Prior hundred powers Sussex win

Sussex 239 for 5 beat Glamorgan 186 for 5 by 53 runs
Scorecard

Matt Prior made the sixth highest score in Twenty20 history as Sussex Sharks maintained their stranglehold on the South Division with a crushing 53-run win over Glamorgan Dragons at Hove.

Prior, 28, is desperate to win back his place in England's one-day side after losing out to Craig Kieswetter and strengthened his claims with117 from just 55 balls - matching knocks by Chris Gayle and Andrew Symonds - as Sussex piled up 239 for 5, the third biggest total in this Friends Provident t20 history.

It was all too much for the Dragons, although they restored some pride by completing their 20 overs at 186 for 5, but Sussex still claimed their eighth win out of nine so far. Prior and New Zealander Brendon McCullum, who was making his final appearance for the Sharks, put on 33 in 21 balls to get the innings off to a flying start but that was a mere warm-up as Prior began to dismantle the Glamorgan attack.

His first 50 runs came off a relatively sedate 30 balls although he got to the milestone with the third of three successive sixes off David Harrison. Prior then went into overdrive without ever resorting to slogging as he found gaps on both sides of the wicket with a mixture of powerful drives and pulls.

He went from 52 to 117 in just 25 deliveries, hitting six fours in eight balls at one stage off James Harris and Jim Allenby. In doing so he put on 73 in 42 deliveries for the second wicket with Murray Goodwin and a further 56 in 23 with Dwayne Smith, who contributed just nine to the partnership.

Prior brought up only the third Twenty20 century by a Sussex batsman with a four down the ground and when he top-edged an attempted pull off Australian quick Shaun Tait his innings had contained 90 runs in boundaries - 15 fours and five sixes - and he departed to a standing ovation from the 4,000 crowd.

If Glamorgan thought their suffering was over they were mistaken as Chris Nash improvised superbly to score 60 not out from just 26 balls with seven fours and three sixes, adding 63 in 27 deliveries with Joe Gatting for the fifth wicket.

Dragons skipper Jamie Dalrymple, who had won the toss, used seven bowlers but Tait apart they all suffered with Harris, who conceded 61 in his four wicketless overs, taking the worst punishment. In the reply, opener Mark Cosgrove made 43 off 32 balls and at the end of their powerplay Glamorgan were only four runs behind Sussex's position at the same point.

But after the Australian left-hander holed out to deep mid-wicket in Nash's only over of off-breaks the Dragons never threatened. Skipper Dalrymple did make an unbeaten 46 but regular wickets - five of the six Sussex bowlers picked up a scalp - meant there was never a meaningful enough partnership to take the batting side close.