A great day for Sussex as James Kirtley celebrated his return to the England squad, and Billy Taylor took his second hat-trick in six weeks.

Early in the evening Richard Montgomerie walked off Grace Road with a hundred under his belt and his county safely through to the quarter-finals of the C&G Trophy.

Taylor and Montgomerie's achievements topped off a highly impressive team performance by the county. On a slow pitch it appeared at one stage that they would be chasing a target of around 270 when Leicestershire reached 204-1 in the 43rd over, opener Trevor Ward having made 112.

Ward's dismissal sparked an astonishing Leicestershire collapse. They lost their last nine wickets for 29 runs in 38 balls, the last five tumbling in the space of nine deliveries for just one run. The Fox was well and truly on the run.

Sussex's target was a much more managable 234 and they got home with 15 balls to spare and six wickets in hand, Montgomerie underpinning the reply with a magnificent 126 not out, his third hundred in limited overs cricket.

Montgomerie took the man of the match award and deservedly so, but nothing should detract from Taylor's achievement in becoming only the fifth bowler in the county's history to take two hat-tricks and the first Sussex man in the competition since Garth Le Roux cleaned out three Irish batsmen at Hove in 1985.

Back in early May, Taylor dismissed Jimmy Ormond, Phil Sampson and Ed Giddins in successive balls in a Benson and Hedges Cup tie against Surrey, but he will have enjoyed yesterday's hat-trick even more.

Grant Flower, a veteran of 177 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe, was tempted into lofting a slower delivery to Will House at long on and then Taylor yorked Darren Maddy, who was playing limited overs cricket for England a couple of years ago. Taylor's eyes must have lit up when Devon Malcolm walked to the crease and big Devon duly thumped another slower ball straight into House's safe hands in front of the pavilion.

Leicestershire's demise was completed when Kirtley yorked Carl Crowe to take his 57th wicket of the season and end the innings with the first ball of the last over.

Quite what Ward and Darren Stevens, who put on a county competition record 171 in 33 overs for the second wicket, had to say about it when Leicestershire held a lengthy inquest after play would have made interesting listening.

While they were together batting on an easy-paced pitch looked relatively straightforward.

The rot set in when Ward holed out after making 112 off 134 balls with 14 boundaries in the 43rd over to give left-armer Mike Yardy the first of three wickets in as many overs.

Taylor finished with 4-37 which represented a remarkable fightback after his first over had gone for 13 runs while Sussex's fielding was again of a high standard.

Kirtley took 3-46 and although off-spinner Mark Davis finished wicketless, he did a good containing job for his side in the middle of the innings when Maddy and Stevens, who was bowled for 83 trying to flick Kirtley down the leg side, were threatening to bat Sussex out of contention.

Malcolm struck with the new ball when he had Tim Ambrose caught at slip in the sixth over, but Leicestershire's attack could not match the discipline shown by Sussex.

Montgomerie was joined by Yardy in what was effectively a match-winning stand of 128 in 30 overs. Yardy made 52, his second one-day half-century, before he was neatly stumped by Neil Burns off Flower who then took a difficult return catch to dismiss former Zimbabwean team-mate Murray Goodwin.

When House was yorked by Maddy, Sussex had the equation down to a run a ball from the last six overs and Montgomerie effectively settled it when he hit Vince Wells for 17 in the 47th over.

He faced 140 balls and hit 16 boundaries, three of them in that decisive over from Wells.

On this form, Sussex will fancy their chances and by the time they play their quarter-final they will be strengthened by the return from injury of Chris Adams and Kirtley, who leaves the scene for three weeks tomorrow to concentrate on his international career.