Sussex skipper Tom Haines made his fifth half-century of the season as their game with Surrey fizzled out into a draw at Hove.

Frustratingly for Haines, he has failed to convert any of those fifties into a hundred and will feel he missed out again. Having got to 63 with few alarms he pulled a long hop from Rahul Chahar to midwicket.

Sussex reached 167 for 3 in their second innings – a lead of 240 – when the teams shook hands at 4.20pm after Ollie Pope had bowled only his second over in first-class cricket. In the final analysis, the loss of the first day’s play to rain proved crucial.

For there to have been a positive result today Surrey needed to get beyond Sussex’s first-innings total of 393 and take early wickets to put them under pressure. In the end, on a slow, true pitch, neither happened.

Surrey still need a few points to make sure they don’t get dragged into a relegation battle but they have put distance between themselves and second-bottom Leicestershire so should be fine, notwithstanding the possible points deduction hanging over the Foxes for preparing a substandard pitch against Glamorgan last month.

Sussex stay fourth and although they are in touch with the three title chasers a more realistic ambition is to emulate last season’s fourth-place finish which would be a considerable achievement considering the 12-point penalty for financial irregularities they started the season with. And they will have a say in the destination of the title with Nottinghamshire at Hove next week in the penultimate round of fixtures.

When Sussex batted again with a lead of 73 they soon lost George Thomas who was pinned in front by Matt Fisher, but by the 14th over leg-spinner Chahar and fellow Indian Mahipal Lomror (left-arm spin) were getting into their work and they ended up sending down 42 overs between them.

However, with only some slow turn on offer, it took them 21 overs to make a breakthrough by which time Haines and Charlie Tear added 90 for the second wicket before Tear was lbw to a full-length ball from Lomror the batsman was entitled to think might have been drifting down the leg side.

Haines, who is averaging a modest 28.87 this season, looked unperturbed against the twin spin attack and was mortified when Chahar’s full toss ended up being safely pouched by Rory Burns diving to his left instead of being pummelled over the boundary.

Oli Carter and James Coles put on 36 for the fourth wicket before the game was mercifully put to bed.

Earlier, Surrey’s last three wickets added 27 runs before they were bowled out for 321, a deficit of 73.

Adam Thomas and Fisher extended their eighth-wicket stand to 47 when Thomas drove left-arm spinner Coles’ fifth ball low to extra cover.

Ari Karvelas had Chahan caught low down by wicketkeeper John Simpson for a duck and Fisher picked out mid-on when he tried to hit Jaydev Unadkat over the top.