Thanks to Chris Adams’s first century since May last year Sussex took a firm grip in their head of the table championship clash with Surrey, which began at Hove yesterday. His unbeaten 107 came on top of a 149-run stand for the first wicket between Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin as the defending champions, for once, struggled to impose themselves.

On a day when his side surrendered just four wickets to the bully boys from South London, the Sussex captain struck a dozen boundaries in fashioning his 34th first-class hundred, which took 229 minutes and was made off 169 balls.

It could have even been worse for the Oval outfit, who missed out on just one chance – when Tim Ambrose, on 33, was put down at first slip off the bowling of Saqlain Mushtaq – and who, only a couple of days ago, Adams was quoted as saying were almost certain to carry off this year’s title.

In championship terms Montgomerie and Goodwin were Eurostar-like in giving impetus to the Sussex innings after Chris Adams had won the toss and elected to bat. Their fifty partnership was just eleven overs in the making and the opening session saw a total of 148 runs. But like the cross-channel bullet, which broke the UK rail speed record yesterday, their sprint could not go on forever.

However, lasting a total of 220 deliveries, it went on precisely four times longer than Surrey have been accustomed to – before yesterday they had taken a wicket every 55 balls in this season’s County Championship.

Murray Goodwin, who, like Adams, has taken longer than expected to locate the middle of his bat this summer, looked set for his second hundred in as many innings. The former Zimbabwean enjoyed the absence of a third man as much has he welcomed anything even slightly short of a good length – of which there seemed an abundance before lunch.

Goodwin went to his half-century in 57 balls and four overs later his partner, who had been edgy at times, reached his when the former Northants man carved a long hop from Adam Hollioake.

It was very different immediately after the break, though, as the first two wickets fell in the space of a couple overs. Goodwin lost his off stump when he misjudged a ball from Jimmy Ormond then Tony Cottey was lbw on the back foot to Saqlain Mushtaq, who was brought on two overs before lunch and bowled unchanged right through to the close.

Richard Montgomerie added only twenty-three runs in 34 overs following the interval, but gave admirable support to Chris Adams, who announced himself with three fours in one over from Ormond. The 32-year-old opener was bowled for 90 in Ian Salisbury’s second over, while Adams forged ahead to his first three-figure score since making 217 at Old Trafford last season.

Tim Ambrose was caught at slip off the bowling of Ian Salisbury, though not before the Sussex wicketkeeper had helped add 98 for the fourth wicket to put his side in a very strong position.

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