LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Hove:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Worcestershire 464 & 76-2, Sussex 328
Worcestershire 7 pts, Sussex 4 pts
Match scorecard

Jones improved his career-best figures for the second time this season

Richard Jones impressed England Test selector Geoff Miller with a career-best 7-115 against Sussex at Hove.

But Worcestershire's hopes of forcing victory over Sussex were frustrated by a combination of rain and an unbeaten Robin Martin-Jenkins half-century.

The visitors still closed the third day of their County Championship Division Two game in a strong position on 76-2.

But, having been 221-8, Sussex were let off the hook as they just saved the follow-on to make 328 - 138 behind.

Instead, Martin-Jenkins, on the day he announced he would be retiring after 15 years in the game to become a schoolteacher, and Pakistani Yasir Arafat plundered 106 in just 77 minutes for the ninth wicket.

Their effort came either side of an afternoon rain delay which took 37 overs off the day's allocation.

In-form Martin-Jenkins cracked 10 boundaries in an unbeaten 66 from 70 balls, his fifth half-century of the season, although he was dropped in the gully on 15 by Phil Jacques - who grassed a difficult chance diving to his left.

Sussex had resumed on 188-4 but were soon in trouble as overcast skies helped Jones get the ball to swing.

He took three wickets in 11 balls, skipper Mike Yardy miscuing to mid-on in the day's second over, while Murray Goodwin and Ben Brown, for a fourth-ball duck in his maiden Championship innings, both fell to outswingers.

When Luke Wright failed to pick Alan Richardson's slower ball Sussex still needed 95 to avoid the follow-on but Martin-Jenkins and Arafat adopted an attacking strategy from the off.

When Worcestershire batted again they lost both openers, having Daryl Mitchell caught at short leg in Monty Panesar's second over before Martin-Jenkins ended the day still on a high when Jacques dragged one onto his off-stump.

But the all-rounder's final day of Championship cricket at Hove looks like involving a battle to help this season's early Division Two leaders avoid a third successive Championship defeat.

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