Sussex defeated Warwickshire by 37 runs

Warwickshire's debut Pro40 campaign got off to the worst possible start when they were outplayed by a supremely confident Sussex outfit last night.

The Bears went down by 37 runs at Hove after seeing the home side, who won the toss, add key runs in the closing stages of their innings.

Only Jonathan Trott really got to grips with the challenge of chasing six an over in reply as Sussex's fielding and pinpoint bowling held sway on a slow track.

It had all looked pretty promising for the Bears until Robin Martin-Jenkins and Yasir Arafat hit out. They added an unbeaten 43 off the last 23 balls of the innings, including two fours and a straight six by Arafat from the final three deliveries of the innings, bowled by Heath Streak.

Some of the Warwickshire ground-fielding left a bit to be desired as the pressure was applied late on. That was a shame because, for 35 overs, the Bears could be delighted with their work.

Tim Ambrose, in particular, will have relished the catch which got rid of Sussex dangerman Matt Prior after just three overs.

Ambrose, whose handiwork stood out throughout the innings, flung himself to his right for a fabulous onehanded catch low down off the bowling of Streak.

The visitors were frustrated by young all-rounder Chris Nash, who dispatched Neil Carter for two successive legside fours and had eight boundaries in his career-best 82, made off 101 balls.

Murray Goodwin pulled Alex Loudon for a six which just cleared the mid-wicket boundary but offered Ambrose a simple stumping off the same bowler, having made a run-a-ball 39. His partnership with Nash was worth 78 in 14 overs.

In reply, Warwickshire had already lost Navdeep Poonia, who top-edged a hook when he was beaten by pace and lift from James Kirtley, when they suffered a hammer blow.

Nick Knight, having made 12, was run out by a direct hit from Michael Yardy after Trott's drive had been diverted to him by Ollie Rayner's parry at short extra cover.

Loudon laboured for 22 balls for his nine before edging Martin-Jenkins to Prior behind the stumps and Trott's 60-ball 42 was ended in spectacular style by Arafat's direct hit from behind point.

A bold move to ask Carter to swashbuckle his side back into the game also failed to pay off as he fell to a juggling catch at leg gully by Kirtley.

Ambrose holed out at long-on off Rayner and the asking rate had hit double figures by the time Streak and Michael Powell showed off a few strokes in the latter stages.