Sussex had off-spinner Mark Davis to thank for a four-wicket spell which undermined Middlesex in an eight-wicket win at Richmond.

The victory kept the Sharks' Norwich Union League promotion hopes alive.

The South African-born finger spinner took 4-24 as the Crusaders were bundled out for only 109 in 37.1 openers.

Only four Middlesex batsmen reached double figures, pace bowler James Kirtley doing much of the damage in returning figures of 2-8 in six overs.

First of all the England one-day call-up got rid of opener Paul Weekes for a duck and then he came back to make wicketkeeper-batsman David Nash his second clean-bowled victim to leave Middlesex without a defendable total and with no reason to look forward to their next trip to the little-used outground.

Billy Taylor complemented Kirtley with another miserly spell of six overs for seven runs, and veteran Mark Robinson was no slouch either in taking 2-16.

The Crusaders would have failed to even scramble into three figures had it not been for a top-heavy number of extras.

It was still nowhere near enough, though, Sussex racing past their target with almost 17 overs to spare and give themselves an outside chance of promotion from Division Two if they can win their final two games of the season.

Opener Richard Montgomerie and overseas star Murray Goodwin were the not out batsmen, after Middlesex seamer Tim Bloomfield had taken 2-16.