Rayner helps Sussex take charge

Ollie Rayner's four wickets put Sussex on the verge of victory © Getty Images

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Ollie Rayner helped put Sussex on the verge of their first LV County Championship win in two months with a fine display against Hampshire at Arundel.

The off-spinner took a championship-best four for 49 as Hampshire stumbled to 127 for seven after following on 169 behind the defending champions.

Hampshire lost their final five first-innings wickets to be dismissed for 257 early on and the procession continued second time around.

Five wickets fell for 26 in the space of eight overs as they slumped to 84 for six and they will now resume in a near-hopeless position, still 42 behind.

The visitors started this morning needing 277 to avoid the follow on but fell 20 short despite a battling unbeaten 54 from Greg Lamb, his highest championship score for three years.

Lamb was involved in a controversial incident early in the day after Corey Collymore had struck quickly to have Liam Dawson caught behind without addition to his overnight score.

Lamb, on four, survived a confident appeal after edging a delivery from Collymore low to skipper Chris Adams at second slip.

Umpire John Holder gave Lamb the benefit of the doubt after consulting Jeff Evans but Sussex felt the ball had carried and there was an altercation between Adams and Nic Pothas in the following over.

Hampshire's hopes of avoiding the follow-on were hit by the loss of Pothas (41) and Dimitri Mascarenhas (17) either side of lunch as they slipped to 216 for eight.

Pothas was caught at the wicket pushing half forward to Robin Martin-Jenkins before Mascarenhas drove Collymore loosely to mid-off.

Lamb, who completed his defiant half-century in style by straight driving Ragheb Aga for his seventh boundary having faced 121 balls, steered his side to their second batting point by adding 36 in 15 overs for the ninth wicket with David Balcombe.

But the innings ended suddenly after the new ball was taken with Jason Lewry comprehensively bowling Balcombe and then last man James Tomlinson was yorked by a fired-up Collymore (4-60).

Their second innings then got off to the worst possible start with the out-of-form Michael Carberry being caught behind for one off Lewry for the second time in the match.

On a slow pitch, Rayner then got going by bowling Michael Lumb as he played back before he had John Crawley caught at slip, nibbling at his arm ball. Sean Ervine followed as he was taken at backward point.

Lamb became Rayner’s fourth victim just before bad light ended play an over early with Martin-Jenkins having also struck twice.