Prior continues to impress

Matt Prior eased to a fluent 59 to rescue Sussex at Hove

Matt Prior followed his first innings century with a fluent 59 to put defending champions Sussex back in control of their LV County Championship Division One clash against Kent.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Prior halted a Kent fightback with a six-wicket stand of 115 with Luke Wright (58) as the hosts built an overall lead of 278 going into the final day at Hove.

Kent were frustrated by Prior and Wright for 25 overs and, after being reduced to 54-5 shortly after tea, Sussex closed on 179-7.

Prior, dropped on nine at slip off Azhar Mahmood, went on to make Kent pay by completing his half-century from 67 balls with five fours.

Pace-bowler Ryan McLaren eventually struck to trap Prior leg before with one that kept low, and Wright was bowled by off-spinner James Tredwell in the last over of the day.

Geraint Jones earlier struck a battling 51 not out as Kent were dismissed for 204 to give Sussex a first innings lead of 99.

The hosts began poorly second time around with openers Carl Hopkinson and Chris Nash falling with only 17 balls.

Michael Yardy and Murray Goodwin fell in quick succession to Mahmood, and half the side were out for 54 when skipper Chris Adams edged former Sussex paceman Yasir Arafat low to slip.

Geraint Jones scored a battling 51 for Kent in the first innings

Evergreen leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed earlier claimed his 55th five-wicket haul for Sussex as Kent, resuming in trouble on 65-6, were dismissed 43 minutes after lunch.

Kent were indebted to a last-wicket stand of 82 in 17 overs between Jones and Arafat (46) after subsiding to 122 for nine.

Mushtaq, bowling unchanged from the Cromwell Road end, took five of the last six wickets and finished Kent off by bowling compatriot Arafat as he attempted an off-drive.

Jones batted with great concentration to steer his side to their only batting point and he resisted for 117 deliveries in his undefeated innings hitting three fours.

Overnight pair Tredwell and Mahmood both fell in the first hour to Mushtaq, Tredwell (40) being bowled playing to leg, before Mahmood was taken at silly point.

The slide continued when McLaren pushed forward to Wright and was caught behind off an outside edge.

But Jones and Arafat, coming together with 32 needed to avoid the follow-on, batted positively to end the innings with a flourish and Jones hammered Wright for three fours in an over with two of them through the covers.

Arafat went for his shots after lunch and bludgeoned left-armer Chris Liddle to the cover fence before easing a well-timed on-driven boundary.

Jones' deserved half-century arrived shortly after Arafat had hammered Mushtaq to the mid-wicket boundary for his fifth four of the innings.