The players may have settled their differences over a pint at the end of last season but the rivalry between Sussex and Hampshire is still there.

While not exactly fanning the flames again in his national newspaper column yesterday, Shane Warne certainly poked at hot coals with his comments about, of all things, the number on the back of Chris Adams' shirt.

"We were interested to spot a few weeks ago that the number is now the same size as others in the team," he wrote.

"Last year it was bigger than the rest. Obviously he wanted to let everyone know he was No. 1 but it's good to see that he has lowered himself to the same level as his team-mates."

Warne dismissed his comments as tongue-in-cheek and Adams probably just laughed when he read them. But the tension definitely went up a notch or two when Adams walked out to bat at Arundel yesterday to find his opposite number waiting at the other end.

Their fascinating personal duel finished about even.

Adams played the brilliant leg spinner with more confidence than any of his team-mates as Sussex squandered the advantage of winning the toss on a typically attritional Arunde pitch before an unlikely ninth wicket stand of 69 between Mushtaq Ahmed and Luke Wright helped restore parity.

When Warne held a juggling catch at slip three balls after Adams had reached his half-century, Hampshire took control.

Warne returned to the attack to take two more wickets while Chris Tremlett, exploiting the uneven bounce at the Castle End, more than doubled his tally of Championship scalps for the season.

The disappointing thing from a Sussex perspective was, Murray Goodwin apart, the recognised batsmen all got starts but no one went on to dominate the day. It is starting to become a familiar theme.

They were given the ideal platform as the new opening partnership between Richard Montgomerie and Chris Nash continued to blossom.

The pair put on 105 in 42 overs against an attack as good as the Lancashire one they posted two 50 stands against in their first match paired together last week.

Nash did most of the attacking, hitting nine fours in his third half-century of the season.

What Nash has not done is to convert his starts into something more substantial.

After making 61 from 128 balls he gave Warne his first wicket off a top-edged sweep.

Sussex then lost three wickets in 14 balls. Mike Yardy's prod produced a second success for Warne before Tremlett struck twice.

Montgomerie squandered more than three hours of careful reconnaisance with a half-hearted pull to square-leg but there was nothing much Goodwin could do about the shooter he copped in Tremlett's next over.

Adams regrouped with Andrew Hodd, who will become an even better player when he finds the confidence to expand his range of shots.

The skipper hit Warne for a straight six and there were six fours in his 80-ball 50 while Hodd looked solid and secure even though he was dropped on 20 at mid-wicket.

Warne had a blow after 16 overs off the reel but he is not out of the game for long.

The catch to get rid of Adams sparked a second Sussex collapse as four wickets fell for 26 in seven overs. Hodd got another low-bouncer, Robin Martin-Jenkins was beaten by turn and bounce and Rana Naved had yet another impatient hoick against the spinners to become Warne's fourth victim.

But from 233-8, Mushtaq led an entertaining fightback.

Dropped at slip on 14, he lodged his first Championship half-century for two years before inside-edging the last ball of the day after scoring his runs off 43 balls with a six off Warne and six fours.

Leg spinners. You just can't keep them quiet.

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