Gale blows sorry Sussex off course

The opener Andrew Gale struck 46, the highest score of the match, to help keep Yorkshire on top of Division Two of the totesport League after a crushing eight-wicket win over Sussex.

The 20-year-old left-hander shared a second-wicket stand of 92 in 20 overs with Matthew Wood at Arundel, as Yorkshire eased to an undemanding target of 119 with 18.1 overs left in hand.

Gale, playing only his second league game, struck six fours and a huge six off Robin Martin-Jenkins before mistiming a pull off Luke Wright to be caught behind with 25 still needed for victory. The pair had batted in unhurried fashion after Chris Taylor had been lbw to the second ball of the innings from Jason Lewry.

Wood, dropped at slip by Sussex skipper Chris Adams off Lewry when on two, went on to compose an unbeaten 41 from 68 balls with four fours.

Only the opener Matt Prior, with 27, and Wright, with 25, made any meaningful progress for Sussex, who were shot out for their lowest one-day score of the season with 12.5 overs of their innings remaining.

The hosts, with only two league wins, could not recover from losing half their side for only 59 following a fine opening burst from bowlers Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan.

England's Hoggard took three for 18 in 17 balls. After trapping Murray Goodwin leg-before he had Adams superbly caught at second slip by Andy Gray, diving to his left.

Tony Cottey, making his first limited overs appearance of the season, was bowled by a full-length delivery from Bresnan for four and Prior had hit five fours from 33 balls when Hoggard had him caught behind the wicket by Richard Blakey.

Wright, the former Leicestershire all-rounder, steered the home side past the 100-mark by adding 29 for the ninth wicket in nine overs with Lewry. The medium-pacer Vic Craven, who took his first wicket when Martin-Jenkins was brilliantly caught behind by Blakey, ended Wright's 45-ball innings by pinning him in front.

Craven then finished off the innings as the last man, James Kirtley, played on to give the Harrogate-born bowler figures of three for 13 in four overs and one ball.