Taylor leaves Sussex with big runs and heartfelt thanks

Kent 575 (Northeast 190, Dickson 81, Denly 78, Stevens 63, Blake 61, Briggs 5-169) lead Sussex 333 (Taylor 142*, Wright 60, Nash 55) by 242 runsScorecard

New Zealand Test batsman Ross Taylor proved an immovable rock at the Nevill Ground hitting an unbeaten 142 as Sussex were dismissed for 333 on a day of cut and thrust under the sun.

Kent will go into the final day of this Specsavers County Championship clash holding a 242-run lead and with the option to enforce the follow-on and push for their third win of the Division Two campaign.

But it was the former Blackcaps Test skipper, Taylor, who batted a shade under six hours on the hottest day of the year, who made Kent work hardest. In praise of his team-mate’s work ethic, Sussex opener Chris Nash, said: “Ross has been brilliant for us in all formats. He’s won three T20s for us off his own back and in four-day cricket he’s shown tremendous application.

“He leaves us at the end of the week to go off for a Test series with South Africa and it’s perfect timing for him that he goes with a 140 under his belt. We’re chuffed to bits for him and we all hope he’ll come back to Sussex at some time soon.”

As for his early morning battle with Kent’s South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada, who looks set to extend his battle with Taylor in the Test arena later in the month, Nash added: “He tested us all with the new ball, hit good areas and extracted everything he could out of the new ball and a pretty dead pitch.

“When he’s …

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