Yorkshire were given Prior warning of another possible disaster in their Championship match against Sussex at Arundel yesterday.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior knocked up a rugged 85 to guide Sussex to 392 all out and give them a first-innings lead of 137.

Prior's unblemished knock beat his previous highest score of 81 which he made at Headingley only a fortnight ago when Sussex went on to win the encounter by an innings and 94 runs.

And his latest effort means that Yorkshire are going to have to produce something quite out of the ordinary if they are to avoid sinking to their sixth defeat in seven starts in what is turning into a disastrous season for the County Champions.

Although Prior top-scored for Sussex it was certainly no one-man show and Richard Montgomerie and Mark Davis also completed half-centuries as Sussex assumed control.

Yorkshire's weakened pace attack was further diminished during the morning when Ryan Sidebottom received a crack high on the right cheekbone and was forced to rest up with a black and swollen eye until returning to the fray after tea.

The injury occurred when Montgomerie hit a powerful drive to mid-off and as Sidebottom dived to cut it off the ball bounced up and hit him in the face before speeding to the boundary.

Captain Darren Lehmann had hoped that his two off-spinners, Richard Dawson and Andy Gray, would make light work of the Sussex batting but neither made the best of helpful conditions and it was Craig White who claimed the first three wickets to fall.

White trapped Murray Goodwin lbw to end an opening stand of 85 with Montgomerie and he similarly dismissed Chris Adams before getting Montgomerie to chop onto his stumps for 78 off 141 balls with 11 fours.

The Sussex middle-order all made runs but it was Prior who did most to hold things together, pulling Lehmann for six while adding 73 with Robin Martin-Jenkins, who was the first of two victims off consecutive balls for Dawson soon after tea.

Then the belligerent Mark Davis joined Prior in a punishing stand of 88 in 14 overs which put Sussex firmly in charge, Davis hitting the ball so well that h.

Sidebottom managed a fine delivery to send back Prior after facing 96 balls and striking 11 fours and a six but Yorkshire morale suffered even further as Mark Robinson helped Davis put on 29 for the last wicket, Davis ending unbeaten on 70 from 81 balls with eight fours and a six when Robinson fell lbw to White in the closing minutes of the day.