Sussex were in danger of falling just short as Durham took regular wickets, before Carter and Jack Carson guided the home side to a big victory
Hove (fourth day of four): Sussex 335, 232-8, Durham 376 & 189 - Sussex win by two wickets
Sussex won their opening match in the LV= Insurance County Championship for the first time since 2015 after Oli Carter's unbeaten 33 guided them to a two-wicket victory against Durham.
The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsmen fittingly hit the winning runs when he pulled Brydon Carse for the second of two fours in an over, having supervised what was at times a nervy run chase.
Sussex began the final day at the 1st Central County Ground on 172 for 5 and requiring a further 59 runs and things initially went smoothly on a Hove pitch showing little sign of deterioration. Carter and nightwatchman Sean Hunt added 29 with Hunt taking boundaries in successive overs off Matthew Potts to ease the nerves.
Durham sensed an opportunity after Hunt's dismissal and Matt Kuhnemann took two wickets in four overs to make them favourites.
Sussex were suddenly 208 for 8 and still 23 short of their target, Durham having taken three for 15 in 11 overs. But Carter found a reliable partner in Jack Carson, and Carter pulled Carse through square to the boundary before being embraced by his partner.
Sussex have only won once in each of their last three Championship campaigns so this will do wonders for their confidence, while Durham, who had a first-innings lead of 41, will reflect that poor second-innings batting cost them victory.
Matt Kuhnemann took four second-innings wickets for Durham (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
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Hove (third day of four): Sussex 335, 172-5, Durham 376 & 189 - Sussex need 59 runs to win with five second-innings wickets remaining
The dramatic dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara for 35, with the clock ticking towards 7pm and with under five overs remaining in the day, left Sussex’s LV= Insurance County Championship match against Durham hanging in the balance going into the final day.
Pujara was superbly caught by a leaping Michael Jones at mid-wicket, pulling at Ben Raine's medium pace, and at stumps Sussex were a suddenly nervy 172 for 5 – still 59 runs away from their victory target of 231.
Tom Haines, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Henry Crocombe had earlier been the central figures for Sussex as they surged towards an opening Division Two win after dominating Durham with both ball and bat on an absorbing third day at the 1st Central Ground, Hove.
Pujara was the key man again but his dismissal leaves the result up in the air (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
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Hove (second day of four): Sussex 332-9 v Durham 376 - Sussex trail by 44 runs with one wicket remaining
The peerless Cheteshwar Pujara produced another batting masterclass as he reeled off his sixth hundred in only his ninth game for Sussex to frustrate Durham at the 1st Central County Ground.
The 35-year-old Indian, who has taken over as captain at Hove this season, dominated Sussex's reply to Durham's 376 with 115, the next highest score Oli Carter's 41.
Last season Pujara scored 1,094 runs at an average of 109 and on this evidence it will be a surprise if he doesn't do even better in 2023.
When Carter helped him add 112 in 32 overs either side of tea for the fifth wicket, Sussex were in a good position to get close to Durham's first-innings score.
But Pujara was one of three batters to fall at the start of the final session before Nathan McAndrew, who had earlier picked up five wickets on debut, organised some spirited resistance by Sussex's lower order and was undefeated on 36 as Sussex reached 332 for 9 at stumps, trailing by 44.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Oli Carter shared a 112-run stand for the fifth wicket in the first innings (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
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Hove (first day of four): Sussex v Durham 352-7
New coach Ryan Campbell has pledged that his Durham team would adopt a front-foot approach in the LV= Insurance County Championship and there was early evidence of their intent against Sussex.
On a placid pitch at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove, they rattled along at five runs per over throughout an absorbing after being put into bat, closing on 352 for 7 from 70 overs.
Michael Jones (87) and Alex Lees (79) laid the foundations with 142 for the first wicket when play began at 1.30pm after morning rain.
And although Sussex fought back with seven wickets after tea, Durham maintained their aggressive approach, not least when Ollie Robinson, on his debut following his winter move from Kent, and Graham Clark smashed 61 in eight overs for the fifth wicket.
How Sussex could have done with their own Ollie Robinson leading the attack.
Instead, Sean Hunt and Henry Crocombe, who took 33 wickets between them last season, shared the new ball and neither they or the other four bowlers new captain Cheteshwar Pujara had employed by the 22nd over could make much headway against Lees and Jones.
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