Sussex removed Warwickshire big guns Nick Knight and Ian Bell in successive overs last night to give themselves every chance of inflicting a rare defeat on the county champions.

The Bears have not lost since the final match of 2003 but their resilience will be tested over the next two days after Sussex scored 412, which is probably 100 runs over-par on this Hove pitch, and then reduced Warwickshire to 140-5.

Sussex did not use the new ball as well as they might have done but they were much more purposeful after tea. They were certainly delighted to see the back of Knight and Bell.

Knight was dropped on ten at slip by Mike Yardy and had moved ominously onto 45 when he fell leg before sweeping Mushtaq Ahmed.

Then came the even more important scalp of Bell in what could be his last Championship match for a while before he takes his rightful place in England's middle order.

Already this season, Bell has lodged 446 Championship runs, including 231 against Middlesex a fortnight ago, but yesterday he managed just a single before playing across a delivery from Robin Martin-Jenkins which would probably have hit middle and off.

Sussex struck three more times before the close. Jason Lewry returned to bowl Michael Powell through the gate and, in the final over, plucked out Dougie Brown's off stump.

In between, Alex Loudon got a leading edge trying to work Mushtaq through the leg side. Warwickshire bat deep but the follow-on target of 263 is still some way off.

Those successes after tea tilted the balance firmly Sussex's way after their lower order had grafted through the first part of the second day to help set up a strong position.

On a grafter's pitch no one got stuck in more than James Kirtley, who laboured resolutely for 3hr 10min over his 30 runs after coming in as nightwatchman on Tuesday night.

He faced 164 balls and hit just three fours, a couple of straight drives and a handsome back-foot force, but, by the time he played on to Loudon, Warwickshire were starting to wonder if they would ever get him out.

It is a familiar feeling for them. Kirtley got only the third half-century of his career at Edgbaston last season.

A two-paced pitch has inhibited batsmen with far more shots in their repertoire than Sussex's No. 10 but his innings might yet prove to be the one which makes all the difference to his side's hopes of a first win of the season.

He helped the last four wickets take the score from 280 to 412, keeping one end closed while his partners took advantage of any loose offerings from an attack without England spinner Ashley Giles, who has a hip injury and will not bowl again in the match.

Chris Adams looked as secure as anyone and had moved to 67 with three boundaries in an over off Brown when he took on Heath Streak's arm going for a third run and was left well short by the accuracy of the throw from third man.

Johan van der Wath made a brisk 34 before toe-ending a drive to cover but the most frustrating stand as far as the Bears were concerned was the ninth wicket alliance between Kirtley and Mushtaq Ahmed, who added 50 either side of lunch before Kirtley's long vigil ended.