There cannot be too much wrong with a side who have competed on equal terms with the Championship leaders for the first two days at Canterbury.

Sussex's bowlers plugged away under a hot sun yesterday to restrict the first division leaders to 323-6 as they replied to Sussex's 378.

There was plenty of perspiration as the bowlers stuck admirably to their task all day but it's inspiration which is required now if the county are to force a much-needed win.

And their need for what would be only a second Championship victory of the season is even greater after Middlesex completed a two-wicket success over Hampshire yesterday. Until the conclusion of this match, the gap between seventh-placed Sussex and the rest is a hefty 25 points.

After the helter-skelter pace of Twenty20 cricket, watching batsmen leaving alone balls which a week ago they would be looking to smash out of the ground or bowlers sending down maidens took some getting used too.

Mind you, Andrew Hall still seemed to be in one-day mode when he took on James Kirtley in the day's most compelling passage of play after tea.

Kirtley dropped the first four balls short and the South African took up the challenge, hooking or pulling every one of them to the boundary. The fifth was another bumper which Tim Ambrose took at full stretch above his head when Hall failed to connect.

He played and missed at the sixth, which was a no ball, and when Kirtley banged it in again Hall took the bait and Mike Yardy dived forward a few yards in front of the mid-wicket boundary to snaffle the catch.

Hall's 68, which included ten boundaries, was his highest Championship score for Kent but a much- needed success for Sussex. He was one of four Kent batsmen to score a half-century but no one was able to convert it into something more substantial, although left-hander Matty Walker will resume today on 55.

Sussex made the ideal start when Jason Lewry picked up a wicket with his second ball which David Fulton gloved a short ball to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose, but for the next 29 overs Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld batted with few alarms in a stand of 93 although van Jaarsveld did take 19 balls to get off the mark.

But the South African lost his off stump when he failed to pick Mushtaq Ahmed's googly during a marathon spell for the leg spinner who came on for the first over after tea and bowled 24 overs unchanged apart from the tea interval.

None of the batsmen played him with much confidence and there was the usual cacophony of frenzied appeals but it was to be Mushtaq's only success of the day.

Chris Adams was able to operate his seamers in rotation at the other end and they all had their moments.

Lewry came back for a second spell to pick up the important wicket of Key who made 74 with 12 boundaries but never looked entirely convincing and eventually drove loosely and was caught by the only slip.

Rana Naved ul-Hasan was given a gentle introduction to four-day cricket but confirmed the impression he gave in one-day cricket last week that he has plenty to offer.

He gave all the batsmen the hurry-up, conceded 33 runs in two spells totalling 15 overs and deservedly claimed his first Championship wicket for Sussex when he flattened Darren Stevens' off stump two balls after the former Leicestershire man had reached an entertaining half-century which included a pulled six off Mushtaq and seven fours.

Robin Martin-Jenkins was also used sparingly which was a surprise considering his first spell of six overs cost just 14 runs and he had two very good leg before appeals turned down.

Stevens' dismissal made Kent 187-4 and Sussex would have been in the driving seat had Ambrose not dropped a juggling catch off Mushtaq in the next over when Hall was on 25.

Hall put on 77 with Walker and the left-hander had collected seven fours by the close.

Niall O'Brien profited handsomely from a rare Sussex fielding lapse when an all run four to the long on boundary became an eight as Lewry's shy at the stumps flew to an unprotected boundary.

O'Brien added 57 in 15 overs for the sixth wicket with Walker before dragging the ball onto his leg stump to give Martin-Jenkins only his 11th first-class wicket of the season.

Earlier, Sussex's last two wickets had added 21 runs in nine overs with Adams, who had helped the last four wickets add 138, ninth out for 83 (11x4, 1x6) when he was caught behind driving at Simon Cook. The former Middlesex man wrapped up the innings in his next over, courtesy of Martin Saggers who made a one-handed catch to intercept Lewry's full blooded drive.

l Sussex gained a useful lead of 30 after taking Kent's last four first-innings wickets for 25 in 8.1 overs on at Canterbury today.

They were shared by Mushtaq Ahmed and Rana Naved with Naved making the breakthrough in the second over when Matty Walker, who had added just two to his overnight 54, was caught behind off a loose drive.

Mushtaq bowled Min Patel round his legs and then picked up the wicket of Martin Saggers who lost his off stump aiming to repeat the six he had belted over mid-wicket off the previous delivery.

Rana wrapped up the innings in the next over when a yorker-length ball trapped Simon Cook in front leaving Kent 348 all out and two runs short of a fourth batting point.