Having cheated the weather on the opening two days, the rain arrived on day three at Hove, restricting play to the session before lunch.

With Surrey resuming at 261 for eight, Mushtaq Ahmed was dropped on 23 by Goodwin, fielding at mid-wicket, off the bowling of Mark Davis. Tim Murtagh’s back-foot drive off James Kirtley then ended up hitting the base of middle stump, but frustratingly for Sussex the little Pakistani went on to more than double his score.

Mushtaq straight drove and swept Davis for two fours in the spinner’s next over and when Kirtley attempted to dislodge the 32-year-old he simply pulled and cover drove him for a couple more. But James Kirtley had his revenge when Ahmed was taken ten yards in from the third man boundary, going for another expansive shot, as Murray Goodwin made amends for his earlier lapse.

Needing 287 to win the home side knocked off 85 in the hour and forty minutes prior to lunch. Richard Montgomerie struck two boundaries in the first over, with a pull and then an edge to third man off Alex Tudor. In the second, however, playing the ball away from his body, the former Northants man was caught behind off Ed Giddins.

Like Montgomerie, Goodwin and Cottey were quick to punish Tudor, who deserved a wicket. Murray Goodwin executed full-blooded cuts off both him and Clarke, but also acquired a moderate percentage of his 42 in 82 deliveries with edges through the slips.

At 12:48 Tim Murtagh came on from the Cromwell Road End and in his third over had Tony Cottey leg before, moving back, but then pulling out of the stroke. Matt Prior was close to being caught at third slip first ball, but survived until the break, whereupon rain arrived in sufficient quantity to ruin any chance of more play.

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