Sussex secured their promotion to Division One of the Vitality County Championship in style, defeating Gloucestershire by an innings and seven runs at Bristol. Their dominant victory, which came with a game to spare, confirmed their spot at the top of Division Two.
Beginning the third day on 140-3 in their second innings, still trailing Sussex by 62 runs, Gloucestershire's hopes quickly faded as they were bowled out for 195. Jaydev Unadkat, with match figures of 7-71, and Henry Crocombe, who claimed 4-22, led Sussex’s charge to victory.
Sussex’s 21 points from this match increased their tally and put them beyond the reach of third-placed Middlesex. This triumph marked their eighth win in what has been an unforgettable season, positioning them as the undisputed leaders of Division Two.
When Crocombe dismissed the final Gloucestershire batter at 12:08 pm, celebrations erupted. He raised his arms in triumph before joining his teammates for a jubilant embrace on the field. Sussex now await the Division Two title, having been the most consistent and dominant team throughout the campaign.
Sussex came out firing on the third morning, fully aware they were on the brink of promotion. Chris Dent, who had been Gloucestershire's leading scorer with 61, was bowled by Unadkat’s fifth ball of the day, unable to add to his overnight total.
James Bracey followed soon after, managing only two runs before edging Ollie Robinson to Tom Haines in the gully. Gloucestershire’s collapse continued when Graeme van Buuren edged a full delivery from Unadkat to wicketkeeper John Simpson, leaving the home side in further trouble at 153-6.
Nightwatchman Ed Middleton put up some resistance, facing 64 deliveries and building a seventh-wicket partnership of 36 with Tom Price. However, his efforts were undone when he edged a ball from Crocombe to Simpson, making the score 189-7, still 13 runs behind.
Crocombe quickly wrapped things up by bowling Zafar Gohar with a yorker and then sending Zaman Akhter’s off stump flying the very next ball. Though Dom Goodman survived the hat-trick delivery, Gloucestershire's last hope was to avoid an innings defeat.
Crocombe, continuing his brilliant spell from the Ashley Down Road End, sealed the win by trapping Goodman lbw for two, bringing an end to Gloucestershire's resistance and securing a memorable victory for Sussex.