Ollie Rayner put Sussex on the verge their first Championship victory in two months with an accomplished performance against Hampshire at Arundel.

The 22-year-old off-spinner took a Championship-best 4-49 as Hampshire stumbled to 127-7 after following on against the defending champions.

Earlier, the visitors lost their final five first-innings wickets to be dismissed for 257, a 169-run deficit.

Greg Lamb made an unbeaten 54 but Corey Collymore ended with figures of 4-60.

Second time around the procession continued, with five Hampshire batsmen falling for 26 runs in the space of eight overs as they slumped to 84-6.

Hampshire will resume in a perilous position on day four, still 42 runs adrift of Sussex's first innings total.

They started the day needing 277 to avoid the follow on but fell 20 short despite Lamb's highest Championship score for three years.

The 27-year-old Zimbabwean was involved in a controversial incident early in the day after Collymore had struck quickly to remove Liam Dawson without addition to his overnight score.

Lamb, on four, survived a confident appeal after edging a delivery from Collymore low to skipper Chris Adams at second slip.

Umpire John Holder gave Lamb the benefit of the doubt after consulting Jeff Evans but Sussex felt the ball had carried and there was an altercation between Adams and Nic Pothas in the following over.

Hampshire's hopes of avoiding the follow on were hit by the loss of Pothas and Dimitri Mascarenhas either side of lunch as they slipped to 216-8.

Lamb, who completed his defiant half-century in style by straight driving Ragheb Aga for his seventh boundary, steered his side to their second batting point by adding 36 in 15 overs for the ninth wicket with David Balcombe.

But the innings ended suddenly after the new ball was taken with Jason Lewry comprehensively bowling Balcombe and then last man James Tomlinson was yorked by a fired-up Collymore.

Their second innings then got off to the worst possible start with the out-of-form Michael Carberry being caught behind for one off Lewry for the second time in the match.

On a slow pitch, Rayner then got going by bowling Michael Lumb as he played back before he had John Crawley taken at slip, nibbling at his arm ball.

Sean Ervine followed, taken at backward point, and Lamb became Rayner's fourth victim just before bad light ended play an over early with Martin-Jenkins having also struck twice.