An unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 253 in 53 overs between Murray Goodwin and Chris Adams thwarted Surrey, whose only reward from the final day at Hove was the wicket of Chris Nash. In sunny conditions which were tailor-made for batting, Goodwin made a chanceless 205 not out. It lasted 324 minutes, consumed 268 deliveries and included 28 fours. At the other end his skipper hit an unbeaten 102 off 157 balls, which was punctuated with 10 fours and two sixes.

The hosts resumed still 226 away from avoiding a third successive innings defeat. But, initially, they had Nash and Goodwin to thank for wearing down the Brown Caps' attack. Their third wicket alliance was worth 106 in 36 overs. The Zimbabwean moved to fifty in 94 balls, but two overs later, with lunch approaching, his partner went to sweep Nayan Doshi and top-edged a swirling catch to Ian Salisbury at short mid-wicket.

Lunch was taken half way through the next over when it was decided that the sun reflecting off the windscreens of the cars parked at the Cromwell Road End was too bright. After the break, despite a stiff sea breeze, the visitors began to wilt. Nicholson, in particular, seemed to be a yard slower; which was not lost on Goodwin, who angled his former Western Australia team-mate behind square on both sides of the wicket.

In the 67th over Goodwin became the first batsman since Rob Key, in May 2005, to record hundreds in both innings against Surrey. It was the second time the former Zimbabwe international had hit two centuries in a match, the first occasion being for Sussex against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2001. Goodwin reached three figures by sweeping Doshi through mid-wicket for four, after which he went on the offensive, scoring freely either side of the wicket, as the hundred stand between him and Adams arrived in 28 overs.

Only Salisbury looked like taking a wicket. The former Sussex leg-spinner occasionally beat the outside edge of Adams's bat, but the former Derbyshire man had the final say when he drove the 36-year-old stylishly up the ground for four in the 78th over.

Having earlier reached his hundred in 174 deliveries, Goodwin needed just a further 44 balls to post his 150, which he brought up with a flicked single to backward square leg off Richard Clinton. In the previous over, from Doshi, Adams reached his first fifty of the season in 110 deliveries with a two to mid-wicket. That it contained just three boundaries underlined its watchful nature.

The visitors took the new ball immediately after tea, but their attack continued to look unthreatening. Adams despatched Neil Saker through the arc between long-on and extra cover on a number of occasions. On 82, the Sussex captain might have been run out, had Doshi, fielding at mid-wicket, picked the ball up cleanly. Adams then rounded on Doshi, hitting him for four and then six straight up the ground. Two overs later he launched the slow left-armer for another maximum into the parked cars to bring up his hundred off 151 balls.

With Rikki Clarke not risked, due to him having twisted his ankle in the field, Mark Butcher threw the ball to Alistair Brown, who clearly thought he should have had Goodwin lbw for 198. On a day of such few chances, the frustration shown by Brown afterwards was understandable.

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