Sussex ended the season on a high as they beat champions Durham by six wickets to seal third spot in the Championship.

Chris Nash made a hundred while Luke Wells and Ed Joyce both made half centuries as Sussex comfortably chased down 295 to win with ten overs of the 75 they were left with to spare.

Earlier, Durham had been bowled out for 444 after resuming in the morning on 380-7 with Keaton Jennings making 177 and Usman Arshad 83.

It was Sussex’s first win in the Championship of the season at Hove and ensured they climbed above Warwickshire and Middlesex to finish third in division one and claim £87,000 in prize money.

A Sussex win had looked unlikely in the morning as Arshad carried on where he left off on Thursday evening by taking the attack to the Sussex bowling – James Anyon in particular – on his way to a maiden first class half century.

He put on 106 with Jennings for the eighth wicket of which Jennings only contributed 15 runs.

Jennings’s marathon seven-hour innings eventually came to an end when he was caught behind down the leg side off the bowling of Nash for 177.

Arshad followed in the next over when he smashed a ball from Ashar Zaidi straight to Ed Joyce at short midwicket having made 83 from just 88 deliveries.

Zaidi – who was bowling with a broken finger – wrapped up the innings by bowling Chris Rushworth for nine as Durham were dismissed for 458, setting Sussex 295 to win from 75 overs.

Nash and Wells gave them the perfect platform as they put on the highest opening stand for Sussex of the season and comfortably the largest for the first wicket by any side against Durham.

Wells survived a couple of chances against Scott Borthwick – being dropped by Will Smith at short leg on 33 – as he brought up his fifth half century of the season.

The left-hander fell six runs short of reaching 1,000 in first class cricket for the season until he was superbly caught by Paul Collingwood at first slip off the bowling of Graham Onions having made 88.

Nash passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season with consecutive boundaries off Ben Stokes and then completed his fourth half century in the Championship off 78 balls.

He was dropped on 91 by Borthwick at second slip off the bowling of Ben Stokes and went on to complete his third century of the season from 139 balls before holing out to mid-off for 108.

Matt Prior’s disappointing season with the bat continued as he slogged a ball from part-time spinner Will Smith straight to midwicket to depart for just six.

Wicketkeeper Phil Mustard then took off his gloves and pads to trap Luke Wright lbw and claim his maiden first class wicket with only his fifth ball.

But skipper Ed Joyce guided Sussex home with an unbeaten 65 while Ben Brown hit the winning runs.