Two away wins in four days and suddenly the Sussex Sharks are on a roll.

Okay, that might be stretching the point a little and Peter Moores was smiling when he said it but yesterday's ten-run Duckworth Lewis success at Derby in the totesport League has kept the county in great heart.

It might not have been as convincing as Thursday's Twenty20 success at Chelmsford but victory in the East Midlands, capped by five wickets for 22 runs in 31 balls, lifts Sussex away from the bottom two and sets things up nicely for Wednesday's floodlit visit of Nottinghamshire.

Director of cricket Moores said: "It was a good win because it was a scrapping win. We had to fight really hard and I am very pleased with the lads.

"We fielded well again, people chucked themselves around and we started to show the traits we want. We showed the passion you need in one-day cricket to get wins so hopefully we'll make it three out of three on Wednesday."

Chasing a revised target of 177 in 41 overs, the hosts were sensing victory as Graeme Welch and Hassan Adnan put together the game's only significant partnership, worth 85 for the sixth wicket.

That left Derbyshire needing 33 off six overs but Luke Wright, off his own bowling, and Murray Goodwin, from behind point, produced brilliant direct-hit run outs and Mark Davis returned to the attack to claim two wickets in successive balls as Ant Botha top edged a sweep and Nathan Dumelow was beaten by one which turned sharply.

Victory was complete when Ian Ward's accurate return from the boundary helped run out Welch as he came back for a second with Derbyshire needing 12 from the last over.

Goodwin top scored for Sussex with 38 precious runs, although the fact he hit just one boundary off 54 deliveries proved how hard the going was for the batsmen.

Sussex never managed to conjure a dominant partnership but still kept their scoring rate at about four an over throughout the innings.

Ward leg-glanced a couple of fours before being bowled by Welch looking to work the ball through the off-side.

Matt Prior served up a couple of super straight drives before being trapped in front to give Jon Moss the first of his two early wickets.

Mike Yardy was his unlucky second victim, beaten by a ball which lifted unexpectedly and edging to the wicketkeeper.

Home spectators gave Chris Adams a warm reception on his return to his former county but he never really got going and perished when his firm drive picked out Welch at cover.

Coming together at 81-4, Tony Cottey and Goodwin looked to push things on in ones and twos, adding 30 until Cottey drove to mid-on.

It was all a bit sedate compared to the recent flurry of Twenty20 action, though maybe players and umpires have learnt a bit about public relations from the concept of cricket's newest competition.

Steady drizzle fell throughout most of the Sussex innings but the teams stayed out there when they could easily have gone off, with the only mishap for 33 overs coming when a slip by Dumelow at fine leg turned an Adams' single into four.

That changed in the 34th over when Goodwin slipped and sent back Robin Martin-Jenkins, who also lost his footing as he tried to turn and was run out by yards.

Goodwin followed soon after getting a thin edge to an attempted pull but Davis and Wright added quick late runs which were to prove valuable.

Drizzle turned to heavy rain after the restart, forcing the players off at the end of the opening over.

It was still spitting with rain when they returned but a wet wicket which had been rolled at tea suited Sussex's opening bowlers. The first over back saw Wright, taking the new ball after Jason Lewry pulled out with a knee problem, trap Mohammad Ali and induce a nick from Moss.

Four overs later, Andrew Gait got an edge to the same bowler but Yardy spilt a chest high chance at first slip.

Martin-Jenkins, however, maintained the momentum with a wicket-maiden in his first over as James Bryant was trapped right in front.

Davis also made an immediate impact as Gait holed out at deep mid-wicket.

When the same bowler accepted a simple return catch from Luke Sutton, the hosts were 59-5, 40 runs behind the par score and seemingly out of it.

The face of the game changed totally with Derbyshire's impressive sixth-wicket stand and it took a brilliant piece of work to finally remove Adnan.

Wright, with the first ball of his return for the attack, saw a leg-before shout turned down but had the presence of mind to gather the ball and throw down the stumps a split second before Adnan could get back in his ground.