SUSSEX are poised to complete their first Championship win of the season after maintaining their stranglehold on Glamorgan at Hove.

Having declared with a first- innings lead of 278, Sussex had reduced Glamorgan to 242-6 by the close, still 36 runs in arrears.

And for the second time in the match Sussex's bowlers got maximum assistance out of a benign pitch.

Most Glamorgan batsmen got starts and when Steve James and Matthew Elliott put together a stand of 80 it looked as if Sussex would have their work cut out.

But in the space of three overs after lunch they both departed and wickets fell regularly with Umer Rashid claiming two in successive overs before Robin Martin-Jenkins, who was the pick of the Sussex attack, returned to claim his second victim of the innings.

Martin-Jenkins hasn't bowled quicker this season than after tea when the ball fairly thudded into the wicketkeeper's gloves as he extracted pace and bounce off a probing, consistent length.

The tall all-rounder had made the breakthrough in the 26th over although most of the credit for Matthew Elliott's dismissal should go to Richard Montgomerie who clung onto a stinger at short mid-wicket after the Australian had launched into another of his powerful on drives.

Mark Robinson snared James in front of all three with only eight more runs added, but Michael Powell and Wayne Law put together 47 in nine overs for the third wicket which included a six over mid-wicket by Law off Martin-Jenkins.

Chris Adams turned to Umer Rashid and the left-arm spinner obliged with his first delivery when he trapped Law leg before.

Rashid then deceived Powell, holding one back and winning another lbw decision from umpire Trevor Jesty.

The best batting of the day came either side of tea when Adrian Dale joined forces with wicketkeeper Adrian Shaw to put on 61 in 22 overs.

But Dale fell for 41 when he edged Martin-Jenkins to the keeper and eight runs later Matthew Maynard, Glamorgan's last recognised batsman, was run out amid high farce.

Shaw punched a drive to mid-off and stayed put, but Powell, who was running for his injured captain, was stranded halfway down the pitch when the throw came in and James Kirtley completed the run out at the non-striker's end with Maynard a bemused spectator.

With another 23 overs left in the day at that stage it looked likely that Sussex might complete victory in three days.

But Shaw found a resolute ally in Robert Croft and the seventh wicket pair were still there when Tony Cottey got his 34th birthday present from Adams who allowed him to bowl the last over.

Earlier Umer Rashid scored his second successive half-century ndaries in an unbeaten 51, before Sussex declared.

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