While Kevin Pietersen and Shane Warne were pitting their wits against each other, Hampshire scrapped for vital Championship points against Sussex at the Rose Bowl.

Sean Ervine recorded figures of 5-73, his second Championship five-for, as Sussex were restricted to a first innings lead of just seven runs after being bowled out for 316 in response to Hampshire's 309.

But Sussex hit back with three late wickets to see Hampshire enter the third day just 15 runs ahead with seven wickets remaining.

Zimbabwean all rounder Ervine, having hit a Championship best 69 on day one, claimed the key wickets of Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin before taking the last three Sussex wickets in his last three overs.

Ervine had claimed the scalps of Montgomerie and Goodwin in quick succession, just when the Sussex pair were threatening to take the game away from their hosts.

After Ian Ward was caught at deep backward point, Michael Yardy was caught behind for a 14-ball duck.

With the left handers gone, Hampshire were keen for further inroads but Montgomerie and Goodwin put on 78 for the third wicket before Ervine struck for the first time.

Montgomerie was trapped leg before and then Ervine snared fellow countryman and Western Australia teammate Goodwin, when Shane Watson held on to a a chance at first slip.

Skipper Chris Prior put on 70 for the fifth wicket before both were dismissed in the last two overs before tea.

Adams's 41 included a straight six against Shaun Udal before he became substitute Chris Tremlett's only victim.

After being left out of England's XI for the first Test, Tremlett arrived at the Rose Bowl at 12.25pm, in time to replace Billy Taylor after the seventh over.

Tremlett struggled for fluency but Adams's wild drive outside off stump gave him a wicket in the penulitmate over before tea and Prior was bowled through the gate by Udal with the last ball of the afternoon session.

Captain Udal's 1000th wicket in all cricket for Hampshire could not have been better timed but he was frustrated by a 64-run seventh wicket stand between Carl Hopkinson and Rana Naved.

Hampshire were 293-7 overnight, and with eight points separating them from Sussex at the start of play, getting the third bonus point for 300 was the first priority.

They managed that -- and Pothas's 135 is the county's highest individual score of the season - but Hampshire would have hoped to have added more than the 16 runs they managed before Mascarenhas chipped Lewry to mid off.

Seven hours later and Mascarenhas, a second innings nightwatchman, was trapped lbw after the loss of Chris Benham.

Michael Brown had pulled a six in Naved's first over as Hampshire edged back in front, but Benham, Mascarenhas and then Greg Lamb, who suffered a pair after losing his leg stump to Kirtley, were all dimissed late on.