A few days before finding out whether he has a future at Sussex, Jason Lewry produced compelling evidence at Bristol that he remains a bowler the county cannot afford to do without.

In only his second Championship game since the end of June, the left-armer took 3-27 from 13 overs - his best figures of the season - on the first day against Gloucestershire.

The home side were dismissed for 178, but Sussex squandered their advantage after tea with a brittle batting display for the second match running.

James Averis, whose 21 wickets before the match had cost nearly 50 runs apiece, had one of those days when everything went right. He took 4-26 in eight overs and then his replacement Alex Gidman struck twice in successive overs as Sussex stumbled to 116-7 from 34 overs at the close.

The fall of the 15th wicket obliged pitch liason officer Raman Subba Row to inform Lord's.

There was certainly help for the bowlers all day. Lewry and James Kirtley swung the new ball round corners while Robin Martin-Jenkins and later Averis got it to move off the seam.

But with nearly 300 runs scored, Subba Row went home satisfied, blaming poor shot selection as much as the pitch for the day-long clatter. Even so, with a high-scoring draw suiting both sides in their efforts to stay clear of relegation, he was probably as surprised as anyone that the groundsman had not put in some overtime on the heavy roller.

When the ball is swinging there are few better exponents in the country than Lewry, one of seven players whose Sussex futures will be mapped out early next week.

Which is why it is inconceivable that he will not get another one-year contract. He would prefer a longer one, but director of cricket Peter Moores believes short-term deals keep the 33-year-old motivated.

Lewry has bowled just four overs since Gloucestershire thrashed Sussex at Arundel at the end of June and he subsequently had a minor knee operation, but there was little sign of rustiness as he produced a double wicket maiden in his fourth over.

Mike Hussey was bowled by an absolute jaffa which pitched on middle and hit off while skipper Chris Taylor endured a third ball duck, leg before offering no shot.

James Kirtley had already slanted one into Phil Weston's pads and there was no respite for Gloucestershire when Lewry had a breather with figures of 7-5-6-2 to his name and Robin Martin-Jenkins unseated the prolific Craig Spearman with one which jagged back at the start of an equally impressive first spell of 7-3-12-1.

Tim Hancock dropped anchor to top score with 44, helping the next two wickets add 78 either side of lunch. Ball was soon dominating again, however, as Lewry claimed his third wicket when Alex Gidman flashed to gully.

It was a good day to be a quick bowler, but that did not stop Adams bringing Mushtaq Ahmed on after 50 minutes and bowling him unchanged, apart from three overs for Mark Davis just before lunch.

The leg-spinner duly took two more wickets to take his tally for the season to 81 while Kirtley charged in during the hottest part of the day to claim two more and finish with 3-52.

So Sussex had three of the 17 points which will secure their first division place for another season, but it was soon evident that adding to their tally with the bat would prove difficult.

The danger appeared to be the out-of-contract Jonathan Lewis, who is second behind Mushtaq with 55 wickets and has a number of counties chasing his signature. Instead the unheralded Averis steamed in to take the first four wickets to fall.

He had his fair share of luck as openers Ian Ward and Richard Montgomerie played on in successive overs. Murray Goodwin was well caught at second slip by the diving Hussey and Cottey was torpedoed and trapped in his crease.

It did not get much better when Averis took his sweater. Adams got an inside edge onto his off stump but the biggest disappointment was Matt Prior who had hit some handsome shots and looked well set when he wafted at a ball from Gidman which pitched well outside off stump.

Australian Nathan Bracken returned to york Robin Martin-Jenkins to claim his first Championship wicket, leaving Sussex hopes of getting anywhere near their opponents' total in the hands of Mushtaq. It is becoming a depressingly familiar scenario.