Match scorecard

Neil Dexter hit 15 fours in his 140-ball 80

Neil Dexter's 80 and 60 from Gareth Berg gave Middlesex the chance to push for a first win of the season over Division Two leaders Sussex at Hove.

After the visitors slipped to 89-4 in reply to Sussex's 217, Dexter and John Simpson (45) shared a stand of 108.

They fell in quick succession but Berg hit six fours and three sixes to push the visitors to 296, a lead of 79.

Tim Murtagh (2-35) then helped reduce Sussex to 84-4, before Matt Prior (48 no) guided them to 113-4 at stumps.

Resuming on 46-3, Middlesex saw Owais Shah lose his off-stump shouldering arms to Corey Collymore (5-67), to bring Simpson in join Dexter.

Dexter hit 15 fours in his 140-ball effort and looked set to give Middlesex a big lead when he fell lbw to Robin Martin-Jenkins.

Simpson was caught behind off the same bowler, giving way to a seventh-wicket stand of 46 between Berg and Tom Smith (24).

Both men would fall lbw to Monty Panesar (2-65), before Collymore returned to mop up the tail and complete his best figures for Sussex.

Sussex had soon slipped to 44-3 after Michael Thornley and Joe Gatting fell to Murtagh - lbw and caught at slip respectively - and Murray Goodwin was cleaned up by a swinging Iain O'Brien delivery for a duck.

Prior and Chris Nash (42) led a comeback of sorts but Nash was trapped lbw by Pedro Collins before the close leaving Prior, a centurion in the first innings, with much to do if Sussex are to continue their perfect start to the season.

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