A miserable five days in Worcester ended on a suitably sombre note for Sussex as they suffered their first defeat of the season in the totesport League.

The Sharks looked to be pacing their pursuit of Worcestershire's 239-5 perfectly, but when the white ball went soft the boundaries dried up and the Royals tightened the noose.

Openers Ian Ward and Matt Prior put on 72 in 15 overs to give the reply an ideal start. But Murray Goodwin (30) and Chris Adams (44) both departed when it looked as if they might play a match-winning hand and with the required rate climbing to nine an over, Sussex were left with too much to do.

Robin Martin-Jenkins clattered one six onto the roof of the New Road stand before Australian Andy Bichel returned to remove him and Kevin Innes in the 42nd over and effectively end Sussex's challenge.

Australian Bichel and Nadeem Malik both finished with four wickets as Sussex were bowled out for 218 with four balls unused, but Worcestershire's best bowler was off-spinner Shaftab Khalid. He applied the brakes in mid-innings with clever variations of pace and flight, conceding 34 runs in his nine overs, 11 of them in his final over.

Sussex had been given the perfect start by Ward who hammered a 43-ball half-century in an opening stand of 68. Prior needs no invitation to go for his shots, but he was completely overshadowed by his partner who reached his second successive League half-century with a crushing cover drive off Nadeem Malik which brought him a ninth boundary.

Ward fell to the very next delivery off a miscued drive and Prior drove straight to extra cover in the 20th over to give Bichel the first of his expensive wickets, but Sussex's momentum was being maintained by Goodwin until he picked out the fielder on the mid-wicket boundary.

As the light worsened so Sussex lost their way and Tim Ambrose and Adams both departed with accusing glances at the pitch to balls which popped off a length.

Sussex might have got closer had Adams got more of the strike. His 44, which included a six over mid-wicket off Matt Mason, was made off a respectable 60 balls, but he was in for 21 overs.

Director of Cricket Peter Moores said: "I thought we competed well against a good side, but when you are chasing 240 you need one of your top six to go on and that didn't happen.

"We lost wickets which took away our momentum at key times but I thought there were still lots of positives. We bowled well with the new ball and I like the balance of the side."

The pitch was the same one prepared for the rain-affected Championship game and early on there was enough in it to justify Adams' decision to bowl first.

Worcestershire scored the bulk of their runs off the outside edge when fielding restrictions were in place as Adams went on the attack.

If anything Adams was guilty of over-attacking. Mohammad Akram and his new ball partner Martin-Jenkins had knocked the top off the innings when Adams made his first bowling change in the 15th over, but the Royals were still scoring at four an over.

Akram struck twice. Solanki edged to second slip and a frustrated Bichel was caught behind. Martin-Jenkins bowled even better, nipping one into Stephen Peters' defences in his third over.

Sussex's back-up seamers couldn't match the accuracy of the opening bowlers. Hick and skipper Ben Smith plundered 57 runs in seven overs from the 12th as Jason Lewry and Kevin Innes, whose first two overs went for 19, were guilty of over-pitching or offering too much width.

Smith reached his fifty first with a slash off Lewry to the backward point boundary and Hick, who is closing in on 20,000 one-day runs, followed him in the next over.

Mushtaq Ahmed and Mark Davis managed to check the scoring rate slightly, but it was still a surprise when Hick was superbly snaffled by Ambrose standing up as Innes slipped in a quicker delivery. Hick's 63 came off 73 balls with eight fours and a six over mid-wicket off Akram.

Smith passed 5,000 competition runs on his way to 77 from 79 balls with a six off Innes and nine boundaries before Mushtaq outwitted him as he came down the pitch.

Stephen Moore ruined Davis's figures by collecting 11 off his last over on his way to 48 from 46 deliveries. It was an over too many for the off-spinner and meant Martin-Jenkins, whose first six overs cost only 14 runs, didn't bowl his full allocation.