Never in any doubt was it? Well, just a bit perhaps.

The essence of what Sussex cricket is about in 2006 was distilled into a magical late summer's Saturday at Lord's where Chris Adams and his team put themselves and thousands of their supporters through the emotional wringer before ending a 20-year wait for glory on a day those privileged to witness will never forget.

There was the despair of a tortuous morning when Lancashire made the most of winning the toss to reduce Sussex to 52-5 and then 78-6.

Then came the hope when man-of-the-match James Kirtley, whose magnificent performance summed up Sussex's unquenchable spirit, took three wickets in seven balls.

And finally, just after 6pm, came the joy when Kirtley took his fifth wicket, sunk to his knees in the middle of the pitch and waited to be mobbed by his ecstatic team-mates.

Those who were there on that September day in 2003, when Sussex won the Championship for the first time, still get dewy-eyed talking about it even now.

But Saturday at Lord's matched it and how appropriate that the enduring image of a magical day was that of Kirtley, a true son of Sussex, with a grin as wide as the Thames when umpire Neil Mallender upheld his leg-before appeal to send Lancashire's last hope Murali Kartik on his way.

Sussex have now won five one-day finals and they will doubtless win many more. But there will not be a better individual performance in any of them than the one Kirtley came up with.

Not just for the skill and control he produced as he chose the perfect stage to lodge the best one-day figures of his long career.

But also for the character he has displayed in the last 12 months to rescue a career which might have ended had it not been for his indefatigable spirit and resolve.

It is almost a year to the day since Kirtley was reported for a suspect action and forced to re-model it for the second time.

Only the man himself, and those closest to him, know how much strain he was under during those long winter months when he was effectively trying to save his livelihood.

Even when he was cleared at the start of the season some doubts remained. He has only played four Championship games this season and as recently as last week his place in the final was by no means certain.

An hour or so after Adams and his team had completed their lap of honour he gathered his squad together in an emotional dressing room to pay tribute to every one of them.

There was Murray Goodwin, whose 158 won the game against Essex, Carl Hopkinson, whose nerveless 69 effectively won the semi-final against Hampshire. And so on.

Every player got a mention and rightly so because the main ingredient of this triumph was that all of them, at some stage in some game, produced a performance which made the difference.

And then he got round to his match-winner and not for the first time that evening Kirtley fought back the tears while his captain praised his lion-hearted contribution to an unforgettable triumph.

Saturday was not all about Kirtley, of course. But it says something about his performance that, to a man, every one of his team-mates preferred to talk about the part he had played before any mention of their own contribution. Which tells you a lot about how well he bowled, the regard in which he is held and the spirit which bonds this squad together.

A few moments later the walls of the dressing room were shaking again to the sound of Sussex By The Sea and the champagne-soaked reverie resumed in earnest.

Such scenes would have seemed unthinkable a few hours earlier.

Adams has had great success with the coin this season but when he lost the toss and his side were condemned to bat first on a damp, seaming pitch you could hear the low groan from the Sussex supporters massed in the Edrich, Mound and Tavern stands.

Lancashire's bowlers exploited the conditions magnificently and Sussex looked like rabbits caught in the headlights. Richard Montgomerie and Carl Hopkinson were both run out, the shot selection of other batsmen was questionable, the running between the wickets scary and after 90 minutes they were 78-6. Those supporters not seeking solace in the bar could have got 16-1 on a Sussex win at that stage.

But the quality which defines this side more than any other is that they never consider any cause to be lost. First with Robin Martin-Jenkins and then Yasir Arafat, Mike Yardy helped double the score. In contrasting styles Yardy and Arafat both made 37 and somehow Sussex cobbled together 172.

Still it did not look nearly enough especially when the sun came out at the start of Lancashire's reply and the pitch appeared to flatten out.

But Adams employed his fielders adroitly and each of his bowlers responded to the biggest challenge of their careers. And when Kirtley knocked the cream off Lancashire's batting - Mal Loye, Nathan Astle and Stuart Law - Sussex seemed finally to relish rather than fear the occasion.

Mushtaq Ahmed was at his miserly best and suddenly, with Lancashire 72-6 and all their recognised batsmen forced into the roles of nervous spectators on the balcony, Sussex were favourites.

But Dominic Cork was determined to go down fighting in what could have been his last appearance in a Lord's final. First with Kyle Hogg and Tom Smith, he got the equation down to 56 off the last ten overs. Cork and Hogg posted only the second 50 partnership of the day and now it was Lancashire voices which could be heard.

Cue Kirtley. With the sixth ball of his second spell he removed Tom Smith - 22 needed, two wickets left.

Yasir Arafat, who lost nothing in comparison to Kirtley except in the wickets column, bowled Sajid Mahmood as the pressure mounted. Cork sunk to his haunches in utter despair and a few moments later his misery and Sussex's unconfined joy was complete.