Read resolute to edge Sussex towards drop

Nottinghamshire 294-8 v Susse

Sussex, the dominant four-day side of the decade until two years ago, will wonder how it came to this, in a season in which, in one-day cricket, they have come close to sweeping the board. Win here and they could still start next season in the First Division of the County Championship, eager no doubt to dismiss this one as an aberration. But it seems increasingly unlikely.

The threat of relegation has niggled away for much of the summer but until this month they were no more likely than three or four others to be joining Worcestershire in the second tier. Then came back-to-back defeats, against Warwickshire and – crucially – an equally imperilled Yorkshire. Suddenly, with only one match left, they found themselves alarmingly adrift.

Should Yorkshire, Hampshire or Lancashire lose heavily, they may still survive, but the minimum requirement is a win, to which end the captain, Michael Yardy, faced a dilemma at the outset over how to read the pitch. This one has a good covering of grass but colour can be deceptive here. In the end he decided to back his bowlers.

Watching from the dressing room for the latter part of the day after taking a blow on the shin in the field, he might have questioned his wisdom. The ball has moved off the seam but a lack of pace has allowed no margin for error. Anything wide sat up to be punished, and from Sussex's point of view, although they will certainly pick up maximum bowling points, that happened all too frequently.

Hence Nottinghamshire, propelled towards 300 first by an unusually productive opening partnership and then by Mark Wagh's 67 and Chris Read's unbeaten 78, will probably consider their own cause better advanced.

They are intent on second place, this year worth £225,000 compared with £40,000 last season, of which £175,000 is shared among the players. Ten points will take them past Somerset, who have finished, although Warwickshire remain in the hunt. The news from Old Trafford, therefore, was good for Nottinghamshire, less so for Sussex.

Corey Collymore was the pick of the attack, but without any luck. After Bilal Shafayat and Alex Hales put on 70 for the opening wicket, Wagh survived a chance on 19 to hold the innings together, despite the departures of Samit Patel and his debut-making brother, Akhil, until Read, far and away his side's most reliable batsman this year, took up the reins.