Sussex got their NatWest T20 Blast campaign up and running with a tense victory over Gloucestershire at Hove.

The Sharks bounced back impressively from their defeat at Kent on Friday night by edging to a six-run win in front of a good crowd.

Chris Nash and Mahela Jayawardene both made 43 as Sussex made a good start before being pegged back by spinner Tom Smith.

Smith took career-best figures of 3-23 as the Sharks lost momentum in the second half of their innings to finish on 167-5.

Steve Magoffin picked up two early wickets to dent Gloucestershire’s hopes of chasing down that total.

The visitors looked out of it until some fine late hitting from Geraint Jones and Jack Taylor reduced the equation to 15 from the final over.

But Tymal Mills held his nerve by dismissing Taylor with his first ball to finish with career-best figures of 3-30.

Luke Wright and Chris Nash had given Sussex a flying start against Kent on Friday night but there was no repeat as Wright fell cheaply in the second over.

The Sharks skipper had already been dropped when he top edged a cut to Smith on the third man boundary having made just three.

Nash took up where he left off at Canterbury and found good support from Mahela Jayawardene as they put on 81 for the second wicket from 51 balls.

Former Sussex spinner Smith halted Sussex in their tracks as he removed Jayawardene, Nash and Craig Cachopa to finish with career best figures of 3-23.

Jayawardene was bowled attempting a slog-sweep having made 43 from 30 balls while Nash was caught at backward square leg for 43 from 33 balls.

Cachopa hit three consecutive sixes but was trapped lbw by Smith going for another as Sussex slipped from 87-1 to 110-4 and only some late hitting from Will Beer with an unbeaten 22 off 11 balls got them up to 167-5.

Gloucestershire’s reply got off to the worst possible start when Chris Dent was trapped lbw to the first ball from Steve Magoffin.

Magoffin also had the dangerous Ian Cockbain caught at mid-on for six and should have had a third wicket when Ollie Robinson put down Hamish Marshall on ten at deep third man.

That proved costly as Marshall went on to hit 45 from 29 balls until he was deceived by a googly from Beer and was stumped by Ben Brown.

Geraint Jones kept Gloucestershire’s faint hopes alive with a breezy 25 off 20 balls but he was bowled by Mills.

Gloucestershire looked out of it with four overs to go as they required 51 from 24 balls but Taylor smashed 36 from 20 balls to keep them in contention.

The 18th over from Magoffin went for 19 to leave Gloucestershire needing 19 from the final two overs.

Robinson only conceded four runs from the penultimate over and also removed Tom Smith to swing the game back in Sussex’s favour.

Mills then got rid of Taylor with the first ball of the final over to complete a fine Twenty20 debut for Sussex.