Life is grand for Malcolm as Leicestershire head for summit

No longer can the prophets of doom claim that Leicestershire's exalted position in Division One is a fluke. They were supposed to struggle without the deserters – Aftab Habib, James Ormond, Ben Smith and Jon Dakin – but they refuse to yield to popular opinion and instead concentrate on playing good, solid cricket. Is it exciting? Not really. Obstinate? Yes, and more importantly, it is admirable. They possess a "fight at all costs" attitude that will ensure they are contemplating prize money while a bigger club, maybe a Test- match-ground club, will be suffering relegation. It is a simple but effective creed.

The names don't matter but the disciplines do. Whisper it gently, but if they consign Sussex to their first defeat here and Surrey stumble against Somerset, the East Midlanders will go top.

So how do they do it? Adherence to line and length with the ball, even from the formerly erratic 39-year-old Devon Malcolm; tigerish enthusiasm in the field; and experienced attacking from the lower order with the bat.

Malcolm really is a marvel. He must be cryogenically preserved in the winter to prevent ageing and deterioration, because he bounds to the wicket like the wild young thruster he once was, splays his left foot and front arm out to the side and hurls the ball towards the stumps. Admittedly he is not as swift as before, but his accuracy has improved and he practically demands wickets with his keenness and will. He was even spied sprinting around the boundary at one point, pirouetting as he scooped up the ball before rifling it into the wicketkeeper's gloves to stop a second run.

There may be a personal reason for his eagerness. He had 990 first-class wickets before this match, meaning a paltry 10 more would put him in an élite club. Three of those came in his opening spell as Sussex, without the injured Chris Adams, slumped to 57 for 5. Still, Sussex, like Leicestershire, are combative and Robin Martin-Jenkins, Matt Prior and Mark Davis partnered the phlegmatic opener Richard Montgomerie to a fine century and the team towards parity.

Montgomerie timed the ball exquisitely from the very first delivery, a gentle full-toss from Phil DeFreitas, and shrewdly thwarted Malcolm's efforts with the straightest of bats. If it did not need playing, it was left alone. If it was on line, it met the full face of his bat. Only when he was settled did he crisply punch Malcolm through cover point.

It was the perfect opener's innings, exemplified by his selfless marshalling of the strike during a valuable last-wicket partnership. And who strained every sinew to separate them and give his team a first-innings lead? Malcolm of course. He finished with seven wickets, or 997, depending on how you are counting, and Montgomerie remained undefeated. The advantage still rested with Leicestershire, however, as chasing anything upward of 250 in the final innings will be difficult, even more so with Malcolm desperate to complete his first 1,000 wickets.

Without Montgomerie, Martin-Jenkins' career-best 7 for 51 would have been wasted. Sussex will need to bowl well to ensure their final-innings chase is manageable.