Sussex's seventh-wicket pair Ben Brown and Chris Jordan survived 23 overs to frustrate Nottinghamshire and earn a draw in the LV= Championship match at the BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground.
Notts were always favourites on the final day, especially when they reduced Sussex to 153 for six shortly after tea. But Brown and Jordan survived a few scares in a stand lasting 90 minutes to see their side to 223 for six at stumps and move them top of Division One plus preserve their unbeaten record.
Notts this morning had resumed on 304 for nine in their second innings, a lead of 356, and added 26 runs in 4.3 overs. Paul Franks scored 22 of them, including a slog over midwicket for six off Luke Wright before Wright bowled him with his next delivery.
Sussex might have finished off Notts a little earlier but both Monty Panesar and Rory Hamilton-Brown missed easy chances in the field.
When Sussex batted again it immediately became clear they were more interested in saving the game than chasing a very difficult target of 381.
They soon lost Luke Wells, who edged a delivery from Luke Fletcher into the safe hands of wicketkeeper Chris Read in the ninth over.
Michael Yardy was second out at 55 in the 24th over when Franks pushed one across him and also made it move off the seam to find the outside edge.
Notts broke through again at 95 in the 46th over, with Read taking a third catch. This time Harry Gurney, extracting swing and bounce from the Cromwell Road End, found the edge of Ed Joyce's tentative bat.
Opener Chris Nash had watched all this from the other end as he compiled a patient 46. But then he was too slow coming down on a rapid yorker from Ajmal Shahzad and was bowled.
Earlier, when Nash was batting, umpire Peter Willey spoke to Read and Patel - who bowled unchanged from the Sea End in the afternoon session - after what appeared to be an over-enthusiastic appeal.
Shazad struck again in his next over, the 54th, when Wright, who had not scored, clipped his third ball straight to Steven Mullaney at square-leg.
Sussex were struggling at 112 for five, and added just six runs to that before the tea interval.
After the break, Hamilton-Brown and Brown looked in little trouble against Patel and Shahzad. But, 35 minutes into the final session, Shazad moved one away from Hamilton-Brown to remove his off stump and suddenly Notts sensed victory.
However, Brown and Jordan batted positively against a tiring attack with Brown reaching a third half-century of the season, from 100 balls with eight fours, while Jordan was 28 not out.