Cricket: Uphill battle for Sussex

Batting again after tea facing a first innings deficit of 204, they lost Richard Montgomerie, Michael Yardy and Chris Adams in 18 overs.

All three fell leg before and while Montgomerie can have little cause for complaint after shuffling across his stumps in the second over, Yardy and Adams appeared to be on the end of a couple of poor decisions by umpire Kevin Lyons.

Yardy, promoted a place up the order, could not hide his disappointment after he became Amjad Khan's eighth victim of the match, belting a tennis ball into the boundary boards on his way back to the pavilion in frustration.

It appeared to most people in the ground, except the person who mattered most, that Yardy had laid his bat onto the ball first.

Adams too, batting well out of his crease to negate any late swing and seam movement, will have been disappointed to be given out to a ball from David Masters which replays suggest was sliding down the leg side.

At least Murray Goodwin looked a bit more like his old self although he had a let off when substitute fielder Martyn Sigley, Kent's physiotherapist who has played first-class cricket in New Zealand, spilled a difficult chance at point off Masters when he had made 29.

The Zimbabwean and his many admirers at Hove will hope it's just the break he needs after a poor run of form.

Goodwin will resume today on 47, having added an unbeaten 60 with Tim Ambrose who has played well for his 26 in a stand of 59. Sussex are 114-3, still 90 behind.

Batting conditions certainly improved yesterday and Sussex's hopes depend on their ability to put together the sort of productive partnerships which helped prolong Kent's first innings until tea.

The county have enjoyed just one century stand since Montgomerie and Goodwin made 140 together against Kent at Tunbridge Wells six weeks ago and that statistic has to improve if they are to have any chance of saving this game and, in the long term, of avoiding an immediate return to the second division.

Things had gone pretty much according to plan for Kent before tea when Ed Smith, whose place was under threat after a series of modest scores, chose the ideal moment to post his first century of the season.

Smith celebrated his 25th birthday eight days early with an unbeaten 141 made in over seven hours from 299 balls, 19 of which he hit for four.

There have certainly been more stylish innings played at Hove down the years, but in the context of the match Smith's contribution on a slow pitch which made timing the ball difficult will probably prove to be a match-winning one.

Sussex's bowlers deserve credit for maintaining disciplined lines all day. They were all rewarded in the end, but Kent's lower order took some dislodging.

In the morning Smith and Mark Ealham extended their sixth wicket stand to 86 from 32 overs.

Ealham needed painkillers before play started after jarring his knee walking down the pavilion steps on Wednesday.

Not that there seemed to be much wrong with his movement when he scored successive boundaries off Robin Martin-Jenkins, the second a textbook back foot square drive.

Jason Lewry replaced the all-rounder and pinned him with late inswing in his second over, but Min Patel proved just as obdurate, helping Smith put on 51 in 14 overs before a flat-footed slash outside off stump at Mark Davis brought about his downfall.

Smith had reached the fourth first-class century of his career by then and if Sussex were not getting frustrated by his steadfast accumulation they certainly were when Khan came in to show he's just as effective with a bat in his hand as he is with the ball.

Anything pitched short was ruthlessly punished by a player who has opened Denmark's batting in the past as Billy Taylor discovered when he was pulled in dismissive fashion over mid-wicket for six.

There were eight boundaries in his 92-ball 58 as well, most of them powerfully despatched through the leg side although it was when an attempted on drive flew off a thick outside edge over the slips for four that he really started to get on Sussex's nerves.

Davis eventually had him well caught down the leg side by Matt Prior but the eighth wicket pair had put on 90 and Kent were cruising towards a lead of 200.

Martin-Jenkins angled the new ball into Martin Saggers to win a leg before appeal and the only disappointment for Kent came when Masters had his stumps flattened by Taylor aiming a loose drive over mid on with one run required to secure a fourth batting point.

It will not matter too much if they go on to complete the double and send Sussex heading back towards the relegation zone.

Only more resolute batting of the sort displayed in glorious evening sunshine by Goodwin and Ambrose can deny them although Sussex will not mind too much if they spend most of today watching the forecast rain fall.

Paul Havell produced his best bowling spell of the season to have Northamptonshire struggling in Sussex's rain-affected Second XI Championship clash.

Northants, replying to Sussex's first innings 335-4 declared, stumbled to 99-5 before rain cut short the third day at Northampton.

The Australiain-born fast bowler snapped up the first three wickets in a tidy return of 3-17 from nine overs, four of them maidens.

He struck first by pinning Mike Paynter in front for three in his first over. James Wade (4) then fell to a catch at the wicket before Russell Warren was taken at deep cover for 10.

Coach Mark Robinson claimed his first victim by having Mike Powell (13) caught behind by Andrew Hodd, and he later bowled Gerard Brophy after the South-African-born wicketkeeper had scored eight fours in his 48.

Robinson had 2-24 from 4.4 overs and debutant James Theunissen, a seamer from Berkshire, returned 0-36 in nine overs, his first five having cost just five runs.

Heavy rain forced the abandonment of play with only 105 minutes possible, and Northants still require a further 85 to avoid the follow-on.