Northants v Sussex: Azharullah takes seven wickets for hosts
Last updated on .From the section Counties
| LV= County Championship Division One, Wantage Road |
| Sussex 368 & 343 drew with Northants 294 & 85-1 |
| Sussex 11 pts, Northants 9 pts |
| Match scorecard |
Muhammad Azharullah took 7-76 as relegated Northants ended the season with a draw against Sussex, who clinched third place in Division One.
Azharullah's haul was just short of his previous best of 7-74 in 2005.
Luke Wells, 91 not out overnight, made his first ton of the season and went on to 162 as Sussex batted for much of the day, before being dismissed for 343.
It left the hosts an unreachable target of 418 and they were 85-1 when both sides shook hands on a draw.
| Yardy one run short of milestone |
|---|
| Michael Yardy was out for 21 on the final day of Sussex's Division One draw with Northants, leaving the all-rounder on 9,999 first-class runs. |
Stephen Peters ended unbeaten on 42, while James Kettleborough (33) was bowled by Wells in what is likely to be his last innings for the county, having reportedly agreed to join Glamorgan.
Northants finished the season without a Championship win, with 12 of their 16 matches ending in defeat, and their total of 79 points was the lowest in Division One history.
The final day's play could be the last in first-class cricket for umpires Peter Willey and George Sharp, both former Northants players.
Both will turn 65 before the start of the 2015 season, but they are challenging rules that state match officials cannot stand past that age.
Sussex director of cricket told BBC Sussex:
"You set off trying to win the title, but most people would say that third place is a very creditable spot. It's the same spot as last year.
"There's not much between the teams and, while Yorkshire have been the best team, we could have been in Lancashire's position."
Adrian Harms, BBC Sussex:
"With a draw guaranteeing third place in the Championship, Sussex understandably declined to set Northants a run chase, as the game petered out into a draw.
"Luke Wells took the opportunity to score his first century of the season in what he said 'had not been his best season'.
"For a side ravaged by injury, particularly in the bowling department, Sussex have performed exceptionally well to secure third place, with the experienced trio of Steve Magoffin, Ed Joyce and Luke Wright all playing leading roles."
