Sussex's sudden slump in form has left them in danger of surrendering their hard-earned place in the first division.

Chris Adams' side suffered their third Championship defeat in the last four games at Grace Road yesterday when Leicestershire completed an eight-wicket win with a day and a session to spare.

The Foxes' first victory since the beginning of June and Lancashire's win over Somerset have dropped Sussex from fourth to sixth and left them casting nervous glances in the direction of fast-improving Yorkshire who completed their second successive victory over Hampshire yesterday.

Sussex still have a 20-point cushion over Hampshire, who fill the third relegation place, while Yorkshire are a further 6.5 points adrift, but the Tykes do have a game in hand.

But instead of reaching their survival target of 150 points with a flourish, which had seemed likely after their win over champions-elect Surrey three weeks ago, Sussex are limping towards the finishing line.

Victory over Hampshire at Hove next week will end their worries, but Adams and coach Peter Moores need to rebuild shaky confidence first, both with their top order batsmen and underperforming bowlers.

Certainly, the county will not want to go into their final game against Warwickshire, a side they haven't beaten for a decade, needing more than a couple of bonus points to ensure survival, especially as they will be without leading wicket-taker James Kirtley who will be on England duty in the Champions Trophy.

Adams said: "The other results yesterday haven't hurt us too much. We know that a couple of solid results in the last two games will see us home and dry.

"Of course I'm worried about our recent performances and confidence has taken a bit of a battering.

"We were flying after we beat Surrey, but in the last two games the players have stopped focussing on individual performances and more on the outcome which is securing a place in Division One and that has to change.

"Lancashire and Leicestershire have out-bowled us and batting-wise at the moment we seem hell-bent on being overly-aggressive and looking to play big shots too early.

"We need to get that performance culture back. I'm still very confident we will stay in Division One. We have done a lot of hard work earlier in the season to get into a position to stay up and it would be a major setback if all that went to waste now."

Sussex's hopes of setting Leicestershire a testing target required them to bat well into the afternoon yesterday. Instead they were bowled out ten minutes before lunch after their last five wickets had added 84.

The target would have been a lot smaller had Kevin Innes not organised some lower order defiance which enabled the last two wickets to put on 48.

The improving all-rounder, who seems certain to get a new contract at the end of the season, finished unbeaten on 49 made off 66 balls with nine fours, most of which were struck in an entertaining last wicket partnership of 26 with Billy Taylor.

But it was all too little, too late as far as Sussex were concerned. Resuming on 58-5, they soon lost their last recognised batsman when Tim Ambrose was caught behind aiming an ambitious back foot forcing shot at an awayswinger from Phil DeFreitas.

Matt Prior hit a glorious straight-driven four off the former England paceman, but Prior's wretched batting form continued when he lost his middle stump to a delivery from Javagal Srinath which nipped back and kept horribly low.

Nightwatchman Kirtley, who had resisted for nearly two hours, edged Devon Malcolm to third slip and Mark Davis played on when DeFreitas, who finished with 4-42, switched ends.

The odd ball misbehaved occasionally, but Sussex's attack lacked the potency shown by Leicestershire and they never looked likely to deny the home side their first win in seven Championship games.

Innes bowled Trevor Ward via an inside edge in his first over and Kirtley returned after an unusually poor first spell to trap Darren Maddy leg before.

But Ian Sutcliffe and Darren Stevens saw their side home 15 minutes before tea, Sutcliffe defying the pain from a sore wrist after he was accidentally struck by Kirtley when he threw the ball at the stumps.