PHIL SALT insists Sussex have a chance to push their promotion aspirations after building a lead in the crunch Championship clash against Gloucestershire.

Salt top scored with 64 as Sussex finished day two at Bristol on 313-7. They hold a 113-run lead against a side that started the game second in the table.

A win would catapult Sussex back into contention for a top-three finish and opener Salt is content with their position in the game after a day interrupted by rain and bad light.

Salt said: “We are in a better position than all three of the teams immediately above us and this is a big opportunity to put ourselves back in the promotion frame.”

He added: “It was a stop-start day and the weather was frustrating. We’re disappointed to have lost 23 overs, but we’d have taken this position had it been offered at the start of the day.

“Nobody has made a big score and yet we have a really useful lead. We need to try and build on that in the morning and then apply pressure with the ball.”

Sussex fell away from 151-1 but Salt says runs are not easy to come by.

“It’s a difficult pitch to score on, especially when the bowlers bowl straight. You have to be patient and careful with your shot selection,” he said.

“But we’ve shown that, if you apply yourself for long enough, it is possible to build partnerships. We expect the pitch to flatten out a bit as the game goes on and we fancy ourselves to chase a target on the last day.”