Boyd Rankin made a potentially crucial breakthrough in the final over of the third day as Warwickshire chased victory over Sussex at Hove that would preserve their First Division place in the LV County Championship.

The Irishman had Murray Goodwin caught behind with his second ball as Sussex closed on 113 for three, still 61 runs short of making Warwickshire bat again.

Goodwin and Andrew Hodd, promoted to number three, had dropped anchor to such an extent that their third wicket stand of 34 took 26 overs with just 43 runs scored in 31 overs during the evening session.

Sussex will need to show similar resilience on Saturday if they are to avoid a defeat which would keep them in the relegation zone with two matches remaining.

Earlier Jim Troughton, Tim Ambrose and Rikki Clarke had all made half-centuries as Warwickshire extended their overnight 302 for five to 428 before they were bowled out in the first over after lunch.

Sussex did have the consolation of collecting a second bowling point when skipper Mike Yardy turned to Chris Nash's occasional off spin and Ambrose edged to slip after passing 50 for the fifth time in the Championship this season.

Chris Woakes was leg before to Piyush Chawla's googly in the next over but Sussex's hopes of restricting their first innings deficit were hit by a stand of 76 in 17 overs between Troughton and Rikki Clarke.

Clarke lofted Nash over long on for six before James Kirtley returned to the attack to take wickets with successive balls.

Troughton played on off his pads for 85, his fourth half-century of the season, and Sri Sreesanth was promptly leg before to an in swinger.

Chawla finished Warwickshire off when last man Rankin top-edged a sweep but the Bears still claimed a decent first-innings lead of 174.

Sussex openers Chris Nash and Mike Yardy knocked 70 of their arrears off in 19 overs and when Nash clouted Sreesanth through mid-wicket to go to 20 he became the first Sussex batsman to reach 1,000 runs this season,.

But Nash was trapped in front of Woakes' late inswing for 44 and it was desperately hard going for his team-mates for the rest of the day.

After Nash departed Yardy and Hodd, promoted up the order because Ed Joyce had been off the field with a hip injury, failed to score a run in 44 deliveries and when Hodd reverse-swept Ant Botha after tea it was the first boundary for 21 overs.

In the meantime Yardy's 100-ball vigil had come to an end when Naqaash Tahir trapped him leg before although there was a suggestion Yardy might have deflected the ball from bat onto pad.