Gareth Clough might not be revered around Nottingham in quite the same way as his illustrious namesake but he enjoyed the best day of his career yesterday to scupper Sussex's chances of a one-day double.

The 26-year-old seamer has yet to commit himself to a new deal at Trent Bridge but his value may have gone up a few quid after he took 6-25 - the second-best figures in any one-day match in England this season.

Only skipper Chris Adams scored more than 20 as the Sharks were bowled out for a dismal 110 in 33.2 overs after Adams had lost the toss and the county were condemned to bat first on a damp, seaming pitch.

Conditions were similar to those at Lord's in the C&G final. That day Sussex dug in and chiselled out a score they could defend. Yesterday they adopted a more attacking approach and, well though Clough bowled, too many batsmen contributed to their own demise.

Sussex's eight-wicket defeat made Essex's demise against Durham irrelevant and Ronnie Irani's side deservedly became only the second county to retain the title in the various guises of the one-day league. The Sharks did not even have the consolation of a £22,000 cheque for runners-up which went to Northamptonshire instead.

Sussex dropped Richard Montgomerie, who had played in all previous seven Pro40 games, and replaced him with Chris Nash at the top of the order but Nash found it as tough as his more experienced team-mates.

He was squared up by AJ Harris in the eighth over, Greg Smith having made the breakthrough in his last appearance for Notts when Matt Prior's back-foot slash went straight to point. It was the only Sussex wicket to fall from the pavilion end.

Adams battled away for more than an hour but the best partnership was 22 by the returning Mike Yardy and Carl Hopkinson as Notts' seamers maintained tight off stump lines and waited for the batsmen to lose patience.

Adams was Clough's first victim in the 18th over, caught at slip off an indeterminate prod before he departed with an accusing look at the pitch.

Yardy edged a drive to slip while Hopkinson looked as comfortable as anyone but wasted 40 minutes of careful reconnaissance with an ugly swipe across the line.

Clough then claimed two wickets in three balls in the 26th over to end any hopes Sussex had of posting a competitive total as Robin Martin-Jenkins was beaten by late seam movement and Rana Naved caught at slip playing back.

The tail managed to avoid total ignimony by getting Sussex past 100 but Clough finished with the third-best one-day figures in Notts' history when Luke Wright holed out to deep mid-wicket.

The county's only hope of winning was early wickets but left-hander Darren Bicknell was determined to bow out in style in what was his last one-day appearance of a career which has spanned two decades.

He stroked Mushtaq Ahmed for three successive off-side boundaries and added 61 in 12 overs with Stephen Fleming before the New Zealand captain was caught off a top-edge to give Rana Naved a deserved success when Notts needed just nine to win.

Bicknell went on to complete the 51st one-day fifty of his career and Sussex will reflect today that they saved one of their worst one-day performance of the season until last.

Sussex have missed out on one of their player targets after Warwickshire's Mooen Ali decided to join Worcestershire.

The county had been given permission to talk to the 19-year-old left-hander, a former England under-19 captain.

But Ali will today join Worcestershire, where his cousin Kabir already plays, after agreeing a three-year contract.