Sussex clearly fancy more one-day success this season if their superb performance against Lancashire yesterday is a yardstick.

Skipper Chris Adams led from the front with a chanceless unbeaten 132 - his 20th limited overs hundred - as the C&G Trophy finalists chased down an imposing Lancashire total of 277-4 with two balls and two wickets to spare at Hove yesterday.

They have now won two out of two in the Pro40 League and will relish next Monday's home date with champions Essex. They have also laid down a marker for the next meeting between these two fierce rivals at Lord's on the 26th.

At 35, Adams is quite content to play the anchor role in one-day cricket these days but he rolled back the years with a vintage display of hitting yesterday.

Three of his four sixes came in the same Oliver Newby over as he went from 81 to his tenth one-day hundred for the county in four meaty blows.

Sussex's reply had got off to the worst possible start with Matt Prior playing on to his first ball and Richard Montgomerie becoming Kyle Hogg's second victim in his next over.

But the decision to promote Ollie Rayner up the order paid off. The 20-year-old found it hard work initially against some accurate new ball bowling but eventually matched his captain shot for shot in a third wicket stand of 124 in 17 overs.

Rayner made 61 (7x4, 1x6) - his maiden one-day half-century - at a run a ball before he was caught and bowled by leg-spinner Simon Marshall but he had done his job by helping to drag Sussex back into contention.

Lancashire employed seven bowlers but there was little they could do as Adams and Murray Goodwin plundered 91 in nine overs and although Steven Croft took four wickets in as many overs at the end, Adams was able to see the job through with Luke Wright, clipping Tom Smith for the winning boundary after Sussex had began the final over needing seven to win. He faced 101 balls, hitting 11 fours.

Adams said: "In a funny way I like that sort of situation where we have lost a wicket or two early on and I have to try to bat for as long as possible. I felt really good, it was a great pitch to bat on and a fantastic game to win.

"Ollie was a great help and Luke kept his head at the end. In terms of the final I think both sides have learned a few things and I think we can both probably play better."

Skipper Mark Chilton had held Lancashire's innings together by batting for 35 of their 40 overs for his unbeaten 76 although he largely left the big hitting to the men at the other end.

Mal Loye, fresh from his match-saving 148 in Saturday's Championship tussle, set the tone with 51 off 48 balls which included a six with his favourite one-day shot - the slog sweep played on one knee against the quicks.

Even after Loye departed Lancashire accelerated between the 20th and 30th overs when 91 runs were added.

Stuart Law made his 51 off just 36 balls (2x6, 3x4) and Croft hit out in the final ten overs with 56 off 36 balls (8x4).

Chilton played the anchor role to perfection although both he and Law were dropped during a lacklustre fielding display from the Sharks with Yasir Arafat and Goodwin the culprits.

There was no margin for error on an easy paced pitch and lightning-fast outfield but Sussex's bowlers looked jaded after four intensive days of cut-and-thrust in the Championship while the control Mushtaq Ahmed brings in mid-innings was missed.