Mark Richardson defied Sussex again at Hove yesterday, but the New Zealand A opener's unbeaten 212 didn't come as much of a surprise to 2nd XI coach Keith Greenfield.

The left-hander from Otago spent two seasons in the '90s as a team-mate of Greenfield's at Sussex League club Brighton & Hove.

Greenfield first came across the teenage Richardson 12 years ago when he wintered down under, coaching the Cornwall club in Auckland with former Sussex skipper Ian Gould.

Another ex-Sussex player, Andy Cornford, recommended Richardson to Brighton & Hove when he went to New Zealand four years later and he returned for a second summer in 1995.

Greenfield said: "When he first came across he was a left-arm spinner who batted at seven or eight.

"But you could see he had talent as a batsman and he did really well for Brighton in those two years."

Richardson met up with some old team-mates on Wednesday when he had dinner with Greenfield, current captain Ray Beiber and Tim Howe.

And after this game finishes on Saturday he'll be heading straight to the Nevil for a reunion with Cornford, whose Crowborough team are playing Brighton.

Whether he will be celebrating a first first-class win of the tour remains to be seen, but his ten-hour vigil has certainly put the tourists in the box seat.

Resuming on 110, he added another 101 yesterday before the Kiwis declared on 491-5 ten minutes after tea.

After off-spinner Justin Bates had taken two wickets in the morning, Richardson and Aaron Redmond put on 178 in 52 overs for the fifth wicket.

At times Richardson got bogged down, but anything loose was ruthlessly dispatched as he progressed without alarm to the first double hundred of his career.

Redmond played with more freedom and was eight short of a maiden century when he mis-read the line and was bowled by Jason Lewry's inswinger having hit ten boundaries and a six.

Skipper Lewry used seven different bowlers and the sparse crowd were even treated to three overs of dob from Wasim Khan.

All the bowlers stuck to their task and the scoring rate never got above three an over, a commendable effort in such favourable batting conditions.

When Sussex began their reply Toby Peirce and Richard Montgomerie were both dropped behind the wicket before they had reached double figures as Chris Martin produced a decidedly quick spell from the Cromwell Road End.

But after just nine overs of pace the tourists turned to their twirlers.

Leg-spinner Brooke Walker, who was on last season's tour of England, and Bruce Martin caused both batsmen the odd moment of alarm and Montgomerie was dropped at silly point off Walker on 25.

But by the close Sussex had reached 51-0.