Joe Gatting made a career-best 90 as Sussex and Lancashire contested an even first day in the Championship opener at Liverpool.

Ed Joyce scored 84 and Luke Wells 35 but Sussex's other batsmen made just 25 runs between them as the county were dismissed for 243 after acting-captain Murray Goodwin had won the toss.

Gatting probably owed his place to the absence of Sussex's England trio Mike Yardy, Matt Prior and Luke Wright.

But he made the most of his opportunity with some fluent strokeplay which brought him 11 fours in 122 balls faced.

He improved on his previous best 70, made in the final game of the 2009 season, before he tried to pull a short ball from Glen Chapple and wicketkeeper Gareth Cross made ground to square leg to take the catch.

Joyce had earlier put on 80 for the second wicket with Luke Wells (35) before Sussex lost five wickets for 40 runs after lunch including Goodwin for a duck.

Sussex struck with the ball before the close when Naveed Arif, who had earlier batted with Gatting for an hour to add 56 important runs, took a wicket with his third ball for the county when he bowled Paul Horton.

Lancashire closed on 32-1.