Sussex’s batting stood firm to secure a draw on the final day of their County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Arundel Castle.

Yorkshire were only able to pick up three of the ten wickets they needed to set up the chance of victory before the two teams shook hands 50 minutes after tea.

Luke Wells led the Sussex resistance as he batted for more than four and a half hours while there were also good contributions from Chris Nash and Rory Hamilton-Brown.

All three made half centuries as Sussex reached 228-3 – a lead of 74 - when the sides called it a day with no prospect of a positive result.

Yorkshire went joint top of division one courtesy of the ten points they picked up from the game while Sussex remain sixth having pocketed ninth.

The visitors required an early breakthrough to stand any chance of pushing for their fourth win of the season on such a slow and low wicket.

Nash and Wells ensured that did not happen as they took their partnership from 21 overnight to 66 before Nash succumbed to the spin of Azeem Rafiq for 53.

Wells was then dropped by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow on 19 and that proved a significant moment as the opener went on to make 81 in a marathon 246-ball innings.

The left-hander put on 110 with Hamilton-Brown either side of lunch to virtually end Yorkshire’s hopes.

Hamilton-Brown made a season’s best score of 62 before he was caught at leg gully to give part-time spinner Adam Lyth a rare wicket.

Lyth also removed Wells as he attempted to push on for a first century of the season but Matt Machan (13no) and Luke Wright (11no) were comfortably able to see the game out with little cause for alarm.