SUSSEX have given themselves every chance of reaching the knockout stages of the Friends Provident Trophy after Ed Joyce and James Kirtley inspired them to a second win over Durham Dynamos in the space of a week.

Joyce guided the Sharks to an eight-wicket win with an unbeaten 103 at the Riverside last week but he trumped that with a brilliant 127 yesterday as Sussex scored 313 runs for the second day running on the same excellent Hove pitch.

Durham’s hopes effectively ended with the dismissal of Phil Mustard for 92 when Kirtley returned to the attack to end a dangerous partnership with Ian Blackwell which was threatening to take the game away from Sussex.

It was the start of a golden hour for Kirtley whose devastating mix of slower balls and yorkers wrecked Durham’s lower order. In 17 balls he took 5-11 and finished with 6-50, the best figures of his long career.

Sussex’s 56-run win lifted them above Yorkshire into second place ahead of Friday’s floodlit meeting with unbeaten Group C leaders Gloucestershire. Runners-up spot, and an away tie in the last eight, is probably the best they can hope for now but that will still represent progress after two years of underachievement in the 50 overs format.

One of the main reasons why Joyce joined Sussex was he felt that performances at a county with more of a profile might help him win a recall to the England one-day side two years after the last of his 17 appearances.

England’s one-day cupboard is not so well stocked that they can write off a player with a one-day average of 35 just yet, especially someone who plays with Joyce’s unflustered assurance.

He offered no chances and hardly played a false shot on his way to a one-day best and past 5,000 List A runs when he reached 105.

Sussex’s innings got the ideal platform when Joyce and Joe Gatting repeated last week’s century stand at the Riverside. Gatting under-edged left-arm spinner Ian Blackwell the ball after reaching his maiden one-day fifty but it failed to stall the momentum.

Joyce added 49 with Luke Wright, 42 with Murray Goodwin and 55 in just six overs with Mike Yardy before reaching his sixth one-day hundred with a pull drive off Dale Benkenstein.

A mis-timed slog when he was aiming for mid-wicket brought it to an end after he had faced 120 balls and hit nine fours and two sixes but Sussex plundered 102 runs off the last 12 overs as Yardy, Rory Hamilton-Brown and Yasir Arafat chipped in.

If they were going to get close Durham needed a good start and although Phil Mustard and Michael Di Venuto couldn’t match the efforts of Surrey’s Scott Newman and Michael Brown 24 hours earlier their stand of 59 in 13 overs was decent enough.

Robin Martin-Jenkins made the breakthrough when Di Venuto played across the line and Sussex seemed to have things under control when Wright held on to a swirling catch in the 50mph winds at long on after skipper Will Smith had added 68 with Mustard.

Durham needed to up the tempo and for a while Mustard and fellow leftie Blackwell looked as if they might get them close.

Mustard was badly dropped at long on by Will Beer on 69 and looked in the mood to make the most of his reprieve, especially when he launched a perfectly good length ball from Martin-Jenkins through the window of the toilets at the sea end.

Blackwell helped himself to two sixes as they added 61 in just eight overs before Yardy’s decision to bring back Kirtley paid off when Mustard was caught on the long on boundary for a run-a-ball 92 which included nine fours and three sixes.

When Blackwell was run out after being sent back by Benkenstein Durham were always struggling. The asking rate began to climb and Kirtley produced a vintage spell from the sea end.

Gordon Muchall, Liam Plunkett and Benkenstein were all deceived by slower balls, Mitch Claydon caught off a top-edged pull and Will Gidman yorked as Kirtley claimed five wickets in an innings for the 11th time. It was some comeback after the punishment he took against Surrey but no surprise given that he has specialiased in bouncing back during an illustrious career.