South Africa brought the fans flocking back to Hove and issued a warning to their England rivals in the process.

The tourists, who play England and Zimbabwe in the forthcoming NatWest Series, scored a convincing 153-run win over Sussex before almost 3,000 fans at the County Ground.

Many of the crowd would have come to see stars like Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher and Jacques Rudolph but it was a comparitively unsung batsman who stole the show.

Boeta Dippenaar collected a 90-ball century, completed by a straight driven four off Mark Davis from the penultimate delivery of the innings as South Africa set 267-7 in their 50 overs.

It was stunning evidence of the strength on which the tourists can call for the forthcoming games.

Dippenaar, 26 last weekend, is no more than an outsider for the NatWest Series, despite averaging 42 in his 61 one-day internationals.

He has never reached three figures in that time but paced things to perfection in yesterday's day-night fixture, hitting just three fours in his first 50 but accelerating late on, pulling Robin Martin-Jenkins and driving Davis for sixes.

Sussex, who play Essex Eagles today at Hove (3.00), offered him one major let off, the diving Carl Hopkinson failing to hang on to a difficult chance at mid-on off Davis when the batsman had made just 12.

Dippenaar was building on a brisk start provided by the tourists' young skipper Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs, who both hit 31 before departing off successive balls.

Hopkinson had Smith picked up by a diving Murray Goodwin at square leg off the final ball of the 12th over, then Gibbs was trapped in front by Martin Jenkins.

Spinner Mushtaq Ahmed gave the batsmen most to think about and claimed the wicket of Rudolph, South Africa's new wonder boy, who fell to a juggling catch by Matt Prior, Sussex's Johannesburg-born wicket keeper.

There was also joy against his compatriots for Davis, who hailed from Port Elizabeth, as he defeated Pollock's attempted sweep.

As if to prove the point about strength in depth it was first change bowler Charl Langeveldt who made the breakthrough in the Sussex reply.

The 28-year-old former prison warden bowled Mike Yardy and Goodwin with his second and third deliveries, then saw Chris Adams jab down sharply on a yorker with the hat-trick ball.

Langeveldt also picked up a simple return catch when Martin Jenkins misqueued a pull.

Not that the tourists's three other seamers offered much respite.

Makhaya Ntini beat Richard Montgomerie for pace to remove his middle stump and Prior's frustration at being tied down led to him attempting a huge drive and edging behind.

The contest was over by then.

Skipper Chris Adams produced a few bludgeoning boundaries before driving his namesake Paul, the South African spinner, into the hands of Dippenaar at short extra cover.

At that stage however it was the cheerful chatter of Ntini in the outfield which could be heard rather than any victory cheers from the home support.

Now South Africa aim to be the talk of the English cricketing summer, whatever the personnel.