Prior sets the standard

Matt Prior acknowledges the applause upon reaching three figures at Trent Bridge

Matt Prior made a nonsense of other batsmen’s struggles with a splendid hundred for Sussex against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Prior came to the crease at 33 for four after an hour’s play in the LV County Championship Division One match between this season’s early leaders and the reigning champions.

At lunch, the wicketkeeper-batsman had only a necessarily circumspect 20 out of a precarious 75 for six; yet he marched on to 131 out of 277, dominating a seventh-wicket stand of 142 in only 26 overs with Robin Martin-Jenkins.

After Nottinghamshire had encountered new-ball swing on the way to 46 for two in 19 overs before stumps, Prior’s innings looked even better.

On a pitch which had contributed to but far from explained the way Sussex’s top order went missing, the number six barely played a false stroke or used anything but the middle of the bat as he took only 42 balls between 50 and 100.

He cut his 115th delivery, from Graeme Swann’s off-spin, past point - the most productive of his many scoring areas - to reach three figures and carry Sussex past 200.

The exploits of the man England dropped last winter in favour of Tim Ambrose were on a different plain to the discomfort of the five batsmen who went in before him, and one after him.

Before lunch, Darren Pattinson (3-77) had continued his outstanding form as Sussex found all manner of ways to get out, having won the toss on a fresh morning.

Sussex were back for the first time at the scene of the victory which gave them the 2006 title and sent their hosts down, and there were immediate indications of another happy experience as Chris Nash counted three off-driven fours off Pattinson’s first two overs.

But it was with the final ball of his second that Pattinson struck for the first time, yorking Nash, who appeared to be eyeing another boundary.

Chris Adams departs without scoring, one of three victims for Darren Pattinson in the morning session

An over later Pattinson saw off Michael Yardy for nought as the left-hander edged an attempted drive at a ball which was not quite there for the shot and moved away off the pitch.

Opener Carl Hopkinson also contributed to his own downfall, mis-pulling Charlie Shreck to mid-on.

Pattinson soon found the edge again, this time with full-length outswing as Chris Adams was caught at slip to put a second duck in the book for Sussex.

Murray Goodwin untypically cut Paul Franks straight to point, where Samit Patel took a juggling catch.

The baton therefore passed to England Lion Prior and Luke Wright, the latter never hinting at permanence before poking a catch to cover from the first ball of Shreck’s second spell.

Prior, by contrast, had only two uncomfortable moments in his entire stay.

Mark Ealham hit him on the helmet with an unexpected bouncer on 19, and a run later a direct hit from Pattinson would have seen Prior off at the bowler’s end after Martin-Jenkins sent him back for an unwise single.

Otherwise, it was hugely convincing batting all the way as Prior went on to pass 500 first-class runs for the season, having failed to make a half-century only once so far.

Only Ealham stemmed the flow as Shreck, Pattinson and Franks’ figures all suffered.

But once Martin-Jenkins, who batted soundly in a support role, had gone to a sweep at Swann which looped into the off-side ring, Nottinghamshire strangled Prior’s fluency with deep-set fields as they attacked the tail.

He eventually played on round his legs, attempting a paddle sweep at Swann, who finished with 3-52.

Nottinghamshire’s reply got off to a poor start when Matt Wood was lbw to a Jason Lewry inswinger, and Martin-Jenkins had the other opener, Will Jefferson, playing on via a faulty leave.

It would have soon been worse for Notts had Mark Wagh been held when he twice offered regulation chances on three, Hopkinson culpable at gully off Martin-Jenkins and Goodwin at point off Corey Collymore.