By Christopher Spink Sussex supporter

Sussex the champions? It is unbelievable.

As the magical Mushtaq bowled us to victory after victory, supporters hardly dared mention the possibility we might relieve Surrey of the title.

Once we had survived a tense contest with them at Hove in early August, however, it finally dawned that Chris Adams and his team men could actually make history.

The innings defeat by Lancashire at Old Trafford caused a few last-minute nerves.

But now we are the champions - something fans have never been able to say before.

Sports followers in Sussex are not used to success.

Hove fans have endured years of disappointment

Brighton and Hove Albion caused a stir of excitement in 1983 when they reached the FA Cup final.

The Seagulls had the chance to beat a Manchester United team brimming with talent but Gordon Smith missed a sitter and we lost the replay.

However, that glorious failure has now been eclipsed by the serious success of Sussex claiming the County Championship for the first time after more than 100 years of trying.

For me, Sussex's achievement feels like Brighton beating Manchester United and Arsenal to the Premiership title.

For too long the elusive Championship seemed like a Holy Grail: something so out of reach that you didn't dare dream that Sussex would ever actually capture it.

My first season as a member in 1981 was the year Sussex had previously come closest to winning the title, ending up as runners up under John Barclay.

As an eight year-old I would watch Imran Khan steam in from the Cromwell Road end down the slope towards the sea. He played the talismanic role now adopted by Mushtaq.

"Magical Mushtaq bowled us to victory after victory"

The moustachioed Garth Le Roux and Tony 'Lester' Piggott were also in the attack. Gehan Mendis led the batting line-up, ahead of Paul Parker and the Wells brothers, Colin and Alan.

Barclay led that side to the Sunday League title the next year and four years later the team trumped Lancashire in fantastic fashion at Lord's to win the 1986 NatWest Trophy.

However, that victory was the last time the team took home some silverware.

In the next 17 years, before Chris Adams picked up the Championship pennant, our home-grown talent frequently moved on to bigger counties.

Dermot Reeve joined Warwickshire, Ed Giddins followed in the same direction and Martin Speight went to Durham.

The season used to effectively end by the start of July making my visits to Hove hardly gripping enough to keep one on the edge of one's striped deckchair.

However, since Tony Pigott's spell as chief executive at the end of the 1990s, and Adams led the side to promotion from the Second Division we haven't really looked back.

Although the county may be the cradle of the game, we had never truly been able to look Surrey or Yorkshire in the eye and claim to be the best team in the country - until now.