Charlie Tear's maiden century steers Sussex to second win in three days

Scottish international Charlie Tear blazed a record-breaking maiden List A hundred as Sussex Sharks raced to their second Metro Bank One Day Cup victory in three days, chasing down Northamptonshire Steelbacks' 295 for 8 in style with seven wickets and 19 balls to spare.

Tear served up a barrage of boundaries all around Wantage Road, smashing 23 fours and two sixes in his spectacular 159 off just 146 balls - the highest ever individual score for Sussex against Northamptonshire in List A cricket. He shared a devastating opening stand of 216 off 202 balls with Tom Haines (76 off 81 balls) - Sussex's highest List A partnership for any wicket against Northamptonshire.

It was a day to forget for the Steelbacks with the ball, the bowling often wayward and with multiple errors in the field.

With the bat, James Sales narrowly failed to post another ton after his century in Northamptonshire's victory over Durham on Friday, but his 98 off 96 balls was the backbone of their innings.

He shared a stand of 115 off 104 balls for the fourth wicket with Stuart van der Merwe who looked at home on debut despite being dropped at slip first ball. His 59 off 60 balls was a proactive, confident innings full of invention.

But with just 50 coming in the powerplay and Sales failing to kick on in the final overs, Northamptonshire's total looked well below par. Danny Lamb finished with two wickets, but spinner Jack Carson's miserly six-over spell deserved special mention.

Earlier Luke Procter (36) and Aadi Sharma (38) gave Northamptonshire a solid if unspectacular platform of 73 for the first wicket in 13.3 overs. Sharma swept Carson straight to Archie Lenham at backward-square before Procter, who passed 1,000 List A runs, fell soon afterwards, giving leg-spinner Lenham a comfortable return catch.

Carson bowled 16 dot balls in 17 deliveries, conceding just one run, his initial six-over spell bringing one wicket for just 13 runs.

Northamptonshire attacked at the other end instead, targeting Lenham, Sales cutting for four and smashing over long-on.

Tim Robinson fell quickly in identical fashion to Sharma, sweeping round the corner to Lenham in spinner Bertie Foreman's first over. Foreman then nearly had van der Merwe first ball but Haines shelled a straightforward chance at slip, the ball running away for four. Unfazed, van der Merwe drove the unlucky bowler through the covers and began to accumulate.

Sales swept Carson over midwicket while van der Merwe sent one over extra cover for six. He scooped Lamb for four before sweeping Foreman to reach 50.

Even though van der Merwe upper cut to third where Lenham held an excellent tumbling catch, a big Northamptonshire total looked assured. Sales twice crunched Foreman through extra cover and moved into the eighties in style, smashing Lenham straight into the top tier of the Turner Stand.

But Sussex did well to contain as Sales grew becalmed, scoring just 21 in the final 10 overs.

New batter George Bartlett counterattacked after being dropped at extra cover, hitting Lenham straight for six and taking three boundaries off a Crocombe over.

His luck ran out when he was run out for a quickfire 28 off 18 balls, Fynn Hudson-Prentice deflecting the ball onto the stumps in his follow-through. It sparked a mini collapse, Northamptonshire losing four wickets in 19 balls. Lewis McManus and Dom Leech were bowled by Lamb and Hudson-Prentice respectively before Sales was agonisingly caught at cover.

In stark contrast, Sussex's powerplay saw a wave of boundaries producing 80 runs.

Tear was in full command. He played some textbook drives, cuts and clips off his legs, but also attacked, pulling anything short and smashing over long-on before a beautiful straight drive took him to 50. Haines too started to find the ropes even if he was fortunate to gather a six via a top-edge.

Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and debutant pace bowler Ben Whitehouse briefly stemmed the flow of runs, the youngster conceding just two off his first over. But the scoring was relentless. Haines whipped one through the on-side to bring up Sussex's 100 off 85 balls, while Tear deposited Chahal over long-on.

Tear continued to gather runs all around the wicket, a cover drive off Chahal bringing up his century off exactly 100 balls. He pulled Whitehouse ferociously for four more and crunched him down the ground before tucking into a Dom Leech over which leaked 18 runs, including a straight six to bring up the 200 partnership.

Northamptonshire finally made the breakthrough in the 34th over when Haines hooked Whitehouse to the sweeper on the legside boundary. Tear motored on past 150, reaching the milestone by swatting Leech over midwicket for six. His innings ended with the finishing line in sight, caught at backward point off Leech. Tom Clark made 34 before he was bowled by Bartlett with five needed, John Simpson hitting six to wrap up the win.