Scoring a hundred against Lancashire ranks pretty highly among Chris Adams' pleasures in life.

But his third in five innings against Sussex's old rivals at Old Trafford yesterday will have given him extra satisfaction.

Lancashire were convinced they had removed him for just ten when Mark Chilton claimed a bat-pad catch at short leg off slow left-armer Gary Keedy but umpire Vanburn Holder, like Adams, was unmoved.

The Lancashire players pointedly refused to clap when Adams reached his fourth hundred of the season and joined Alan Oakman and Neil Lenham on 20 centuries for the county.

All of a sudden these two teams have become fierce rivals and while Lancashire may have thought they had been on the wrong end of that decision, it should not be forgotten that wicketkeeper Warren Hegg dropped Adams on 19, also off the luckless Keedy.

After that Adams' 41st century of his career never really looked in doubt. The pitch has pace and bounce and Keedy was turning the ball in his first over. In short it is an excellent cricket wicket and Adams will be pleased to have got first use of it after Sussex ended the first day on 458-9.

He was not the only batsman to enjoy the conditions, but neither Ian Ward or Murray Goodwin cashed in after getting themselves well set.

They put on 148 in 33 overs for the second wicket after Richard Montgomerie, who has already had his fair share of unlucky dismissals this season, was out in freakish circumstances again, caught on the rebound by Chilton at short leg from a firm push off his pads.

The discipline a fit Peter Martin would have brought to the Lancashire attack was badly missed as Ward and Goodwin feasted on bowling that for much of the morning session was too short or too wide.

Sajid Mahmood got his act together after lunch to claim both batsmen in the space of six overs.

Goodwin was caught at third man trying to cut a ball which rose unexpectedly after he had hit 14 fours and a six off Keedy in making his best score of the season.

The evidence of his last two innings suggests Goodwin is back to something approaching his best, but he was furious to miss out on a big one.

Likewise Ward, who struck 13 fours before giving Carl Hooper more catching practice, this time at long leg, off a top-edged pull.

Matt Prior seemed determined to make the most of his belated promotion up the order to No. 5. The big test for him will come when he has to go in at 30-3 on a seaming pitch. Even so he played a few false shots before he got into his stride, belting Steven Crook for three successive boundaries to reach his second successive Championship half-century.

Prior too was guilty of throwing it away when well set, cutting the penultimate ball before tea straight to point after making 61 off just 73 balls with a six off Glenn Chapple and eight fours.

Mahmood produced another telling burst after tea, surprising Tim Ambrose and Robin Martin-Jenkins, who was brilliantly caught one-handed by Dominic Cork at second slip, with extra bounce. But James Kirtley, promoted up the order because he relishes the challenge against the quicks, made sure Sussex did not squander their advantage.

They added 58 in 14 overs for the seventh wicket before Kirtley edged Chapple to second slip, but Lancashire were guilty of some gormless cricket in the last 45 minutes when they had the second new ball and had exposed Sussex's tail.

Adams took up the challenge when Chapple and Cork pitched short and there was the sight of six fielders on the boundary even though the second new ball was six overs old.