Sussex have been promoted to the top tier of the Vitality County Championship.

They needed less than a session of the third day to wrap up an innings victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol and clinch promotion from Division Two of the with a game to spare.

Triumphant players and staff belted out Sussex By The Sea in the changing room after securing a top-two finish.

Henry Crocombe, one of the young players who has progressed through some tough post-Covid seasons at Hove, took the final wicket of the match.

Resuming on 140-3 in their second innings, trailing by 62 runs, the home side were skittled for 195, left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat finishing with 3-39 and match figures of 7-71, while Henry Crocombe took 4-22.

The margin of victory was an innings and seven runs, Sussex taking 21 points to Gloucestershire’s three from an eighth Championship win of a memorable campaign and building an unassailable advantage over third placed Middlesex.

When Crocombe claimed the final wicket at 12.08pm it provoked scenes of celebration, the seamer raising both arms in the air before joining in a group hug on the square involving the whole team.

Sussex can now target the title when Middlesex visit Hove from next Thursday.