Young trio deliver first win for Sussex

Sussex Sharks are celebrating their first win in the Royal London Cup with three of their young players - spin duo James Coles and Archie Lenham plus centurion Ali Orr - playing key roles in the tense two-wicket success over Worcestershire Rapids at New Road.

Coles and Lenham, both aged 17, picked up three wickets apiece as Worcestershire were restricted to 233 for 9 after opting to bat on a used pitch.

Then Orr, 22, followed up his maiden County Championship century against Kent last month with a superb hundred in only his third List A innings. He paced his knock perfectly, taking 93 balls to reach his fifty but only another 35 to get to three figures.

Sussex were cruising at 160 for 1 but a late collapse meant they still needed seven from the final over. Travis Head, with 38 not out however, settled matters by smashing the third ball from Josh Baker for six over long on.

A third successive defeat was a blow to the Rapids' hopes of reaching the knockout stages after winning the opening three games.

They were on the back foot after Brett D'Oliveira was run out for 11 by Sussex skipper Tom Haines with a direct hit at the non-striker's end from wide mid-on.

Jack Haynes on 24 was caught behind in Coles' first over and then Lenham came into the attack and struck in each of his first three overs.

Tom Fell was bowled by a fine delivery before Lenham held onto a return catch from Gareth Roderick while Ed Barnard dragged a ball onto his stumps.

Coles turned the screw and Joe Leach, with 12, was lbw after sweeping and in his next over Jake Libby, having made 40 off 58 balls, was also trapped in front after working to leg.

Worcestershire were then 137 for 7 in the 34th over and the combined efforts of spinners Coles, Lenham and Will Beer produced figures of 30-0-110-6.

Jacques Banton, younger brother of England ODI and T2OI player Tom Banton, showed his potential as part of a fightback with the lower order. He struck Lenham for a straight six in his final over and was given good support by Josh Baker in a partnership of 40.

Baker holed out to wide long off against Henry Crocombe but Banton went on to make 33 from 41 balls before he was caught behind from a leading edge.

The last-wicket pair of Charlie Morris and Adam Finch gave the innings more momentum with an unbroken partnership of 39 in 3.5 overs.

Morris made the first breakthrough when Ben Brown (20) was caught and bowled with 33 on the board in the seventh over.

But Orr and Haines batted sensibly during a second-wicket partnership of 127 in 27.1 overs.

They were seldom troubled and accumulated effectively before Haines (46) attempted to lap Baker and was caught at short third man.

Orr accelerated and smashed Baker over midwicket for his fourth six to reach his hundred out of 174 for 2 before he became one of two wickets to fall in Banton's first over.

Orr, on 108, found the safe hands of Morris at long off and in the same over Coles was taken by D'Oliveira at cover.

It became 195 for 5 when Oli Carter perished at long-off against D'Oliveira and then Danial Ibrahim went lbw to Banton with two runs added.

Will Beer went lbw to Barnard and seven were needed from the final over by Baker. Although Lenham fell to the first ball, Head had the final say.