County Championship: Gloucestershire take late wickets against Sussex

Tom Alsop's 84 and an unbeaten 75 from Cheteshwar Pujara formed the backbone of Sussex's solid response to Gloucestershire's 417 on an attritional day at Hove.

Sussex reached stumps at the 1st Central County Ground on 267-5 in County Championship Division Two - trailing by 150 - after Gloucestershire enjoyed some late success when left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar took two wickets in two balls.

Alsop became the sixth player to pass 50 without going on to a century when he failed to keep down a short ball from 6ft 6in seamer Dom Goodman, who had earlier removed opener Tom Clark for 53.

Removing Pujara in the morning could be key to Gloucestershire's hopes of a decent first-innings lead.

Gloucestershire's last two wickets added 109 in 22 overs as Gohar made his 11th first-class half-century.

He added 56 with Zaman Akhter for the ninth wicket, their only alarm coming when Pujara wasted a run-out chance with both stranded in mid-pitch.

Spinner James Coles broke the stand when a quicker delivery bowled Gohar for 60.

Off-spinner Jack Carson took a smart return catch above his head to remove Ajeet Singh Dale but not before Gloucestershire claimed a fourth batting point.

Dale bowled a terrific opening spell and got his reward when Tom Haines was well caught in the gully by Miles Hammond for four.

Clark put away anything loose and appeared to have done the hard yards when he reached a 115-ball fifty, which included a six off off-spinner Ollie Price and seven fours, but poked at a ball from Goodman that he could have ignored.

He had added 108 with Alsop, who was more fluent in reaching fifty off 100 balls. He and Pujara added 85 in 22 overs before Alsop misjudged a pull and Tom Price ran in from long leg to take a diving catch.

Dale hit James Coles on the right hand and the helmet during another whole-hearted burst but Coles added 52 with Pujara and hit Gohar out of the ground before he was caught looking to clear the short square-leg boundary.

Gohar pinned Carson on the back leg with his next ball but John Simpson survived the hat-trick.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.