It is not very often Mushtaq Ahmed goes through a full day without taking a wicket.

So it was just as well Sussex's quicker bowlers, and in particular James Kirtley, stuck to their task so admirably at Hove yesterday.

Mushy wheeled away for 27 overs on a slow pitch for no reward but, even without a contribution from their talisman, Sussex were pretty content with their first day's work against Middlesex.

Kirtley now has 51 wickets in matches against Middlesex after taking 5-52 from 24 overs, including two in successive deliveries.

He was well supported by Robin Martin-Jenkins and Jason Lewry as the visitors, fortified by Ed Joyce's 82 and half-centuries from Owais Shah and Paul Weekes, made 327-8.

Chris Adams lost his first toss of the season and must have feared the worst when the sun broke through the clouds just before the start.

There is no doubt Hove pitches are easier to bat on when the skies are blue and this wicket, just 60 yards from the pavilion boundary, played pretty easily all day although grounds manager Derek Traill said he was a day behind in its preparation because of the recent rain.

There were times during an absorbing first day, particularly when Joyce and New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris were putting on 82 for the fourth wicket, when Middlesex threatened to take control.

But Sussex always seemed to find a wicket just when they needed one.

Despite having to defend such a short boundary Adams can have no complaints about his side's fielding display either.

The skipper set the right example with a superb effort at second slip to remove Ed Smith, just when he was threatening to cut loose, which must have still been stinging his hands at lunch.

Yet Adams' effort was trumped by an even better one from Ian Ward which got rid of Joyce after tea.

Murray Goodwin reckons he and Kirtley are Sussex's engine room and yesterday one component at least was ticking over nicely.

Kirtley now has 19 Championship scalps and is Sussex's leading wicket-taker.

The fact that it was not until late August and his ninth appearance before he took that many last season is proof he is back to his best.

Kirtley induced a mis-timed drive from Middlesex captain Ben Hutton in his third over and then removed Styris and Jamie Dalrymple in the third over of his third spell.

New Zealander Styris, a dangerous middle-order hitter was just starting to flex his shoulders when he picked out Goodwin at point driving off the back foot.

Dalrymple's first Championship innings of the season was over before it had begun when he walked in front of a low full toss.

Martin-Jenkins impressed too and Sussex could have had an even better day had Matt Prior not dropped Joyce, who was on seven, off a leg glance as he dived to his right.

But Martin-Jenkins did terminate a threatening stand between the players currently third and fifth in the national averages when Shah, who had struck nine fours in his 58, lost his off stump looking to drive down the ground.

Joyce is regarded as a future England player even though he is due to captain Ireland in the ICC Trophy in July and in eight Championship innings this season he has only once failed to get past 50.

He lacked fluency yesterday in his first innings batting at No. 4 but credit Sussex's bowlers who maintained disciplined line and lengths to him throughout.

Nevertheless, it still needed a superb catch by Ward at wide mid-on to remove him after he had batted for nearly four hours and hit nine fours. There would have been a tenth, too, had Ward not dived goalkeeper-style to his left to intercept a short-armed pull well off the deck.

Kirtley returned and had Ben Scott caught behind in his first over with the new ball but Middlesex are no different from any first division side in that they bat a long way and now Irfan Pathan, who scored a Test match half-century against Australia as recently as last October, helped Weekes take them past 300.

Weekes looked as comfortable as any of his team-mates as he reached his second half-century of the season.

But in the penultimate over Prior tumbled to his right to intercept a leg glance and give Kirtley his first five-for since July 2003.

A Kirtley success thanks to a great catch.

It just about summed up Sussex's day.

May 26, 2005