MONTGOMERIE'S BEST SETS UP SUSSEX WIN OVER ESSEX

Montgomerie made 108 in a first wicket stand of 176 with Murray Goodwin as Sussex made 241-3 from their 45 overs in the day-night second division contest.

Half-centuries from Paul Grayson and James Foster helped Essex recover from a poor start, but they finished well short on 214-7.

Montgomerie and Goodwin had earlier compiled a record first wicket stand in the one-day league's various guises for Sussex, beating the 162 by David Smith and Franklyn Stephenson against Surrey eight years ago.

Goodwin converted his third half-century of the season into a competition best 87 before he was caught at short mid-wicket, but Montgomerie went on to a century off 121 balls with eight fours before he was run out in the penultimate over after adding 55 with Chris Adams (25) for the second wicket.

Essex struggled to make much impression early on. Stephen Peters was run out by Will House's direct hit in the third over, Graham Napier edged Jason Lewry to the wicketkeeper and then Ronnie Irani and Darren Robinson fell off successive balls to leave Essex 44-4 after 14 overs.

They were revived by a fifth wicket stand of 85 in 18 overs between Grayson and Foster which was ended when James Kirtley returned to the attack to bowl Grayson for 52.

Foster went on to finish unbeaten on 56, but with the asking rate climbing to above ten an over his composed innings was never going to be enough.

Essex remain rooted to the bottom of the table while a third win keeps Sussex in seventh place.

MONTGOMERIE AND GOODWIN SET FORMIDABLE TOTAL FOR SUSSEX AGAINST ESSEX

Montgomerie went to three figures when he turned Ashley Cowan through backward square leg for his ninth boundary and he went on to make 108 before he was run out in the penultimate over by Tim Mason's throw from long off going for a chancy second run.

Chris Adams won the toss and would have been delighted at the start provided by Montgomerie and Zimbabwean Murray Goodwin whose stand of 176 in 34 overs was the highest for Sussex's first wicket in the competition's various guises.

Goodwin converted his third half-century of the season in the competition into his highest score, making 87 off 106 balls before he flat-batted Tim Mason to short mid-wicket.

At that stage Sussex were scoring at nearly six an over, but the scoring rate slowed in the closing stages as the white ball lost it's shape and hardness and the batsmen found it difficult to pierce the infield.

Adams, normally such an attacking strokemaker, was restricted to just one boundary in his 25 from 36 balls before he was caught off Cowan in the final over.

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Date-stamped : 16 Jul2001 - 22:33