The C&G Trophy format changed this year with teams playing in North and South Conferences with the winner of each group advancing to the final at Lord's on 26 August.
Sussex edged out Middlesex by a single point in the South Conference to meet Lancashire in the final.
SUSSEX'S PATH TO THE C&G FINAL
South Conference, 30 April: bt Surrey by 5 wkts
Michael Yardy had a fine match as Sussex began their campaign with a penultimate over win at The Oval.
He claimed 3-44 with his deceptive slow left-arm bowling, then anchored the innings from number five after both openers had departed with only seven on the board, making an unbeaten 98 to reach the target of 273.
South Conference, 1 May: bt Middlesex by 6 wkts
Pakistan seamer Rana-Naved-ul-Hasan produced another superb performance as Sussex beat their eventual rivals convincingly at Hove.
Naved captured 16 wickets in five C&G matches
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The slippery paceman claimed 4-34 as the visitors made 200-6 in a match reduced to 40 overs per side, with Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin then sharing 144 for the third wicket, Goodwin seeing his team to victory with an unbeaten 88 from as many balls.
South Conference, 14 May: bt Glamorgan by 97 runs
Sussex's deadly Pakistan combination Naved and Mushtaq Ahmed did the damage again at Sophia Gardens.
Yardy had hit two fours and a six in his 88 as Sussex posted 257-8 after being put in, before Naved ripped through the Welsh county with 5-30 off eight overs and Mushtaq winkled out the last three batsmen.
South Conference, 28 May: bt Essex by 5 wkts
Goodwin's majestic unbeaten 158 maintained Sussex's perfect start, seeing them to victory with seven balls to spare at Chelmsford.
Mushtaq for once went wicketless as Essex posted 296-6, but Goodwin pummelled 15 fours and five sixes, sharing 146 with Carl Hopkinson.
South Conference, 29 May: bt Somerset by 5 wkts (D/L method)
Mushtaq was back among the wickets, striking four times in a frantic shoot-out at Horsham, with the match reduced to 24 overs per side.
Futher rain meant that Sussex faced a revised target of 122 from 17 overs, and they promptly lost four wickets with the score on 16, before Luke Wright smashed two sixes and two fours in 32 from 13 balls, and an explosive stand of 67 with Robin Martin-Jenkins saw them home easily with 10 balls remaining.
South Conference, 4 June: lost to Kent by 6 wkts
The unbeaten run came to an abrupt halt at the Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells, despite an assured 127 from opener Richard Montgomerie.
Montgomerie has made some big scores from the top of the order
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He received little support, with 38 the next highest score, as Kent coasted to their target of 285 with a full three overs remaining.
South Conference, 11 June: bt Ireland by 7 wkts
Sussex swiftly returned to winning ways a week later with a dominant display against Ireland at the Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin.
Jason Lewry and James Kirtley soon reduced the hosts to 0-2 and Luke Wright picked up 4-56 as the Irish were bowled out for 216 in the penultimate over and Montgomerie struck another century to guide his team to victory with 13 overs in the bag.
South Conference, 16 June: bt Hampshire by 5 wkts
A day/night encounter at Hove against their south coast rivals resulted in a fifth victory, with Kirtley ripping through the lower order to claim 5-43, the final four batsmen out for nought.
Montgomerie and Prior shared 95 for the first wicket as Sussex chased 255, and Hopkinson made sure with an unbeaten 69 from 65 balls.
South Conference, 25 June: lost to Gloucestershire by 2 runs
An extraordinary encounter at picturesque Arundel resulted in a second defeat, but fortunately for Sussex it did not prove decisive and they secured their place in the showpiece final.
It looked as if they would end the qualifying stages in style after Martin-Jenkins and Yardy claimed three wickets apiece and Glos were bowled out for 98, but without injured skipper Chris Adams they capitulated to 96 all out within 18 overs, only three players reaching double figures.
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