Sussex can have few complaints after they suffered their second Norwich Union League defeat of the season in the Swansea sunshine yesterday.

The county would have fancied their chances of defending a total of 224-4 on a slow St Helen's pitch, but Glamorgan eased to victory with indecent haste, winning by six wickets with three overs to spare.

It was no surprise that skipper Steve James, who made that mammoth 309 not out in the Championship match at Colwyn Bay last season, was there at the end to guide his side to victory with an unbeaten 52, hitting the winning runs to the extra cover boundary off James Kirtley off the last ball of the 42nd over.

By then Sussex were looking a bit sorry for themselves as the disciplines which they pride themselves on in one-day cricket largely deserted them.

Matt Prior had a poor game behind the stumps, the fielding became increasingly ragged and, with the notable exception of Mark Robinson, the bowling lacked it's usual bite.

It hardly helped skipper Chris Adams that Robin Martin-Jenkins was forced out of the attack after he'd bowled just three overs at the start of the Glamorgan reply.

The all-rounder had declared himself fit despite a side strain, but it was clear from his first over that he was struggling badly.

Former Sussex batsman Keith Newell, in his role as a pinch-hitter, and Australian left-hander Jimmy Maher took advantage and by the time he was replaced by Robinson in the seventh over Glamorgan already had 36 on the board.

Sussex were always behind the eight-ball after that. Robinson had Newell caught at short mid-wicket for 25 in the ninth over, but Maher and Robert Croft ensured Glamorgan kept well ahead of a required run rate of five-an- over in a second wicket stand of 69 in 12 overs.

Robinson won't have enjoyed being hit back over his head by Croft for six, but after the England man had unnecessarily holed out to long on off Umer Rashid in the 21st over, Robinson returned to the attack to briefly give Sussex some hope.

Maher had made 71 off 82 balls with eight boundaries when he lost his off bail via an inside edge and three overs later Kirtley deceived Matthew Maynard with a slower ball. Between them, the two seamers conceded just 24 runs in seven overs at a crucial stage of the innings and another wicket then would have made it interesting.

But with no Martin-Jenkins to turn to, Adams had run out of options and when James struck Rashid for a six and two fours in the 37th over the contest was as good as over.

All this after three Sussex batsmen had made half-centuries in a total of 224-4 from 45 overs after Adams won the toss.

It looked a competitive score and, as had been the case a fortnight ago during the win over Essex, Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin gave the innings impetus at the start with a stand of 92 in 22 overs for the first wicket.

Goodwin skilfully worked the ball into the gaps when Glamorgan had the field up in the first 15 overs, but he wasn't afraid to go over the top either, drilling Owen Parkin on the bounce into the boards in front of the rugby stand for the first of five boundaries.

Glamorgan turned to spin in the 20th over and the introduction of Croft - who was left out of the England squad for the Old Trafford Test - paid dividends in the off spinner's second over when Goodwin, hitting with the spin, picked out Darren Thomas on the square leg boundary after making a maiden competition half-century off 67 balls with five boundaries. The first wicket stand was also a county record against Glamorgan, beating the 88 by Mike Buss and Roger Prideaux 30 years ago.

Montgomerie is enjoying the best form of his Sussex career. He now has 768 runs in all competitions this season and the only surprise yesterday that he didn't go on and anchor the innings through to it's conclusion.

He'd made 68 and had helped Adams put on 57 in 12 overs for the second wicket when his only mistake cost him his wicket, an attempted on drive off Croft squirting out to square leg instead.

By taking the pace off the ball and varying his flight Croft proved hard to get away, but not so slow left-armer Dean Cosker whom Adams took a particular liking too in the 36th over when he hit him for two straight sixes. The first was still climbing as it sailed out of the ground and headed off in the same direction Gary Sobers kept depositing Malcolm Nash when he struck six sixes in an over at St Helen's all those years ago.

The second dismissive blow only landed four rows back behind the sightscreen, but Cosker was out of the attack and medium-pacer Adrian Dale managed to keep the scoring rate in check during the final six overs when he took two wickets.

Bas Zuiderent crashed a quick 24 before he played on to Dale's yorker and Will House, whom Sussex had contemplated employing as a pinch-hitter, was bowled in the last over making room to play the medium-pacer off the back foot.

Adams remained unbeaten, grateful no doubt to post his first decent score of a stop-start season which faces further disruption this week when he misses the Championship game against Worcestershire to attend a family funeral.

He finished undefeated on 61 from 58 balls with four boundaries as well as those two sixes, but that will have been little consolation as he headed back down the M4 last night with his side badly in need of victories at Horsham and Arundel in the next two weeks to give their promotion challenge some momentum.