Sussex are targeting successive home wins before the end of the month to kick-start their Championship defence.

It is not even mid-May but the county are already a quarter of the way through their four-day programme and have yet to win.

Their match with promoted Northamptonshire ended in a draw but Sussex were desperately hanging on at 69-7 in their second innings while home captain David Sales was left to curse his over-cautious declaration on the final afternoon.

He pulled out at 3.20pm at 192-5, leaving Sussex a notional target of 299 in 43 overs.

The county lost wickets regularly in a tense session after tea before Mark Davis and Mushtaq Ahmed battened down the hatches and survived seven overs with seven fielders clustered around the bat.

The latest rain-ruined round of first division fixtures produced three draws and at this stage Kent and Lancashire look the biggest threats to Sussex hopes of more Championship glory.

Not that Chris Adams and his men are even thinking about who will provide the strongest challenge to their bid for back-to-back titles. Their sole aim at the moment is simply to secure enough points to guarantee another season in the top flight.

And that means making the most of back-to-back games on their own turf. They face Warwickshire at Horsham next Wednesday and then renew rivalries with Northants at Hove on May 25.

Director of cricket Peter Moores said: "There's no point getting ahead of ourselves. The first job every season is to get enough points to be in Division One next year and just because we're the champions makes no odds.

"Then we look at trying to finish in the top three and if there's a chance of squeezing into first place in the run-in then we go for it.

"We've got two home games coming in and if we play solid cricket then hopefully we can open the door and pile through."

There is a feeling that next week's match represents something of a fresh start after spending most of the first month of the season dodging the rain.

Sussex have already lost more than five days to rain this season, but at least the last two days at Northampton have given the players an opportunity to feel bat on ball or get some serious overs under their belt.

"It's just nice to be playing again," said Moores. "I thought our seamers bowled well, especially yesterday morning when we had control of the game, while Mushy looks in good rhythm and Mark Davis took four wickets to get his season up and running.

"I never felt we were going to lose and they will probably regret not declaring earlier but we'll regroup and go again."

Sussex face Loughborough UCCE in a three-day game at Hove tomorrow (11am) which should give the likes of Richard Montgomerie, Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose an opportunity for time in the middle.

Players who have not figured in Championship cricket yet such as Tony Cottey, Michael Yardy and Jason Voros will also get a chance to stake their claims while James Kirtley will lead the side following his return from the Caribbean. Prior will also keep wicket for some part of the match.

Sales was left to regret his safety-first tactics on the final day as Sussex endured a two-and-a-half hour session which would not have done Moores' blood pressure much good.

First-innings centurion Ian Ward lost his off stump to the first ball of the innings, a full toss from Johann Louw, while Ben Phillips picked up two wickets with deliveries which did enough off the pitch to find the edge, both Montgomerie and Ambrose falling to excellent catches at second slip by Martin Van Jaarsveld.

The South African also snapped up Murray Goodwin to reward the persevering Steffan Jones and when Robin Martin-Jenkins padded up to off-spinner Jason Brown, Sussex were starting to sweat a little at 50-5 with another 15 overs remaining.

Brown then struck in successive overs when he had Adams caught at backward short leg and trapped Matt Prior leg before playing back.

There were still seven overs left and it was all starting to bring back memories of events at Edgbaston exactly a year ago when Sussex fell in a heap against Warwickshire in similar circumstances.

But Davis, who kept out 37 balls, and Mushtaq Ahmed calmed frayed nerves although there was a moment of alarm with four overs remaining when Davis, thinking he had been bowled by Graeme Swann, had to scramble back into his ground because the ball had rebounded onto the stumps off the gloves of wicketkeeper Gerry Brophy. By the time Brophy had pulled a stump out of the ground Davis was back in his crease.