Chris Adams and Peter Moores had promised a long overdue improvement in Sussex's one-day performances and so far they are being true to their word.

The Sharks began the new National League campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket win at Lord's which featured a disciplined bowling display followed by half-centuries for their new opening pair of Ian Ward and Matt Prior.

Director of cricket Moores said: "Perhaps it was the new blue kit which did it! I was really pleased with every aspect of our performance. We bowled disciplined line and length and batting-wise the partnership between Matty and Wardy worked really well.

"Matt scores at a naturally quick rate and having a left-hander and someone with experience at the other end to talk him through it seems to have helped. We've set a high standard with this performance and our aim now is to maintain it in one-day cricket."

It was embarassingly easy for Sussex after their bowlers had set things up by dismissing Middlesex for 140 in 38.4 overs.

There was some sideways movement, but too many Middlesex batsmen were architects of their own downfall and it wasn't long before Ward and Prior were putting conditions into perspective as the county bounced back after their Championship mauling by Lancashire.

After a cautious start, when he was nearly caught by a diving David Nash at point on 11, Prior grew in confidence. He drove Chad Keegan through extra cover for successive boundaries before two glorious straight drives in the same over from South African quickie Nantie Hayward brought up the 50 partnership.

That was in the 13th over and it took the pair just nine more to reach three figures.

Ward got to his fifty, only his second in the competition since 2002, an over before his partner who reached his half century with a magnificent six which scattered the snoozing MCC members in the pavilion and also brought up the century stand.

Prior cleared the ropes again in the next over when he effortlessly swung Simon Cook high over square leg into the deserted grandstand. But having made 70 off 77 balls he was caught off a top-edged sweep to give off-spinner James Dalrymple a wicket with his third ball.

Murray Goodwin soon holed out to deep mid-wicket, but Chris Adams joined Ward to get the job done with 14.5 overs left, Ward finishing on 58 off 83 balls with five boundaries.

Victory was set up by an excellent performance from Sussex's quartet of seamers who shared nine of the wickets before off-spinner Mark Davis ended the innings with the fourth ball of his first competitive match of the season.

The Sharks were helped by some injudicious shot-selection from their opponents. Only Ed Joyce, who was last out for 48, got to grips with a disciplined attack and had he not helped the last two wickets put on 42, they would have struggled to get over a hundred.

Home captain Owais Shah's decision to bat first looked a straightforward one. The sun was shining and although there was some lateral movement, the pitch held few terrors.

But the only substantial partnership came between Paul Weekes and Keegan who put on 32 in eight overs for the second wicket after Ben Hutton had fallen to Mohammad Akram in the fourth over, caught behind as he shuffled across his stumps.

Three successive maidens followed, but Weekes broke the shackles by taking 13 off one over from Robin Martin-Jenkins who then saw Keegan smash him for successive straight fours in his next.

Those two overs may have spoilt Martin-Jenkins' figures, but he had his revenge when he held one back and Keegan drove in the air to mid on where Davis took an excellent catch.

It was all downhill for the Crusaders after that. Without addition, Weekes followed an away-swinger in Jason Lewry's first over and the left-armer struck again in the 17th over with the key wicket of Shah to a horrible slog across the line from outside his off stump.

Only one more run had been added when Dalrymple gave Martin-Jenkins a deserved second wicket by obligingly shuffling in front of a straight one and it became 65-5 when Kevin Innes struck in his second over, defeating David Nash with a ball which kept a touch low.

There was plenty of competition, but Lewry was the pick of the attack. When he came off after his first seven-over spell, he had figures of 3-20, his third wicket coming when Ben Scott, Middlesex's winter recruit from Surrey, sparred at an awayswinger.

Akram removed Cook for his 100th wicket in limited overs cricket before Mel Betts struck the Pakistani for three successive boundaries as Middlesex finally mounted some resistance.

After Betts had driven Innes's slower ball to extra cover, Joyce farmed the strike to add another 19 runs with Hayward before being stumped off Davis.

Only once in three season since they lost their place in Division One have Sussex managed to win a National League game before June so to get up and running in the first match will do wonders for confidence.

The signs are certainly encouraging, but we'll know a lot more about their chances of mounting a promotion campaign after games against the three sides who were relegated last season, starting at Worcester.