It took a timely return to form for Chris Adams at Tunbridge Wells to hold Sussex's batting together against Kent.

Skipper Adams made 62, only his second half-century of the season, but at 142-5 the feeling at the end of an opening day restricted to 44 overs by morning rain was that their position should have been a whole lot stronger.

A furious Richard Montgomerie was distracted when a groundsman moved in front of the sightscreen just as Alamgir Sheriyar got into his delivery stride and bowled him via an inside edge.

Murray Goodwin was run out just when he was starting to move through the gears and Tim Ambrose was seduced into edging Greg Blewett's innocuous medium-pace to third slip.

It was hardly surprising that Adams, Championship average of 15.44 before the Kent clash, looked uncertain when he came in after a half-forward Tony Cottey had fallen leg before to Sheriyar for a duck to make Sussex 25-2.

The new ball swung generously, as it tends to do at the tree-lined Nevill Ground, and Adams spent a lot of time early on either fidgeting well outside his crease or prodding furiously at the pitch.

On seven Sheriyar had a leg before appeal turned down by David Shepherd, who is umpiring his only Championship match of the season, that looked very close.

Later in the same over he straight-drove the left-armer with minimum backlift and maximum power and suddenly it all seemed such an easier game. Even the sun came out.

As the feet started to move and his confidence grew Adams had the other umpire, Ian Gould, ducking to avoid decepatitation by another bludgeoned straight drive and when he drove Martin Saggers sweetly through extra cover he reach his 50 with his ninth four you would never have guessed he had been in such wretched early season form.

Two more boundaries followed in Saggers' next over, which went for 14 runs, but after making 62 from 78 balls he was taken at gully driving at a ball from Sheriyar which swung late.

It was not quite vintage Adams but it is a start.

Sheriyar, who took 7-99 when the sides met at Hove six weeks ago, finished with 3-25 from 14 overs and was easily the most threatening of the Kent seamers simply because he pitched the ball up.

Apart from Cottey, all the other batsmen got starts and Goodwin's dismissal was perhaps the most dissappointing.

One perfectly-timed extra cover drive off Sheriyar which glided off the bat to bring up Sussex's 50 was worth the admission money alone, not so the error of judgement which cost him his wicket in the 23rd over.

Responding to Adams' call for a second run, he was beaten by Mark Ealham's lob at the stumps from a couple of yards away as the bowler collected Saggers' wayward throw from deep extra cover. Goodwin had put on 54 for the third wicket with his captain.

Ambrose looked comfortable enough until he drove ambitiously outside off stump and was taken at third slip, giving Blewett only his second Championship wicket of the season.

Adams' departure left Robin Martin-Jenkins and the nightwatchman Paul Hutchison with a difficult seven overs to negotiate before stumps.

Much depended on the in-form all-rounder today if Sussex were to get a score of around 300, which would be competitive on a wicket which will increasingly bring the spinners into play.

Sussex 142 for (44 overs)