Chris Adams reined in his attacking instincts to guide Sussex to a breathless Benson and Hedges Cup win over Hampshire at Hove yesterday.

The Sussex skipper made an undefeated 80 as the county produced a perfectly paced reply to squeeze past their South Division rivals by six wickets with an over to spare.

Adams and Tony Cottey put together a crucial partnership of 95 in 23 overs after Dimitri Mascarenhas had exploited a seaming pitch to take 3-19 and leave Sussex's two most senior batsmen with a rebuilding job.

There was always enough in the pitch to interest the bowlers, particularly when they located the small tufts of grass which made the ball deviate off the straight, but Sussex's fourth wicket pair were content to find the gaps and pick up the majority of their runs without the need to take risks.

That is not to say that bad balls were not punished. Cottey pulled a long hop from James Hamblin for six and hit five boundaries in his 61 before he was caught off a leading edge when Alan Mullally returned to the attack in the 41st over.

Adams and Robin Martin-Jenkins got the equation down to 32 off the last five overs and the skipper struck what was effectively the match-winning blow when he came down the pitch to drive Neil Johnson on the up over the fence at cover in the 47th over. Adams timed the run chase to perfection, scoring his last 30 runs off 28 deliveries.

The day certainly ended better for Martin-Jenkins, who hit the winning runs in the penultimate over, than it had started.

On Wednesday the all-rounder had taken career-best one-day figures of 4-22 against Kent. Yesterday Adams had to take him out of the attack after just two overs after he had run into a human threshing machine called James Hamblin.

Sussex knew all about Hamblin's capabilities as a pinch-hitter. He scored an unbeaten 60 in a National League game last season, but there didn't seem a lot more Adams could have done yesterday than whip Martin-Jenkins out of the attack after he had helped Johnson take their side past 50 in just four overs and Martin-Jenkins' first two overs had cost 31 runs.

Hamblin hit 33 off just 20 balls including a big six over long on off Martin-Jenkins, but his innings was not just about agricultural mows. The extra cover drive off James Kirtley, which brought him one of his four boundaries, was probably the shot of the day.

Fortunately Sussex's bowlers held their nerve. Kirtley had Johnson caught behind in the sixth over and Hamblin perished to the next ball when wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose held a nerveless catch under a big top edge.

Now the bowlers were firmly on top. Derek Kenway and John Crawley never really came to terms with the two-paced pitch and both perished to mis-timed drives as the game turned Sussex's way in the space of two overs in mid-innings when Hampshire lost three wickets, including skipper Robin Smith who made 33 before he was caught trying to drive Mark Davis over the top. That was a deserved reward for the South African off-spinner who varied his flight intelligently.

The Sussex seamers all did a job. Mike Yardy removed Crawley while Taylor can seldom have bowled better in one-day cricket for the county. Figures of 3-26 against the county which turned him away three years ago will have given extra satisfaction.

James Kirtley's wicket haul for the season now stands at 21 after he claimed three more victims including Giles White courtesy of a stunning catch at point by Murray Goodwin.

It needed a responsible innings from Shaun Udal at the end to at least give Hampshire something to bowl at.

It soon became obvious that a target of 204 would take some getting. Mascarenhas got the ball in the right areas enough times to remove Richard Montgomerie, Ambrose and Murray Goodwin and after 20 overs of the reply Sussex were 51-3.

But Cottey and Adams are two of the best 'finishers' in the game. Neither gave a chance and when the bad ball came along it was despatched. Cottey pulled Hamblin over mid-wicket for six and Adams produced a similar shot, also off Mullally, which came to earth in Palmeira Avenue and make sure that the momentum stayed firmly with his side.

Matthew Prior struck a fine unbeaten 122 for Sussex Second XI before heavy rain forced their opening championship match against Middlesex to be abandoned as a draw.

Wicketkeeper Prior thrashed 16 fours and three sixes off only 150 balls as Sussex declared on 271-6 15 minutes after lunch at Uxbridge.

This left Middlesex a target of 255 in a minimum of 58 overs and they were uncomfortaby placed on 59-2 when the heavens opened.

Prior shared in a sixth wicket stand of 89 with Stephen Ades (21) after Sussex resumed 81 ahead on 98-2. Prior was dropped early on in his innings which spanned nearly two-and-a-half hours.

Scores: Middlesex: 309 and 59-2; Sussex: 292 and 271-6 dec.