Sussex 245 for 7 beat Lancashire 205 for 9 by 40 runs
Scorecard

Sussex's bid for a hat-trick of 40 overs titles remains on course after they beat Group A rivals Lancashire by 40 runs at Hove.

Boosted by a one-day best 91 from wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd, which included five successive boundaries off Lancashire skipper Glenn Chapple, Sussex made 245 for 7 after winning the toss.

Lancashire made a positive start to their reply and had 86 on the board after 13 overs despite losing openers Paul Horton and Stephen Moore. But Sussex's spinners Monty Panesar and Ollie Rayner then took control and Lancashire lost three wickets in four overs, two of them to run outs.

And there was no way back from 118 for 5 in the 22nd over after South African Ashwell Prince was brilliantly stumped by Hodd when he came down the pitch and was beaten by Rayner's well-flighted offbreak.

Luke Sutton and Stephen Parry added 50 in seven overs for the seventh wicket but Rana Naved-ul-Hasan returned to york Parry and Daren Powell, leaving Sutton undefeated on 31 and his side 205 for 9 from 37.5 overs with Kyle Hogg unable to bat because of a wrist injury.

Earlier, Hodd had taken the form he had shown in last week's Championship match, when he made 109, into the one-day format to give Sussex's innings some impetus.

Sussex's top four had all got starts without going on but Hodd, using his crease to make room for an array of improvised shots, helped Robin Martin-Jenkins add 86 in ten overs for the fifth wicket. It included a terrific blitz against Chapple whom he struck for five successive fours in the 37th over as Sussex plundered 41 runs from the power-play.

Hodd was bowled by Kyle Hogg in the 38th over making room to hit through the leg side for 91 from 65 balls - more than double his previous one-day best of 42 - which included ten fours and a pulled six off Oliver Newby that had spectators in the pavilion scattering for cover.

Horton and Moore gave Lancashire a great start with 30 runs off the first three overs but Moore top-edged a pull off Naved and Horton was pinned by Martin-Jenkins as he played across the line. They were restricted to 27 runs off their Powerplay and their innings began to unravel when Croft was run out by Prior's direct hit from mid-on in the 18th over.

In the next over Mark Chilton failed to recover his ground in time to beat Panesar's throw from midwicket and Lancashire were heading for their third defeat in four games in the competition.