Tony Cottey provided more batting ballast just when Sussex needed it most at Edgbaston yesterday.

The Welshman scored his second successive Championship century, reaching 104 not out as Sussex, needing 344 to avoid the follow-on after Warwickshire had piled up 493, ended the second day on 237-4.

If they can reach the follow-on target they should also stave off the defeat and that would complete a highly satisfactory road trip following their innings win over Somerset at the weekend when Cottey made a season's best 120.

While Shaun Pollock is around. Sussex won't feel entirely safe, especially if the South African can produce a spell like the one he bowled in mid-afternoon which threatened to put his side firmly in control.

Pollock took 2-8 in six overs, four of which were maidens, and gave Cottey and Tim Ambrose a severe examination of their defensive techniques.

Sussex lost Murray Goodwin for 16 when he was bowled by Dougie Brown playing down the wrong line in the 13th over, but Richard Montgomerie, a former Warwickshire under-19 captain, and Cottey were steering their side into calmer waters when Pollock struck twice in four balls.

Montgomerie, who hit nine fours compiling his fifth half-century of the season, was brilliantly caught by Dominic Ostler diving full-length to his right at the finer of two gullies when Pollock located the spot short of a length at the City End from which the ball was liable to take off.

Three deliveries later Bas Zuiderent, in his first Championship innings of the season, became the game's first leg before victim when Pollock nipped one back enough to defeat his forward defensive.

Ostler nearly snaffled an even better catch when Ambrose flashed an upper cut off Alan Richardson, but the Australian made 42 out of a fourth wicket stand of 91 in 31 overs when he was leg before with bat behind pad trying to work Mark Wagh's off-break through the on side.

Cottey, meanwhile, grew in confidence. Nimble footwork is usually a sign that he is batting well and after reaching his 50 off 107 balls he accelerated to convert it into the sixth hundred of his Sussex career from another 60 deliveries.

He reached the landmark with a textbook extra cover drive and perfectly placed sweep off successive Wagh deliveries to take his boundary tally to 15. Promotion a couple of places up the order appears to have been the making of him.

If Sussex do lose they will reflect ruefully on a morning session when some indisciplined bowling allowed Warwickshire's last two wickets to put on 125 in 22 overs at nearly six runs an over.

Warwickshire hadn't added to their ovenight 368-8 when Keith Piper became Jason Lewry's fourth victim in the second over, but Neil Carter and Richardson made hay at one end while Nick Knight ground remorselessly on at the other to reach his second double hundred of the season.

Carter made a career-best 38 off 27 balls, including a top-edged six off Lewry, before Kevin Innes had him caught at point in his first over of the day after the ninth-wicket pair had put on 57. Richardson and Knight, however, prolonged Sussex's agony until half an hour before lunch.

When Knight made his career-best 255 against Hampshire earlier in the season, he and Richardson put on 214 for the last wicket. Sussex restricted the damage to 68 on this occasion, but their sense of frustration must have been acute.

Innes went for 21 in one over as Richardson pulled him over square for six and hit the next two balls to the boundary. Billy Taylor finally put an end to Sussex's suffering with a yorker leaving Knight unbeaten on 245 after over eight and a half hours at the crease. The left-hander says he is adopting a more relaxed approach to Championship batting these days and if he continues in the form which has brought him 833 Championship runs in just ten innings he will be a shoe-in for the Ashes tour, and not just in the one-day squad either.

He faced 290 balls, hit one six and 30 fours and also broke the record for the highest score in matches between the two counties, beating Tony Greig's 226 at Hastings 26 years ago.

It's been nearly as long - 20 years in fact - since Sussex last won in Brum, but on this occasion you suspect they will be quite happy to escape with a draw.

A run-chase is set up at Hove where Hampshire entered the final day needing to score 360 to beat Sussex in the 2nd XI Championship.

Two declarations were made on the third day with Hampshire calling a halt on 403-4, 197 behind Sussex's mammoth first innings total.

Sussex were then fed some friendly bowling enabling them to race to 162-1 before pulling out with Dominic Clapp unbeaten on 87.

Jason Laney dominated Hampshire's first innings by thumping 205 not out and sharing in three century stands with Jimmy Adams (50), Alex Morris (57) and Chris Benham (39).

Paul Hutchison, continuing his comeback following shin-splints, took 2-73 from 22.2 overs.