Sussex are made to suffer once again

Title-chasing Warwickshire maintained their 100 per cent home record in the Axa Life League with victory over Sussex in a rain-affected match at Edgbaston yesterday.

After restricting their NatWest Trophy semi-final opponents to 162 for 9, they made brisk progress to 102 for 3 in 22 overs and won by 26 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

For Sussex, it was another chastening experience on top of their dismissal for 63 during a nine-wicket trouncing in the County Championship encounter between the two teams. Given a promising start by Keith Greenfield (25) and Rajesh Rao (18), they ran into problems at 53 for 4 after losing three wickets in seven balls from Allan Donald and Gladstone Small.

Donald took 3 for 31, giving him a total of 11 successive wickets in three days, and Small, now very much a one-day specialist, claimed 2 for 28.

The visitors made a partial recovery through Neil Taylor (27), Keith Newell (28) and Peter Moores (23), but slumped again when Ashley Giles picked up three wickets. The target was always within Warwickshire's range after keeping an eye on the weather in a flying start and, although Vasbert Drakes removed the openers, they had reached 55 after only 10 overs.

With rain threatening, Dougie Brown was run out for 23, but David Hemp (27 not out) and Dominic Ostler (13no), kept the momentum going.

Darren Lehmann produced the best bowling of his career as Yorkshire beat Northamptonshire by 38 runs at Headingley.

The Australian's slow left-arm was used by David Byas for only the third time this season and he responded by picking up 3 for 43 in seven overs. His contribution was vital as Yorkshire relied on a patched-up attack which lacked the services of England's Darren Gough, who has a knee strain, and the veteran Peter Hartley, who has had a hernia operation.

Yorkshire's total of 239 for 9, after they had been put in on a slow, low pitch, looked vulnerable. Tony Penberthy and Alan Fordham put on 48 for the first wicket for Northamptonshire but only Kevin Curran, who hit 57 from 61 balls, was able to accelerate.

The third day's play of the Australians' tour match against Somerset at Taunton was washed out without a ball being bowled.