Chris Adams is backing his young side to bounce back quickly from the disappointment of their first Championship defeat.

Despite a first century of the season from Richard Montgomerie, Warwickshire extended their winning run against the county to nine matches when they wrapped up an eight wicket win shortly after lunch at Hove yesterday.

Sussex will not have to wait long to try and get the setback out of their systems.

They travel to West End to meet surprise second division pacesetters Hampshire tomorrow (11am), a side they have already beaten in the Benson and Hedges Cup earlier this month.

Adams says there will be no panic changes and maintains that his young team are still moving in the right direction.

He said: "Obviously it is disappointing to lose, I hate losing and so does this team.

"We have played the best side in the country and one of the best teams in this division in the last week and come up short, but I do not think people should start panicing because we have had a couple of setbacks.

"The young guys we have brought into the team this season have all made a contribution in this game and I am backing them to bounce back tomorrow."

Adams was delighted for Montgomerie, who made 116 before he was seventh man out yesterday morning.

He said: "Monty batted as well in that innings as he did when he won us the game up at Headingley a couple of years ago which I consider one of the best innings I have seen anyone play for Sussex.

"He came into the game with some good scores behind him in one-day cricket and played really well. I hope he can build on it as the season progresses and I am sure that is Monty's aim as well.

"He is a quality performer and plays the sort of innings which hopefully the other guys can build their own around."

Montgomerie was 96 not out overnight and needed just 12 more balls before despatching a leg stump half volley from Mel Betts for his 13th boundary to reach his 14th first-class hundred.

He helped wicketkeeper Matt Prior extend their seventh wicket stand to 42 and for a while it looked as if Warwickshire might struggle to be heading back to the midlands before the Bank Holiday rush began.

But the stand was finally broken when off-spinner Neil Smith bowled Montgomerie for 116. In his previous over the batsman had twice been beaten trying to run him down through slip and perished attempting to repeat the shot.

Montgomerie's vigil spanned a shade over five and a half hours and he faced 227 balls, hitting 15 boundaries.

After his poor performance behind the stumps in Warwickshire's first innings, Prior restored some confidence with a fluent innings of 35.

The 19-year-old was dropped at short leg by Dougie Brown when he pushed firmly off his legs at Vasbert Drakes. He added another 21 runs before he was ninth out, lbw to Smith on the front foot as he tried to sweep a ball which appeared to be going well down the leg side.

It was a pity his only indiscretion against the spinners brought about his downfall. For the most part Prior displayed nifty footwork to combat Smith's slow turn and drove the ball confidentally off the front foot.

Mark Davis had fallen to a bat-pad catch at silly point off Mark Wagh who claimed a career-best with his remodelled action when James Kirtley was caught at slip pushing forward to the off-spinner to leave Warwickshire a victory target of 67 in as many overs.

They suffered a couple of hiccups along the way when Davis struck twice in three balls in his third over.

Michael Powell was snaffled by the sprawling Kirtley on the square leg boundary off a top-edged sweep and then Nick Knight was bowled when he left alone a delivery he thought was going to turn harmlessly past off stump.

Wagh and David Hemp both had their moments of alarm before wrapping up Warwickshire's fifth successive Championship win at Hove 35 minutes after lunch.

Sussex will be unchanged against Hampshire with Tony Cottey, fit again after two injections to cure tennis elbow, and Mark Robinson likely to play instead for the second team who start a three-day match against Leicestershire at Hastings tomorrow (11am).

Sussex (v Hampshire): Montgomerie, Goodwin, Yardy, Zuiderent, Adams, Rashid,
Martin-Jenkins, Prior, Davis, Kirtley, Lewry.

Hampshire: Kenway, White, Kendall, Smith, Johnson, Mascarenhas, Aymes, Prittipaul, Morris, Udal, Mullally.