Chris Adams scored his 15th one-day hundred as Sussex's batsmen went on the rampage at Northampton yesterday.

Adams's superb 100 formed the cornerstone of the Sharks' formidable 260-3 as they overwhelmed Northants by 43 runs to move off the bottom of the National League first division with only their second win of the season.

Remarkably, Sussex plundered their runs off just 33 overs after rain had delayed the start and, despite some fireworks at the start of their reply, an asking rate of eight an over proved too much for the home side who were bowled out for 217.

Adams got tremendous support from his team-mates as Sussex flayed 150 of their runs in boundaries with 27 fours and seven sixes.

Richard Montgomerie helped him put on 65 for the first wicket in ten overs and Adams then added 98 in 15 with Tony Cottey, who made an assured 47 off just 45 balls including five fours.

Northants must have thought their suffering had ended when Adams departed in the 30th over. But Michael Bevan and Will House piled the misery onto their wayward attack, smashing 58 more in the last four overs.

Bevan cleared the ropes off successive Matthew Hayden deliveries in the final over to finish unbeaten on 54 from just 28 balls and raise his competition average to 82.75 with his fourth half-century of the season.

Adams offered more compelling evidence that he is enjoying his best form since coming to the county. He had not picked up a bat for eight days but a few days relaxation with his family seems to have rejuvenated him just in time for a crucial phase of the season.

Eleven years to the day since his Sunday League debut, he set the tone for a thrilling innings by effortlessly pulling former Derbyshire team-mate Devon Malcolm over square leg for six in the third over.

Michael Strong was not spared against his old county either. Adams audaciously pulled a good length ball from outside off stump over the square leg rope while Montgomerie briefly enjoyed himself against his old employees before driving off-spinner Jason Brown straight to mid-wicket.

Hayden made regular bowling changes but it had little effect. Successive driven fours off Graeme Swann brought Adams to 50 off 47 balls and Cottey, using his feet well against the spinners, looked odds-on to emulate his captain when he was neatly stumped down the leg side to give Tony Penberthy his second wicket.

Adams' serene progress continued and a single off Penberthy took him to his second one-day century of the season off 94 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

Two balls later he holed out to mid-wicket, but Bevan and House, whose 26 came off just ten deliveries, guided the county to their highest National League total since the championship-clinching win over Somerset last August.

To their credit Northants made a decent fist at what looked an impossible task, at least in the first half of their innings.

The powerful Graeme Swann, promoted to No. 3, hit 30 off just 18 balls and when David Sales and Hayden were regularly finding the gaps in a third wicket stand of 64 from just nine overs the Steelbacks were comfortably up with the asking rate.

But Sussex's fielding was more disciplined and, eventually, so was their bowling and three wickets in 14 deliveries swung the match decisively their way.

Sales drove Mark Robinson straight to cover after making 35 off 40 balls then Hayden swung Robin Martin-Jenkins down Bevan's throat at deep square leg after scoring 45 off 39 deliveries.

When Jeff Cook holed out to mid off Northants had stumbled to 138-5 and it was simply a case of damage limitation after that.

Robinson, Martin-Jenkins and James Kirtley all took two wickets while Umer Rashid finished with 3-38 including Strong for a golden duck as Sussex wrapped up victory with 13 balls of the innings unused.

l DERBYSHIRE suffered an embarrassing defeat at Durham after being skittled for just 87. Earlier, former Sussex man Martin Speight had contributed 55 as Durham posted a total of 182-6.