Sussex made a strong response to a Yorkshire total of 403 at Hove in a match which could decide who is relegated from the County Championship First Division with Worcestershire.

At the close they were 233 for four, with both Murray Goodwin (44) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (32) looking well set.

Yorkshire had resumed on 274 for seven and batted through the morning session as Ajmal Shahzad and David Wainwright took their eighth-wicket stand to 156 in 43 overs.

Sussex captain Michael Yardy tried seven bowlers in the morning but they did not break through until the score was 388.

Then Shahzad, 12 runs short of his maiden century, was lbw to Hamilton-Brown as he attempted to work a straight ball to leg.

Yorkshire lost their ninth wicket in the next over when Azeem Rafiq was also out lbw playing across the line, this time to Corey Collymore.

But if the Sussex bowlers thought their day was finished they were again disappointed.

The last pair of Wainwright and Mathew Hoggard added a further 35 before, on the stroke of lunch, Hoggard was bowled by Hamilton-Brown for 17.

When Sussex replied, Yardy and Nash put on 68 for the first wicket but again Nash failed to build on a promising start.

He had scored 42 when, in the 18th over, he sliced his drive and was caught by Joe Sayers at extra-cover off the bowling of Wainwright.

The new batsman, Joe Gatting, was troubled at first by the slow left-arm of Wainwright.

But, using his feet to get to the pitch of the ball, he had more success against Rafiq.

He had scored an aggressive 46, with 10 fours, when he offered a sharp return catch to Rafiq, but the bowler put it down.

The batsman did not profit from the reprieve as in the next over, without addition, he was lbw to a delivery of full length from Hoggard and Sussex went to tea at 130 for two.

Goodwin had scored only eight when he was missed by Sayers at extra-cover, with Rafiq again the unlucky bowler.

But Yardy was his usual phlegmatic self and reached his fifty from 120 balls, with three fours.

At 165 for two after 51 overs, Sussex had made a positive response to Yorkshire's total but they then lost two wickets in as many balls.

First Yardy clipped the ball to Adam Lyth, who took a tumbling catch at midwicket and then Carl Hopkinson, working to leg, was lbw first ball.

Goodwin and Hamilton-Brown then added an unbeaten 68 to pull Sussex round and leave the draw the likely outcome.