Lancashire's LV County Championship Division One match against Sussex petered out into the expected draw at Old Trafford but not before a dynamic display by the home seamers had restricted Michael Yardy's side to just one batting bonus point.

Oliver Newby and Kyle Hogg claimed three wickets apiece as Sussex collapsed from 190 for three to 240 all out in 16 overs after lunch - a performance which will have done little to aid Sussex's bid to avoid relegation.

Lancashire's openers had faced just two balls in their second innings when bad light brought an early end to the rain-ruined contest. Both sides took eight points from the match.

At one stage during the afternoon's play Sussex had been well placed to overtake Lancashire's first innings score of 236 and forge on towards 400.

However, a careless waft by Yardy when he had made 86 in 175 balls gave Newby his first wicket of the afternoon and began a spell of 31 deliveries in which five wickets fell.

With the Old Trafford surface offering plenty of bounce and some lateral movement to the young Lancashire seamers none of the subsequent batsmen, apart from Piyush Chawla who made an unbeaten 32, batted with any confidence and VVS Laxman accepted three opportunities to display his slip-catching ability.

Andrew Hodd, Carl Hopkinson and Olly Rayner were all snaffled by the Hyderabad captain while Robin Martin-Jenkins and Dwayne Smith were both lbw.

Newby finished with three for 49 from 15 overs and Hogg's three for 53 included Martin-Jenkins, his 100th first-class wicket.

The two young Lancashire bowlers were building on a fine 11-over spell in the morning session from Sajid Mahmood who made two vital breakthroughs in the 65 minutes play that were possible.

The 27-year-old fast bowler trapped Ed Joyce lbw in the third over of the day and then had Murray Goodwin caught behind by Luke Sutton for 29 when the Zimbabwean had added 42 for the third wicket with Yardy.

Mahmood then returned to the attack in mid-afternoon and accepted a stinging catch off his own bowling to dismiss Corey Colleymore and finish with four for 87 from 24.3 overs.

With 167 overs lost to rain in the previous three days and another 15 claimed by bad light and drizzle on Saturday morning, both teams only had bonus points to play for but with neither safe from relegation, this modest incentive still made for some intense cricket.

Lancashire will be by far the more satisfied side after Saturday's play. Sussex return south knowing that they still have tense championship matches against fellow relegation candidates Warwickshire and Yorkshire to come.