Sussex's sorry season in the National League continues, although they gave Lancashire a run for their money under the Hove floodlights.

Disciplined bowling, notably by James Kirtley and off-spinner Mark Davis, made sure the visitors were not able to overhaul their modest target of 170 until the first ball of the last over when John Wood pulled Kevin Innes to the mid-wicket boundary.

It earned Lancashire a four-wicket win and left Sussex reflecting on an eighth defeat of a campaign which looks increasingly likely to end with them marooned at the bottom of the second division.

Still, there was an edge-of-the-deckchairs finish for an enthusiastic crowd of around 3,500 to enjoy even if another disappointing batting display by the Sharks was not so pleasing on the eye.

Only three players failed to get into double figures in their total of 169, but no one bettered Murray Goodwin's 40 and it needed a ninth wicket stand of 42 between Davis and Kirtley to give the total a measure of respectability. Even that was 30 runs short of par on a slow, well grassed pitch.

Robin Martin-Jenkins produced a double quick Lightning strike when he trapped Alec Swann leg before with the third delivery of his first over during a fine new ball spell which also earned him the wicket of Mark Chilton.

The game was effectively won for Lancashire by a third wicket stand of 56 in 15 overs between Stuart Law and David Byas. Although they were dismissed in successive overs to expose a long tail, Lancashire were seen home by man of the match Chris Schofield's entertaining 36 and a couple of lusty blows at the end by Wood.

Chris Adams did not appear to deliberate for too long before deciding to bat first. He prefers bowling rather than batting under the Hove lights although a glance at the greenest one-day pitch at the County Ground this season might have tempted him to let his attack have first use.

Lancashire's quartet of seamers made the most of occasionally lavish lateral movement, none more so than Chapple who ripped the heart out of the Sussex top order in his first spell on his way to a season's best National League return of 3-26.

The county have only scored more than 200 once in the competition this season and no one has struggled more to cope with the white Kookaburra more than Richard Montgomerie.

Last season he made 673 runs in the League. When he pushed tentatively outside off stump in Chapple's second over yesterday his ten runs raised his aggregate for this season to a modest 148. He was not the only Sussex batsman who struggled to cope with Chapple's consistency.

He pinned Adams in his fourth over with a fullish length ball which the Sussex skipper played across while late inswing accounted for Tony Cottey in his next over.

Goodwin briefly loosened the stranglehold imposed by Chapple and fit-again Peter Martin by collecting successive boundaries in Chapple's next over, but wickets continued to fall on a depressingly regular basis.

Will House came into the game in brilliant form, having scored a double hundred and two centuries last week in the Sussex League and 2nd XI Championship. But the left-hander made just two last night before driving uppishly at Wood straight to mid off.

There was a recovery of sorts from Goodwin and Martin-Jenkins in a fifth wicket stand of 36, but Martin-Jenkins edged an awayswinger from England under-19 prospect Kyle Hogg while Goodwin, who struck five boundaries in an innings spanning 54 balls, feathered a catch to the wicketkeeper in Hogg's next over. His 40 was still his highest score of the season in the competition.

Sussex still had more than half of their 45 overs remaining at that stage and the lower order deserve credit for at least making sure they used up their full allocation.

In ten overs Matt Prior and Innes took the score to 124 with a stand of 45, but both succumbed to poor shots in successive overs just when it appeared they might go on and take the total past 200.

Innes was bowled having a slog at a straight ball from Martin and then Prior, who had played well for his 30, was bowled trying to sweep leg spinner Schofield.

Sussex were 126-8 at that stage with 12 overs remaining, but a disciplined approach from Davis and Kirtley at least gave them something to bowl at. They put on 42 before Davis holed out to long on in the last over while Gary Keedy claimed his second wicket when he bowled Taylor with the last ball of the innings.

Martin-Jenkins gave Sussex the perfect start when he won a leg before decision against Alec Swann with his third ball, although replays suggested it may have been drifting down leg side.

The all-rounder has the second best economy rate in the second division this season and it was no surprise that he was able to keep things tight early on, claiming his second wicket in the 12th over when he pinned Mark Chilton on the back leg.

Even a strokeplayer of Stuart Law's quality was subdued by the slow pitch and some accurate Sussex bowling, but he and Byas punished anything loose and it was a surprise when the Queenslander dragged the ball on to his stumps sweeping Davis out of the rough.

Byas, who played with authority off the front foot, was bowled by Kirtley in the next over via a thin inside edge and although Schofield and Chapple put on 29 for the fifth wicket, Davis kept his side in contention when he held a return catch off a leading edge by Chapple.

Schofield pulled Innes off the front foot for the only six of the match in the 40th over, but Taylor bowled the left-hander in the 42nd over as he attempted an ugly mow across the line to claim his 50th League wicket.

Kirtley conceded just a single in the next to leave Lancashire needing ten off 12 balls, but Wood and wicketkeeper Jamie Haynes, who had earlier claimed four catches, scampered six runs off Taylor before Wood applied the finishing touch.