COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION TWO, Derby:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY THREE: Sussex 429 & 71-7, Derbyshire 337
Sussex 8pts, Derbys 5pts
Match scorecard

Peterson has played six Test matches for South Africa

Derbyshire spinner Robin Peterson took four wickets late on day three to set up an intriguing final day's play with Sussex at Derby.

Peterson (4-10) helped reduce Sussex to 71-7, a lead of 163.

The visitors' plight would have been much worse had they not claimed a first-innings advantage of 92.

After Derbyshire had resumed on 244-6, Steffan Jones (38 no) and Peterson (31) took them to 337 all out, Luke Wright claiming career-best figures of 5-65.

The prospect of Derbyshire taking control of the match seemed unlikely at the beginning of the day when they were still 36 runs short of avoiding the follow-on.

Sussex may rue dropping Tom Poynton (14) on seven and missing Jones on nought as the home side cut the deficit to less than 100 either side of a two-hour break for rain before Wright mopped up the tail.

The visitors then lost captain Mike Yardy, lbw to a full-length ball from Mark Footitt, but there was no sign of the problems that lay ahead as Ed Joyce and Chris Nash took the score to 44.

However, Joyce top-edged a sweep off Peterson into the hands of substitute Jon Clare before Greg Smith found some movement with his medium pace and had Murray Goodwin caught behind to start a decline that saw Sussex lose five wickets for nine runs.

Peterson accounted for both Nash and Wright, who both edged to slip, and Michael Thornely, who was pinned lbw by a quicker ball.

Smith then switched to off spin and trapped James Anyon lbw padding up to leave the match fascinatingly poised.

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