The ineffectual start to the season that Sussex have made in both forms of the game was rectified to some extent yesterday. After drawing four first-class matches and losing both of their Friends Provident Trophy encounters, they reached a target of 274 thanks to punchy innings from Chris Adams, who made a century off 99 balls, and Matt Prior.

Prior has reached a half-century in six of his past seven innings. This one brought him 79 runs from 92 balls. His shots were crunched to all parts of the ground and, when he was out, sweeping at Shaun Udal, Sussex were more than halfway to their target.

Adams, 38 today, likewise drove and pulled his way to his highest score of the season. One reason why Sussex triumphed was that Adams's century included nine fours and a six - Prior struck eight fours - whereas Owais Shah, who scored 68 for Middlesex, hit only three. Conceivably the outfield was quicker later in the day, but there was also less variety about the bowling.

Tom Smith and Mike Yardy, the left arm spinners, bowled tightly in unison. The latter took a sharp return catch to dismiss Ed Joyce, who played another prominent, if not destructive, innings. In fact, virtually every batsman who came to the crease contributed. Although there was some useful hitting at the end of the Middlesex innings, not least from Vernon Philander, who hit the last ball for six, Sussex kept pace with their target to the extent that, at the start of the last ten overs, they needed just 52 with eight wickets in hand.

Sussex are to strengthen their bowling - Mushtaq Ahmed will not be fit for another fortnight and Ryan Harris has returned to Australia - by signing Corey Collymore on a one-year contract. The West Indies fast bowler is expected to arrive today and will attend an ECB hearing straight away to have his registration ratified. Sussex do not anticipate any difficulties over this and might well give him his debut in their match against Surrey on Thursday. The downside is that he is yet another Kolpak signing, a simple method of circumventing the ruling that each county is restricted to one overseas player.

Middlesex

E C Joyce c and b Yardy 80

*E T Smith c Yardy b Kirtley 27

A J Strauss lbw b Yardy 26

O A Shah b Kirtley 68

E J G Morgan c Hopkinson b Nash 34

V D Philander not out 27

T J Murtagh not out 5

Extras (lb 1, w 5) 6

Total (5 wkts, 50 overs) 273

G K Berg, B J M Scott, S D Udal and D Evans did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-128, 3-139, 4-209, 5-260.

Bowling: Lewry 8-0-56-0; Kirtley 8-0-59-2; Wright 5-0-26-0; Martin-Jenkins 6-0-42-0; Yardy 10-1-36-2; Smith 10-0-39-0; Nash 3-0-14-1.

Sussex

C D Nash c Scott b Berg 34

M J Prior b Udal 79

*C J Adams not out 109

M W Goodwin c Smith b Murtagh 44

L J Wright not out 4

Extras (w 3, nb 2) 5

Total (3 wkts, 48 overs) 275

M H Yardy, C D Hopkinson, R S C Martin-Jenkins, T M J Smith, R J Kirtley and J D Lewry did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-70, 2-151, 3-266.

Bowling: Murtagh 10-0-50-1; Philander 10-2-55-0; Evans 10-0-56-0; Berg 7-0-40-1; Udal 8-0-53-1; Shah 3-0-21-0.

Umpires: R J Bailey and T E Jesty.