Sussex's senior players answered coach Peter Moores demand for a big performance in the best way possible at Hove yesterday.

There were centuries for openers Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin and at the end of the first day at Hove, the county had batted themselves in a position where they can push for the victory which should ensure their place in Division One, while at the same time nudging an increasingly dispirited Hampshire closer to relegation.

Goodwin (119) and Montgomerie (168 not out) laid the foundations with only their third century stand of the season to put Sussex in a commanding position on 399-3.

Judging by the way Chris Adams patted his heart in mock relief, he had probably been quite glad to lose the toss at the start of the day.

A sea fret and greenish pitch suggested good bowling conditions, but the Hampshire attack wasted the new ball and within an hour the Sussex openers were cracking along at four an over on probably the quickest surface at Hove this season.

Goodwin set the tone for the day by driving James Tomlinson off the back foot through the covers for two boundaries in the youngster's first over and the opening pair were soon putting the memory of what has been a disappointing season by their high standards of last summer firmly behind them.

Three fours in Neil Johnson's first over brought up their first 50 stand for ten innings and when both rocked onto the back foot to carve Shaun Udal through point in the 28th over, it brought up only their third century partnership of the season and first since June 1.

Goodwin had hinted at a return to top form in Tuesday's National League game and he continued in the same exhilarating vein yesterday.

At one stage it even looked as if he might make a century before lunch, but it duly arrived in the fifth over after the interval when he pulled Dimitri Mascernhas through mid-wicket for his 16th boundary.

His only blemish had come in Mascerenhas's previous over when he was put down by wicketkeeper Nic Pothas standing up as he drove hard outside off stump on 95.

Such was the quality of his strokeplay, off both front and back foot, it appeared as if he might bat all day.

So it was a surprise, not least to the bowler himself, when Mascerenhas beat his defences with a nip-backer when Goodwin had made 119 off 154 balls with 16 fours and a six off the wayward Tomlinson out of a stand of 193.

Montgomerie, in contrast, was much more circumspect, at least initially, which was hardly surprising. His previous six Championship innings had yielded just 66 runs and he was dropped from the National League team after a wretched run of scores.

Perhaps the break was all he needed to rediscover both his appetite and the consistency he'd shown in the first half of the season.

Certainly, the footwork was more assured than in recent weeks and no better shots were played all day than the successive straight driven boundaries he collected off Tomlinson on his way to a first half-century since June 26.

It came off 92 balls and the next 50, which took him to his first hundred since May 25 and second of the season, was compiled off a further 116 deliveries and reached with an all-run four off Udal in the last over before tea.

He had a couple of reprieves along the way. Pothas missed the stumps at the non-striker's end when Goodwin sent back Montgomerie before he'd reached 40 .

On 102 he was shelled by Neil Johnson at slip, much to the disgust of Mascerenhas who uttered what in tennis circles is called an audible obscenity and then had to take evasive action when Johnson hurled the ball in his general direction.

Hampshire's other hard-earned successes came either side of tea. Tony Cottey, who'd helped Montgomerie put on 71 for the second wicket, was eventually given out caught behind off Johnson after umpire Barrie Leadbeater had sought confirmation from Vanburn Holder at square leg that he'd got a touch.

Chris Adams was looking in ominous form before Udal took a tumbling return catch off a full-blooded drive.

By then Montgomerie was in full flow. Adams contributed 34 to their third- wicket stand of 85 and Montgomerie accelerated after tea to such an extent that his third 50 was scored off just 68 balls while 248 of the runs so far have been scored in boundaries.

By the close he was unbeaten on 168, having added an unbeaten 50 with Tim Ambrose for the fourth wicket and Sussex were a run short of a full hand of batting bonus points since scoring 644 at Taunton seven weeks ago.

Their aim today was to compile something just as impregnable while Montgomerie will have his previous best of 192, made for Northamptonshire against Kent seven years ago, in his sights.