Yorkshire CCC implode with the finishing line in sight as winless run continues

From nowhere, or so it felt, Ollie Robinson, the England pace bowler formerly of Yorkshire, took 3-0 in nine balls in a devastating burst from the Cromwell Road end.

First, Adam Lyth, the set batsman who had played so well and anchored the chase, utilising all of his skill and experience, got a brutish short delivery which he could only fend through to wicketkeeper John Simpson, the Sussex captain.

In Robinson’s next over, Jordan Thompson fell for a fourth-ball duck, pulling out towards the long-leg area where Jack Carson took a brilliant running catch, then Dom Leech was bowled by Robinson for another fourth-ball duck.

Still 25 runs needed but now just one wicket in hand – and with last man Ben Coad hampered by a back injury that had prevented him from bowling earlier in the day.

Matty Revis, who had added 37 in a composed stand with Lyth and looked on helplessly as the carnage unfolded, eked out a single off Danny Lamb and then fashioned another two off Robinson while farming the strike.

Twenty-two runs needed.

However, in an effort to keep Coad away from the danger end, Yorkshire’s last-wicket pair then tried to steal a run off the final ball of Robinson’s 17th over and Coad was run out by a smart piece of fielding from Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who swooped close in from point.

In around 15 minutes of madness and mayhem, a winning position had been snatched from Yorkshire’s grasp and Robinson walked off with figures of 4-42 to rich applause from a sun-soaked crowd.

And so Yorkshire’s worst start to a season wins-wise for 15 years - now standing at six games - continued ahead of a fixture at Northamptonshire on Friday that marks the midway point of their Championship campaign.

It is a campaign in which they fully expected to be challenging for the title, let alone winning promotion, one that has so far brought two defeats to go with four draws.

“Obviously I’m disappointed,” said Ottis Gibson, the Yorkshire head coach, who later revealed that pace bowlers Matt Milnes and Mickey Edwards are likely out for the season with stress fractures of the back and foot respectively.

“There’s a common thread to some of the things I say after matches, and for a long while I’ve been saying that we’re playing good cricket, which we have been doing.

"Here again we did, but the victory eludes us. We should have got the runs, but we didn’t, and that’s what pressure does to you.”

The situation heading into day three was this: Sussex were 194-7 in their second innings, a lead of 149, ideally needing to get the lead up towards 200 to give themselves a chance.

Yorkshire had a second new ball available almost immediately but with Coad, their spearhead, unable to take it.

Still, Thompson and George Hill made the new cherry count, wrapping up the innings in a little over 40 minutes as Sussex were dismissed for 227, leaving Yorkshire to make 183.

Jack Carson was the first Sussex batsman ejected on day four, driving Thompson into the covers, where James Wharton took a fine catch, diving to his left.

It ended a stand of 40 for the eighth wicket with Tom Alsop, who had 77 to his name overnight but managed only nine more before cutting Hill to Fin Bean at third slip.

Alsop’s 86 was the highest score of the contest and a marathon of endurance, concentration and no little skill.

The left-hander faced 256 balls and hit eight to the boundary, repelling the visitors for three minutes short of six hours.

Hill finished things off two balls later, uprooting two of Robinson’s stumps as he aimed an agricultural leg-side heave. Hill, Coad and Thompson each captured three wickets, Hill the pick statistically - and in actuality - in both innings.

In glorious sunshine, Lyth got the chase off to a good start when he glanced the first ball from Robinson to the leg-side rope.

A couple of immaculate cover drives followed before opening partner Bean was held low down at fourth slip by Tom Haines off left-armer Sean Hunt.

Shan Masood fell cheaply to a catch by keeper Simpson, diving to his left off Robinson, and Yorkshire suffered a double setback just before lunch - Joe Root lbw to Danny Lamb falling away as he tried to work to leg, Hill caught behind pushing forward at Hudson-Prentice.

Wharton contributed 18 before chopping on to Hunt - as did Jonny Tattersall before sweeping Carson to James Coles at short fine-leg.

Meanwhile, Lyth went to his fifty from 102 balls with seven fours, his side’s hopes by then resting firmly on his shoulders.

But then came Robinson with one last hurrah and that, as they say, was that.