Flintoff bowled with plenty of vigour but the pitch was placid

Andrew Flintoff's Championship return was overshadowed by a five-wicket haul from Sajid Mahmood and then a Sussex fightback on the opening day at Hove.

Flintoff bowled two seven over spells and one single over, but although accurate he remained wicket-less.

Only Robin Martin-Jenkins prospered, with nine fours in a fine 70 until falling to a long hop in Sussex's 253.

Jason Lewry found some swing to take two wickets in two balls as Lancashire closed 186 runs behind at 67-4.

The Sussex openers made sound start after Chris Adams chose to bat on a pleasant sunny morning at Eaton Road.

But Michael Yardy got a leading edge into the off-side and a dreadful mix-up followed, both players together in mid-pitch ready to head for the pavilion, before it was Chris Nash who was declared run-out, despite a fumble by the fielders.

Chris Adams got an inside-edge off Mahmood that took his off-stump out of the ground, and when Murray Goodwin chipped tamely to mid-wicket it was 57-3 in the 16th over.

Matt Prior looked in excellent touch, stroking Mahmood for three fours in an over, but drove loosely at Glen Chapple and edged to slip, while Yardy played a similarly rash stroke off spinner Gary Keedy and was well caught low at slip.

A partnership was desperately needed and it came either side of lunch from Martin-Jenkins and Carl Hopkinson.

They looked set for a century stand but Hopkinson, who had twice been struck by short balls from Flintoff, miscued a weak drive straight into the large hands of the burly all-rounder at short cover.

Martin-Jenkins recorded his fifty with a square drive to the boundary off Flintoff, but he departed in wretched fashion when a poor delivery from South African Francois du Plessis slid under his pull shot and crashed into the stumps.

Mahmood quickly polished off the tail after Sussex had scraped a solitary batting point, but after they too had a useful start - in which Lou Vincent drove Corey Collymore straight down the ground for six - Lancashire wobbled.

Lewry swung the ball back in beautifully to deceive Paul Horton, who offered no shot and lost his off-stump, while next ball Mal Loye was trapped in front by more inward shape.

Martin-Jenkins got his revenge on du Plessis with a much better ball than the one that got him, moving one away to catch the edge, and Collymore tempted Vincent to drive to the packed slip cordon.