Sussex made short work of last season's minor counties joint-champions Bedfordshire to cruise into the second round of the C&G Trophy last night.

With nearly four hours lost to rain, the game looked like dragging into a second day which, after eight nights on the road, was the last thing the Sussex players wanted.

It is amazing how the prospect of a second night in Luton can concentrate the minds.

Sussex bowled with commendable discipline to restrict Bedfordshire to 143-9 before racing to their target in just 18.3 overs with 100 of their runs coming in boundaries.

Shaun Rashid and Kevin Innes may have had a point to prove against their old county but Sussex's decision to release them looked like sound judgement when the pair disappeared for 80 in seven overs with the new ball.

Ian Ward raced to 65 off just 44 balls and when Chris Adams hit the winning runs Sussex had knocked off their target in just 70 minutes.

The gulf in class between professionals and amateurs was evident earlier in the day too.

After an hour's delay to the start, Johan van der Wath trapped Jamie Knott, son of the former England wicketkeeper Alan, in the 10.3 overs which were possible before the drizzle returned to keep the players off until 3.15pm.

They might have resumed earlier but the groundstaff got their priorities right by finishing their lunchtime trifle before peeling off the covers.

With the ball gripping on a slow and uneven surface, all the Sussex seamers looked menacing but Jason Lewry, in particular, enjoyed himself on the sort of pitch on which he used to take wickets in his Invitation League days.

Matt Prior stood up to Lewry and James Kirtley, such was the sluggish nature of the surface, and both bowlers were on hat-tricks at one stage.

Lewry ended opener Adrian Shanker's desperately grim defiance when he was stumped after labouring painfully for 111 balls over his 27 which did not include a single boundary.

Prior snapped up skipper Andy Roberts off the next delivery but Andy Trott, coming in at No. 8, survived the hat-trick ball and his 34 off 37 balls at the end, theoretically at least, gave his bowlers something to defend.

Kirtley yorked Trott and Mark Patterson in the last over but Rashid dug out the hat-trick ball.

Once his hands had warmed up, Mushtaq Ahmed's variations prevented Bedfordshire's middle order batsmen from accelerating, although Jon Walford played well for his 27..

Sussex had the best of the conditions when they began their run chase at 5.55pm and Ward, in particular, looked as if was he determined to spend last night in his own bed. Rashid, fast but wayward, conceded 31 in his first three overs while Innes's four overs cost 39.

Irishman Mark Patterson, whose brother Andy briefly kept wicket for Sussex five years ago, had Prior caught at mid-on after the openers had put on 86 in nine overs and Ward fell to a mis-timed pull off the same bowler in the 13th having hit 12 fours.

The innings was enough to earn Ward the man-of-the-match award.

The county will face a much sterner test in the second round when they take on Nottinghamshire at Hove on May 18, when a white ball and coloured clothing will be used for the first time in the competition.

Tim Ambrose struck a fluent unbeaten 57 as a combined Kent and Sussex 2nd XI reached 152-1 at Canterbury yesterday. Ambrose shared an unfinished second wicket stand of 137 with Joe Denly (69) on a rain-affected first day against counterparts representing Essex and Hampshire.

May 5, 2005