Oli Carter revealed Sussex colleagues could barely watch after he set up a Hove thriller.

But it ended in disappointment for the young Sharks as lost by three runs to Gloucestershire.

Chasing 218 in a rain-reduced 42 overs, Sussex were 141-8 in their latest Royal London One-Day Cup contest.

But 19-year-old Carter’s 59 off 48 balls changed the game.

He shared a ninth-wicket stand of 62 in 6.2 overs with 17-year-old Archie Lenham (15).

They came up just short as Lenham was last man out, run out coming back for a second when Sussex needed five to win off eight balls. He got the ball wide of third man but Tom Lace delivered a good return.

It was easy to question the need to go for the second run – but Sussex had fashioned that position with such daring work.

They served up a finale which those who were not tempted to head for home early will long remember.

But it could have been even better.

Carter said: “It was bitter-sweet. It was very tense. I think a lot of people didn’t want to watch.

“But it was really exciting and that’s what cricket is about really.”

Sussex’s youngsters are learning this can be a cruel game.

They let slip a winning position which they worked so hard to build away to Lancashire.

Here they almost snatched a win from the jaws of defeat. Almost.

One over from Jack Taylor went for 20, including extras, as Carter hit two successive legside sixes.

By the time he had reached a 40-ball half-century the requirement was down to 29 off five overs and Sussex were starting to dream.

He straight drove Graeme van Buuren for six off the next over, which went for nine in total.

SCORECARD

That speed between the wickets saw the pair somehow squeeze five out of the 39th over, leaving the target 15 from 18 balls.

Jared Warner, the former Sussex loanee who had earlier taken the key wicket of Ben Brown, produced a slower-ball yorker to bowl Carter at the start of the 40th over.

But the contest was still not over as Henry Crocombe edged the first ball he faced for four.

Six were required from two overs and the home pair struggled to get Dan Worrall away.

When they did, it ended in that run out despair.

Ben Charlesworth earlier made 39 of Gloucestershire’s first 45 runs before edging behind to Carter looking to pull David Wiese through square.

Taylor added 52 off 60 before holing out to Wiese late on.

Sussex’s fielding was sharp, including a direct hit run out by skipper Tom Haines, and Will Beer was the pick of the bowlers with 2-30 off his full nine-over allocation.

Brown led the reply with 63 of his team’s first 124, from 78 balls, before he played on to pace and bounce from Warner.