It was the turn of Michael Bevan and Chris Adams to rediscover their form as Sussex turned the screw against Glamorgan at Hove yesterday.

Bevan made 107, the first Championship century by a Sussex batsman at headquarters for nearly a year, and Adams fell just ten runs short of a hundred as the county piled up 433-8 on the second day.

Richard Montgomerie and Toby Peirce, who both made half-centuries, had provided the platform with a century opening stand and by the close Sussex had built up a lead of 248 and into a position where they should press for their first Championship win of the season.

To be fair to Glamorgan's attack they never threw in the towel even though conditions were heavily weighted in favour of the bat.

Hardly a ball swung during a cool, overcast day and the ball seldom beat the bat on a flat, slow pitch which yielded 371 runs yesterday.

Bevan has been in imperious one-day form this season, but his previous best in the Championship was the 46 he made in the opening game against Gloucestershire.

But once he had got the measure of the Glamorgan attack it was almost inevitable that he would score his fourth hundred for the county.

He didn't offer a chance, despatching anything loose in that unflustered way of his while defending solidly when the need arose, particularly when Glamorgan's best bowler Simon Jones adjusted to a slightly fuller length in a distinctly quick spell during the afternoon session.

He went to 99 with successive fours off Robert Croft, the first drilled through cover and the second perfectly placed to bisect two fielders within 20 yards of each other running around on the mid-wicket boundary.

A cover drive for his 12th four in the last over before tea took him to three figures and the only surprise was that he didn't convert his 106 into something even better.

In the second over with the new ball Steve Watkin nipped one away from the left-hander and Matthew Elliott took the catch to second slip.

The third-wicket pair had added 130 in 36 overs as Sussex accelerated, but the innings then went into overdrive when Adams decided it was time to take on the bowlers.

He reached his 50 with a huge straight six off Croft and then drove Jones effortlessly off the front foot over the ropes at extra cover.

There were some crunching square drives and a magnificent leg side pick-up off Steve Watkin which sailed high over the pavilion and came to earth on the boundary wall behind the committee room.

Bowlers always feel they have a chance when Adams is in violent mood and he was dropped twice.

On five, Wayne Law spilled a routine waist-high chance at backward square leg and the ball after he'd gone to 50 Michael Powell dropped a steepler at mid off.

Not every shot ended up where Adams intended and the occasional thick edge flew past startled fielders at high speed.

But it was great fun and he looked on course for his first century for over a year when he played on to a full-length ball from Darren Thomas for 90, made off 116 deliveries with nine boundaries and those three sixes.

The platform had been provided in a resolute opening stand of 106 between Montgomerie and Peirce, their fifth century partnership for the county.

The only disappointment was that neither went on to make a big score.

Montgomerie compiled a fluent 71 before nibbling at a ball from Thomas while Peirce had ground out a typically resolute 60 in 68 overs when he prodded Croft's quicker ball into the hands of short leg.

Watkin produced an impressive spell with the new ball, having his former team-mate Cottey and Andy Patterson, who has made just 13 runs in four innings since coming into the side, both caught behind pushing forward at balls which left them.

But Robin Martin-Jenkins and Umer Rashid played with real freedom in the last hour, pushing the lead beyond 200 as the bowlers finally began to tire.

They added 47 in eight overs before Martin-Jenkins drove straight to mid-wicket before Adrian Dale claimed his second wicket when Jason Lewry was taken low down at slip by Elliott.