HALF centuries from Michael Yardly and Matt Prior mean Sussex will fancy their chances going into what promises to be an intriguing last day of cricket against Somerset.

Sussex take a 336 run lead into day four at Horsham after adding 264/5 to their first innings total of 419.

They took just over thirty overs to bowl the visitors out for 347 in the seventh over at lunch, Robin Martin-Jenkins taking 3/71, and then set about putting on a meaty second innings.

The morning rain cleared and Yardy raced to 68 before being unluckily run out.
Prior hit 73 before giving his wicket away, forming a 94 partnership with Adams who will resume on 44.

Sussex's task is far from straight forward. Without spinner Mustaq Ahmed and on a renowned batting track, they will have to put on quick runs and then bowl Somerset out for the win.

63rd over: Ben Philips is tossed the ball for the last over of day three. Five dot balls and then Adams finishes play with a single.
Sussex 264/5. Adams 43* Hopkinson 9*.

62nd over: Unconvincing lbw shout against Adams from the leg arm spin of Blackwell. He nearly tempts him to bite at one that cuts in, and then Adams hits a drive for one.

61st over: Another maiden, think time from Jones. Both teams look like they've had enough.

60th over: Maiden from Blackwell. Three overs of the day remain.

59th over: The Sussex captain gives the crowd something to cheer about with a rasping drive through midd off which zips to the rope. Jones beats his off stump as he tries to have a nibble two balls later. Sussex 262/5

58th over: One more for Adams as neither team seem that interested right now.

57th: It's all gone rather flat at the moment. Adams takes a couple of singles either side of Hopkinson's push for one. Somerset are rattling thorugh the overs though.

56th over: Sussex add just two more to the total with Adams finding a gap to run two.

55th over: The wicket has slowed things here a bit. Adams does find a run by rolling to the boundary on the off side.

54th over: Hopkinson settles in immediately with a couple of straight looking shots which he runs two from.

53rd over: WICKET: Prior gives his wicket away when he was moving nicely to his century. Tried the pull from Jones' bouncer and put up a steepler for Kiestwetter to dash to fine leg and pounch. He's gone on 73 from 76 balls (13 fours) and the Horsham crowd give him a rapptuous walk to the paviliion. Carl Hopkinson comes in. Sussex 243/5

52st over: Maiden from Blackwell. The temperature has dropped dramatically here at Horsham when the sun disappears behind a cloud, but it doesn't seem to be bothering the large crowd who are here.

51st over: Steffan Jones conceeds just one with a tight over.

50th: A Prior cut finds the boundary again behind the off side and with the last ball of the over he cuts loose to drive high into the gap at cover.

49th over: Adams picks up two to move this tidy partnership onto 82 and move Sussex to 230/4. Sussex will be happy to keep things ticking along for the rest of the session.

48th over: The best and worst of Prior is demonstrated in that over. At best he cuts beautifully to the hole at third man and at worst he finishes the over by slashing at thin air as the ball whistles past his stumps.

47th over: A nasty looking chop from Prior nearly presents Trescothick with a catch at slip but the ball lands a few yards to his right.

46th over: HALF CENTURY: Prior slaps a single to get his fifty off 49 balls including nine fours. He is making a real case for a place in the England side at Lords with another clobber to the rope.
He has the nod from Christopher Martin-Jenkins who is sat next to me and says he would put him in the side.

45th over: Trego comes into bowl. His first two are a little short and Prior punishes them with two brutal hooks past square leg. Prior picks up another sinlge to go to 48.

44th over: LBW shout against Prior as he leans in to take the ball in front of the stumps with his pad. Umpire has a look but waves it away. Prior gets the single to move Sussex to 200.

43rd over: Prior bludgens a short ball past the covers for four and then sends one behind to run up two more.

42nd over: Prior moves to 25 with a pushed one off Blackwell.

41st over: Adams plays what is probably the ugliest six of his career, hanging his bat above his head to flick the ball straight onto the advertising boards. 183/4.

40th: The Sussex captain shows a full repitoire of strokes to hit three boundaries. The first is a straight drive, quickly followed by a paddle down the leg side, and to finish he steps in put away to deep square leg. He takes 12 from Blackwell to go to 14.

39th over: Classy couple of boundaries from Prior. The first is stabbed between the slips and gully and the second if from the meat of the bat to deep square leg.

38th over: Adams and Prior take a single each to keep things ticking along. They need to put on a bit of a partnerhip here if Sussex are going to get a good score.

37th over: Chris Adams joins Prior (13*)at the crease. Prior takes one before Caddick tucks one into Adam's pad wide of off stump. Adams hits over the ball to take two runs from the last ball and take his first runs of this second innings.

36th over: Blackwell keeps the pressure on with another maiden.

35th over: WICKET: Caddick is brought into the Somerset bowling attack from the railway end and produces five dot balls before getting Goodwin out. Goodwin hooked a short ball straight up into the aid and Ian Blackwell was waiting on the boundary at fine leg to pounch the steepler. Sussex 148/4. Goodwin made just 21.

34th over: The spin of Blackwell produces a maiden

33rd over: Goodwin moves past 20 with a straight drive for two.

32nd over: Tight second over from Blackwell conceeding just the two from Goodwin

31st over: Prior makes a good start to the match with a confident drive past point for four.

30th over: WICKET: Wright is caught in the slip by Justin Langer on 17 for Blackwell's first wicket of the match. The introduction of spin pays off. Sussex 124/3. Matt Prior comes in.

29th over: Willoughby comes in to bowl the first over of the session from the railway end. Wright finds a four.

MICHAEL Yardy's 68 has put Sussex in a healthy position on day three at tea, after they finished off the Somerset tail in seven overs of the afternoon session.

Sussex have added 116 to their first innings lead of 71, but Chris Nash failed to find his touch in front of his home crowd departing on 18.

Yardy put in a stubborn display for his half century before he was unfortunate to be run out.

Luke Wright will go into the final session of the day on 17, alongside first innings hero Murray Goodwin on six, as Sussex look to set a good total for Somerset to chase.

28th over. Goodwin gets a single off the last over of the afternoon session.

27th over: Wright opening up the shoulders to drive through to find the rope at long on, and Murray plants into the ground for the one. With the last ball of the over Murray uses the momentum of the delivery to swat it behind for four.

26th over: WICKET: Just after Sussex go passed 100 Yardy is out unluckily on 68. Wright drove Trego's delivery straight back at him and the bowler managed to get a hand to it and deflect it onto the stumps. Sussex's first innings hero Murray Goodwin comes in.

25th: Yardy continues as the main man on strike, he plays a nice stoke to the boundary at cover but there's a man there to limit him to one run. He finds the first four in quite a while with a swipe off the back foot, then runs up two more. Really good running to give Yardly three more and ten from the over.

23rd over: It's singles galore out here at the moment, again both batsmen trade them to take two off Philip's coming from the railway end. The fielders are working hard to cover the gaps.

22nd over: Trego is tossed the ball to try and break up this little stand. He took two wickets in the first innnings. Yardy gets just one off him.

21st over: Wright's wristy flick down the leg puts him on double figures with 10, but the soletary run is all they get off Philips.

20th over: HALF CENTURY: Yardy brings up fifty with a snatch shot which races to the boundary at deep fine leg. He's completed his 52 from 70 balls including eight eight fours. That's the left hander's fourth fifty of the season.

19th over: Philips bowls his first spell from the railway end. Both batsmen peppering to third man for two singles apiece.

18th over: Yardy runs up two before a Caddick bouncer skims Wright's helmet, sending a piece of it rolling around the wicket. He puts whatever it is back on and continues uninjured.

17th over: The runs have dried up over the last five overs, Yardy edges a run closer to his fifty but that's all they get.

16th over: Wright gets his first run with a short paddle down the leg side, Yardy adds a single to move himself onto 42.

15th over: Another maiden, this time for Jones.

14th over: Caddick delivers his second maiden of the day.

13th over: Yardy puts his bat through a crisp drive which beats the fielder to the rope, and then nips a quick single off the last ball.

12th over: Yardy picks up one, and Wright survives a half hearted lbw appeal with the last ball.

11th over: WICKET: Somerset put a man at short leg but he drives the first past him for four. Two balls later and Caddick catches him leg before. The umpires takes an age before giving the nod. Nash gone for 18. Luke Wright comes into bat. Sussex 57/1

10th over: Yardy has to scramble to his crease to force two runs, he just manages to get there before wicketkeeper Kieswetter swipes the bails. He then leans back and chops through the covers with aplomb to take the opening stand past fifty.

9th over: Maiden from Caddick.

8th over: Nice stuff from Yardy showing a good range of shots and taking 14 from the over. He creams two Jones deliveries back at him and watches them race to long on, drives to the off side and nips down the leg side to run up for two.

7th over: The batsman run up one from a tight over by Caddick.

Hurrah the sun is finally shining down on Horsham's Cricketfield Road ground. It's still very windy with a fair amount of clouds above. Shame it took until 2.40pm though!

6th over: Steffan Jones comes into bowl. Nash finds his first boundary with a nice looking straight drive to long off, before picking out another the next ball, this time it daisy cuts to long on, to take eight off the over.

5th over: Caddick beats the off stump of Nash before the batsman pushes for an easy one.

4th over: Yardy picks up one, and then good running sees Nash add three from an angled shot past slip. Yardy with a vintage stroke through the covers before picking up another one run.

3rd over: Just the one run for Sussex, Nash playing down for the single.

2nd over: Horsham boy Chris Nash gets the scorecard moving, albeit with just a single off Willoughby who has opened from the church end. Yardy adds his first runs with a controlled hook to the boundary at deep square leg.

1st over: Micheal Yardy takes the strike against Caddick. The former England bowler delivers an opening maiden.

Michael Yardy and Chris Nash are the openers for Sussex, Caddick takes the first over with the ball.

SUSSEX take seven overs of the afternoon session to take the final two Somerset wickets, finishing their first innings 348 all out they trail by 71 runs.

Robin Martin-Jenkins finished with the best figures of 3/71 off 21 overs.

88th over: WICKET: Hildreth is run out for the last wicket. Trying to force two runs Lewry throws back to the strikers end for Prior to knock the bails off. Somerset 348 all out. Hildreth 61.

87th over: Hildreth is taking the strike and starts the last man resistence with a shot through the covers for four and a dinked single.

86th over: Charl Willoughby is the last man in. Hildreth adds the single.

85th over: WICKET Lewry comes in for his second spell of the day and takes the ninth wicket. Caddick and Hildreth exchange centuries before Caddick lent forward with his leg to take the ball, umpire Jeff Evans agrees with the Sussex shout and gives it leg before. Caddick's extended sneer in his direction shows he disagreed.

84th over: Martin-Jenkins takes up the new ball after three deliveries. Caddick flicks the ball behind finding the boundary at deep fine leg.

83rd over: HALF CENTURY: Hildreth reaches his fifty with a nice drive through long off. He's got their without any extravagance, from 118 balls including seven fours. Somerset move onto 335/8.

82nd over: Caught behind shout against Caddick lead by bowler Martin-Jenkins, but didn't sound like he got any bat to it. Maiden over.

81st over: Wright gets the afternoon session underway from the railway end. Caddick gets his first runs with a comfortable couple of singles. He then cuts between point and extra cover for his first four.

SUSSEX have had a good morning in the field taking four wickets with Somerset only managing 71 runs in a rain hit session to break for lunch on 324/8.

Corry Collymore has taken two wickets in blustery and drizzlery conditions that seem to suite the bowlers for the first in the match.

Jason Hildreth has gone about his 47 not out without any fuss and Somerset will need him to bat on, while Sussex while want to skittle the last two wickets as quickly as possible.

We lost 20 minutes to three brief rain delays and as we break for lunch it's started again, but brighter weather is apparently expected for the afternoon.

80th over: My prediction is Caddick won't last all that long. He swings and misses a couple of Martin-Jenkins deliveries and looks unsteady out there. That's the last over of the session as we break for lunch.

79th over: Decent shout against the new man Caddick. It didn't bounce much and looked likely to catch the leg stump but the unpire is having none of it. Caddick get off the mark with a single.

78th over: WICKET:Robin Martin-Jenkins comes back after his two wickets yesterday and makes an instant breakthrough. Jones hits the fourth ball of the over straight to Collymore at mid off for 25. Andy Caddick comes in.

77th over. Wright comes back to bowl his second spell of the morning from the railway end. Jones send the first ball straight back at him and he tries in vain to tip the ball onto the stumps. Jones shows he's no mug with the bat by dispatching through the covers for four, and Wright bounces a four bye with the last ball.

76th over: Collymore stems the run flow of the last two overs with a maiden.

75th over: Jones again looking good hitting through the covers for four and then watching his straight drive skip away to the rope.

74th over: Jones is lucky when his top edge flies just over the head of the slips and skittles to the boundary. He deserves his next boundary though, a perfectly timed straight drive to the boundary at long off. He plants his bat and is happy to watch one bounce away before taking a single, taking him to 12 and Somerset past 300.

73rd over: Bit of a shout against Jones but the balls was going wide of leg stump. He then gets hist first two runs with a a paddle down leg side.

72nd over: The runs are moving along at snail's pace, Hildreth with a single off Collymore.

71st over: Hildreth creeps one closer to his half century with a push for the single to take him to 42. Jones only has to play at two blocking them both. If Somerset are going to get close to Sussex's score they will need Hildreth to hang around. He was dropped twice early on yesterday.

70th over: WICKET Collymore tempts Philips with two bouncers which he leaves, but he can't resist the third hooking it straight into the air for Wright again to run round from deep square and crouch to take the catch. Wright going for 4 third ball after the rain delay. Steffan Jones comes into strike and leaves the last three balls. Somerset 289/7.

69th over continued: Hildreth pushes for a single.

12.01pm Rain delays play.

69th over: New bowler from the railway end, Jason Lewry enters the Sussex attack. He gets through four balls before the rain hits again and they are dragged off. It looks like it's going to be a feature all moring here at Cricketfield Road. Philips pushes for the single.
Somerset 287/6. Hildreth 41* Philips 4*

68th over: Maiden over. Hildreth has a bite at a Colymore bouncer but misses with the attempted hook and it falls to Prior behind. It's pretty slow, we've only had twenty runs so far this morning.

67th over: Hildreth hits a clean drive through the covers for four to move within nine of his fifty. There's a big lbw shout against Philips with the last ball of Wright's over, but rightly turned down for a bit of bat first.

You can really feel the high wind in our little press tent, it feels a bit like we're on a camping trip. But the conditions look like they are favouring the bowlers for the first time in this match, so if Sussex can bowl them out I won't be complaining.

66th over: Philips opens his account with a stroke to long off to run up three. Hildreth picks up a single angling past the slips to move onto 36.

65th over: Wright looks like a man possesed twice beating the off stump and then getting a little too excited bouncing down a wide against new batsman Ben Philips. He throws in a wide before Philips runs up one.

64th over: WICKET Hildreth cuts past the dive of Dwayne Smith at point to find the rope and then picks up a single. Kieswetter is caught by Wright at deep square leg. The batsman pulled a short one from Collymore and Wright took the catch low to his right coming in from the boundary. Kieswetter gone on two. Somerset 272/6.

63rd over continued: The players come back after only five minutes. Wright sees out the over for just one run, Hildreth flicking for the single.

63rd over: Wright only manages two balls of the over before rain interrupts play and the covers come on. It looks like only a light shower.

62nd over: Hildreth runs up a single, Wright stops Kieswetter from adding a single by stopping the ball well at mid wicket.

61st over: Wright sends down a bouncer which evades both the batsman and wicketkeeper and runs on for four.

60th over: Kieswetter slaps down the leg for an easy single, but that's all Somerset take. That was just the start Sussex needed, they look in a hurry.

59th over: WICKET: Blackwell gets off the mark with a nice edge past slip to four. Not such a clean edge off the next ball, snicking it behind to Prior for Wright's second wicket.
Craig Kieswetter comes in a takes a single.

58th over: James Hildreth picks up two from Correy Collymore's first six balls, straight batting under the dive of Wright at mid off.

57th over: Luke Wright gets us underway from the railway end towards new man Ian Blackwell, and doesn't give him a sniff bowling a maiden.

GOOD morning and welcome to the WSCT live updates on day three of the Liverpool Victoria County Championship match at Horsham between Sussex and Somerset.

Somerset resume on 253/4, 166 runs behind Horsham's first innings total of 419 all out, with James Hildreth at the crease on 26.

After yesterday's frustration with the rain and bad light, we have had more showers throughout the morning but the covers are off and we are set to resume at 11.05am. It is very blustery though.

Speaking to Sussex captain Chris Adams at this morning's warm-up, he said the bowlers wouldn't be trying to force wickets, but that he wanted to finish the day with a big second innings score going into the last day.