Delray Rawlins’s Sussex Sharks clinched their place in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast with a four-wicket win over champions Essex Eagles in their final South Group match at The Cloudfm County Ground today.

Sussex restricted the home side to 136 for nine after sending them into bat and then replied with 137 for six with ten balls to spare.

George Garton was the pick of the bowling attack with four for 21 and received solid support from Ollie Robinson and Mitchell Claydon, who claimed two wickets each.

Phil Salt then led the chase, stroking 42 from 22 balls, while Calum MacLeod chipped in with a vital run-a-ball 40 and Garton 34 from 30 to help the visiting side recover from 59 for five in the eighth over.

MacLeod and Garton steadied the ship via a 73-run sixth-wicket partnership in ten overs, with the latter smashing the winning boundary to steer Sussex across the line and clinch a home quarter-final against Lancashire Lightning on October 1.

Rawlins had a quiet outing in the Twenty20 affair as he was not required to bowl his left-arm spin and scored four runs from five balls before being caught to give Ben Allison his first wicket at senior level.