Nash and Joyce show their experience

A dominant partnership between Chris Nash and captain Ed Joyce guided Sussex to their first win in this year's Yorkshire Bank 40 in a rain-affected contest against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Sussex recovered from a troubled start to post 215 for 7 from their 40 overs with Nash amassing 95 off 106 balls and Joyce an even-paced 90 off 91 deliveries as they piled on 173 runs for the fourth wicket.

Trent Copeland took career-best figures in one-day cricket of 5 for 32, but the home side never looked like keeping up with the run-rate as they collapsed to 122 for 9 from 26.3 overs, with Sussex winning by 61 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Sussex won the toss and chose to bat but they lost Luke Wells in the third over when he edged David Willey to Andrew Hall at first slip. Copeland then struck when England's Matt Prior was caught behind for 3 and Sussex were then reduced to 12 for 3 in the sixth over when Copeland's delivery crashed into Rory Hamilton-Brown's off stump.

But the fourth-wicket pair of Nash and Joyce recovered the Sussex innings with Joyce reaching 50 off 61 balls and Nash following suit from 68 deliveries. A 30-over partnership was finally broken when Joyce pulled Steven Crook to Copeland at short fine leg.

Sussex wicketkeeper Ben Brown was then trapped lbw by Copeland before Nash's brilliant innings came to an end when he chipped the same bowler to Hall at midwicket. Copeland completed his second five-wicket haul in one-day cricket when Chris Jordan played on in the final over.

Initially chasing 216, Northamptonshire lost Stephen Peters in the fifth over when he was pinned lbw by Jordan to depart on 20. The captain Alex Wakely then threw his wicket away when he tamely nudged James Anyon to Hamilton-Brown at backward point. Kyle Coetzer also went cheaply when he launched Anyon to Michael Rippon at mid-on before David Sales perished on 24 when he clubbed Chris Liddle to Prior at deep square leg.

After a 40-minute rain delay, Northamptonshire lost Matthew Spriegel when he was well caught at mid-off by Nash off Michael Yardy and Duckett followed by edging Liddle. Liddle's yorker clattered into Willey's off stump with Jordan then bowling Hall and Crook, who put up some resistance in making 25, before more heavy rain put the hosts out of their misery.