The smell of burning record books hung in the Hove air last night after a brilliant partnership by Richard Montgomerie and Michael Bevan.

The Sussex batsmen put on 292 for the second wicket on the first day of the Championship match against Hove as the county piled up 404-5 with skipper Chris Adams still there on 35 when they resume this morning.

Theirs was the sixth highest second wicket partnership in the county's history, equalling the mark set 99 years ago by CB Fry and Ranjitsinhji against Somerset.

Both batsmen made their personal bests for the county in the process, Bevan's 166 beating the 151 not out he scored just four days ago against Essex at Arundel while Montgomerie's 133 bettered his previous highest of 113 made on debut against his old county Northants in April last year.

It was also the first time for 14 months that two Sussex batsmen had scored a century in the same innings and their partnership was the highest for any wicket since Neil Lenham and Keith Newell put on 263 for the first wicket against the West Indians five years ago.

That's the statistics out of the way. What the good-sized crowd will remember more was the quality of their strokeplay and their almost telepathic running between the wickets until both were betrayed by tiredness and fell in successive overs after a stand which spanned 69 overs.

Sussex supporters have come to expect this sort of contribution from Bevan who has run into a rich vein of form with 533 runs in his last seven innings in all cricket, including that second-ball duck at Arundel a week ago.

Montgomerie has flattered to deceive at times and certainly not got the weight of Championship runs a player of his ability should be making.

But the century he has craved all season finally arrived and he is quite capable of making a few more in the second half of the season.

And all this after Jason Gallian had won the toss and put Sussex in.

At first glance it looked the right decision. The pitch had more than a hint of green in it, but extra grass had been left on to encourage better carry and bounce and to help the new ball to retain its hardness for longer.

But it turned out to be another belter, although Montgomerie and Bevan certainly appreciated the ball coming onto the bat a bit quicker as they despatched an increasingly dispirited attack to all parts.

Notts did make a breakthrough in the 18th over when Toby Peirce, who was just beginning to settle down, played on to Andy Harris for 18 after an opening stand of 43.

But it was the last success their toiling attack, which badly missed attacking spearhead Paul Franks, were to enjoy for another five hours.

Montgomerie played with increasing authority, pulling vigorously when the bowlers strayed in length and taking full toll of anything off line as he drove handsomely through the covers to an invitingly short boundary on the scoreboard side.

A pull off Paul Reifell took him to 50 in the fifth over after lunch, his first in the Championship since the end of May, and Bevan reached his half-century soon afterwards off 100 balls, ten fewer than his partner.

Suddenly, though, Bevan went into overdrive. The timing and placement of his shots, particularly through the leg side were simply awesome and the Hove crowd lapped up every run.

After all what could be better than watching two of their own batter the bowling to all parts under a cloudless blue sky?

Bevan reached his fifth Championship century for the county in the 65th over, his second fifty coming off just 45 deliveries with ten fours in total.

Montgomerie followed three overs later, his first century for 13 months coming off 201 balls with 14 boundaries and when they carried on in remorseless fashion after tea there didn't seem to be any way that they wouldn't be back this morning to resume their assault.

But in the 87th over Bevan was a fraction late trying to run David Millns through mid-wicket and was bowled for 166, made off 213 balls in a shade over four hours with 20 boundaries.

The crowd were rising as one again in the next over to acclaim Montgomerie who was also betrayed by tiredness when he was caught at slip propping forward to Richard Stemp's slow left-arm.

His 133 was made in six-and-a-half hours off 255 deliveries with 19 fours.

It was memorable stuff and in the evening sunshine Adams and Tony Cottey piled on the misery for Notts, both driving powerfully through the off side with impeccable timing as they put on 63 in 14 overs.

Unfortunately Cottey played on to Reiffel in the penultimate over for 17, but not until he'd helped Sussex sail past 400 for the first time this season.

Nightwatchman James Kirtley was leg before two balls later as the Australian enjoyed some belated success after a day's hard labour, but this was emphatically Sussex's day.