Matthew Prior and partners broke free from Yorkshire's spinners to put Sussex in a strong position after two days of the Championship match at Arundel.

Prior made a career-best 85 and Mark Davis was unbeaten on 70 as Sussex's last five wickets doubled their score to 392 and gave them a first innings lead of 137.

For the second successive game Sussex's wicketkeeper-batsmen have frustrated the champions.

At Headingley a fortnight ago, Tim Ambrose made a career-best 149 to set up an innings victory and yesterday Prior improved on his top score for the third successive game.

The only disappointment on a productive day for the county was that the 20-year-old didn't convert it into a maiden hundred although, on this evidence, it's only a matter of time before he is celebrating that distinction.

Prior has undoubtedly gained a few more admirers after batting beautifully for his 85. First with Robin Martin-Jenkins and then Davis, he helped tilt the balance of what had until then been a fairly even day, Sussex's way.

Although the county will have to bat last on a pitch which is increasingly assisting the slow bowlers, they must fancy their chances of completing the double over the Tykes.

Skipper Chris Adams believes Prior will play for England sooner rather than later.

He has already appeared for the under-19s and the quality of both his batting and glovework in this game had the hallmark of someone who is full of confidence.

He looked comfortable against off-spinners Richard Dawson, who played Test cricket for England during the winter, and Andy Gray, employing the sweep shot effectively and combining power and placement as he drove freely through the covers or forced the ball off the back foot into the gaps on the leg side with equal relish.

There was a pulled six off Darren Lehmann and 11 boundaries in his 96-ball innings, and as he accelerated after reaching his 50 in partnership with Davis, that coveted maiden hundred seemed his for the taking.

Yorkshire took the second new ball immediately it became available but by then Prior was scoring at a run a ball.

So it was a surprise when Ryan Sidebottom got just enough away movement to find the edge. Even Davis shared in his team-mate's disappointment as Prior departed to warm applause, swishing his bat in obvious frustration.

Prior had initially helped turn the contest in Sussex's favour in a sixth-wicket stand of 73 with Robin Martin-Jenkins who timed his shots well in his 35 before making the fatal mistake of playing back to a ball from Dawson which kept low.

Kevin Innes chopped on to the next delivery and at that stage Sussex's lead was just 14.

But Davis soon picked up the tempo of his partner's innings and the pair smashed the new ball to all parts as they added 50 in 44 balls. Their stand was worth 88 in 14 overs, and although Sidebottom quickly struck again when he had Billy Taylor lbw, the sight of Mark Robinson striding to the wicket didn't, as Yorkshire might have expected, put an end to their frustration.

Lehmann made three bowling changes trying to part the last wicket pair, but they put on 29 to extend Sussex's lead to 137 before Robinson became White's fourth victim when he was leg before in the penultimate over offering no shot and leaving Davis one run short of equalling his career-best, his 70 having been made off 81 balls with five fours and a six off Gray.

Until Prior's arrival it had been pretty attritional cricket for another good-sized crowd whose number may or may not have included a cricket-loving fugitive.

Yorkshire captain Lehmann was able to rotate his three twirlers and keep men round the bat, although the early inroads were made by White who removed Sussex's top three and looked more like the bowler who was an important member of the England team not so long ago as he finished with a season's best 4-49.

Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin posted their third 50 partnership of the season before Goodwin was leg before shuffling in front of his stumps.

Chris Adams, in his first Championship appearance for six weeks, looked as comfortable as any batsman can who only faces ten balls, hitting White for a couple of boundaries before he fell in similar manner to Goodwin, although there was a suggestion that it might have been a touch high.

Montgomerie duly went to 50 for the third time this season, passing 500 Championship runs in the process, before playing on to White for 71 after nearly three hours of careful crease occupation, which included 11 boundaries.

Mike Yardy was troubled several times early on by White, but he settled down to make 38.

Tim Ambrose briefly prospered before both fell to bat pad catches as first Gray and then Lehmann turned the ball just enough out of the rough.