DURHAM’S top three were blown away at bright and breezy Brighton. It could have been 41 for four had Dale Benkenstein gone for nought, but the edged four which got him off the mark just evaded second slip.

The ex-captain again rode to the rescue, reaching 27 at lunch, when Durham were 84 for three with Gordon Muchall on 16.

It was not the start Durham wanted after winning the toss, with Mark Stoneman losing his bearings to depart in the fourth over. The young left-hander was bowled round his legs for one when stepping back and across to turn Damian Wright towards mid-wicket.

Wright, Sussex’s temporary overseas player until Yasir Arafat arrives, also troubled Will Smith, whose last scoring stroke was an edged four.

That took him to 12, but he fell shaping to drive a ball from Robin Martin-Jenkins, which swung in late to have him lbw.

In the next over Wright got the wicket he really wanted, although there was an element of luck about the way he had fellow Tasmanian Michael Di Venuto caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd.