Sussex have an unlikely promotion double in their sights after Chris Adams' hundred inspired them to a fourth Norwich Union League win in eight days.

The county side beat champions-elect Glamorgan at Hove last night.

Adams' first one-day century for 14 months was the cornerstone of his side's 225-2, a total that was never really in Glamorgan's reach after they lost their first four wickets for 54 runs. Jimmy Maher made 54 and there were cameos from Michael Powell and Adrian Dale, but the Dragons ran out of puff and were bowled out for 191.

Sussex still need to win their final game and hope other results go their way. They will be praying for a Worcestershire win at Durham on Sunday and could sneak into third place by virtue of winning more games or having a superior net run rate than a couple of their rivals providing, of course, that Hampshire are also beaten at Hove on Sunday week.

At least they have given themselves a chance of making an immediate return to division one, a scenario which seemed highly unlikely a week ago when their main aim was to stay out of the bottom four and avoid having to play first-class opposition in the third round of the C&G Trophy next season.

And if they've got any sense the club will stage all their home matches under lights next season, whatever division they find themselves in, as floodlit games certainly seem to bring out the best in the players.

They have won all four Hove day-nighters this summer, but this was the most impressive of them over a Glamorgan team beaten just twice in their previous 14 matches.

Adams won the toss and can't have envisaged going out to face the second ball of the match. But Richard Montgomerie, the division's leading scorer this season, failed to add to his 663 runs after he was lbw to a ball from Andrew Davies.

Left-armer Davies bowled a superb nine over spell, conceding just 26 runs, and Adams and Tim Ambrose found it hard going early on with just 13 runs coming from the first nine overs.

Adams was content to play second fiddle as Ambrose began to chance his arm and the 18-year-old had a second competition fifty in his sights when slow left-armer Dean Cosker took a return catch off a leading edge.

The second wicket pair had put on 80 in 22 overs and had provided the ideal platform for Adams and Murray Goodwin to launch an assault in the second half of the innings which brought them 145 at a fraction over a run a ball.

Adams brought up his half-century off 76 balls and the second 50 took him just another 43. He began the final over on 94 but two singles and a four took him to his century, acclaimed with a clenched fist salute to a standing ovation.

Goodwin scored his sixth competition half-century of the season, finishing with 67 off 73 balls.

Glamorgan began their reply briskly but Billy Taylor stalled their progress by taking wickets in successive overs in identical fashion as first Keith Newell and then Robert Croft were caught trying to clear the short square boundary. Will House trapped Steve James lbw and Mark Robinson bowled Matt Maynard before ending a fifth wicket partnership of 49 between Australian Jimmy Maher and Michael Powell.

Maher went on to score 54, but the issue was effectively settled when James Kirtley had Maher caught, the third well-judged catch by the nerveless Carl Hopkinson.

The 19-year-old produced an even smarter piece of work to run out Darren Thomas with a direct hit. Robinson, Kirtley and House finished with two wickets apiece and Taylor took 3-43 as Sussex wrapped up victory by 34 runs with 13 balls to spare.