FORMER Worcestershire seamer Steve Magoffin's 5-38 for Sussex took him past 50 wickets for the fifth successive season but his old team finished the opening day in the ascendancy at Hove.

Magoffin took four wickets in 22 balls to leave Worcestershire, who opted to bat first, on 178-7 but Ben Cox contributed 69 to lead a valiant counter-attack as the visitors scored 128 runs in 24 overs before succumbing to 306 all out.

They then made inroads into a frail Sussex line-up which, in the absence of the injured Ed Joyce and Luke Wells, contained just four specialist batsmen with three rookies.

West Indies paceman Miguel Cummins removed two of them, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Craig Cachopa, for ducks and then had nightwatchman Ollie Robinson lbw in the final over of the day.

Chris Nash was trapped on the crease by Joe Leach for 23 as Sussex stumbled to 50-4 at stumps to trail by 256.

Magoffin's enduring excellence was one of the highlights as the Australian took his tally for the season in County Championship Division Two to 54.

His landmark 50th victim Tom Fell was claimed in only his third over when the number three batsman was lbw for a duck playing across a straight one.

Worcestershire had already lost Brett D'Oliveira to a catch at slip in Chris Jordan's first over but from 11-2 skipper Daryl Mitchell and Joe Clarke fought back against a five-man seam attack in a stand of 97 either side of lunch.

Jordan made the breakthrough after lunch when Clarke (39) flashed fatally outside off-stump but Mitchell and George Rhodes added 57 for the fourth wicket before Worcestershire collapsed.

Mitchell was caught behind for 75 trying to dab Magoffin through the off side and in the next over Tom Kohler-Cadmore endured his third successive Championship duck when he offered no shot to an arm ball from left-arm spinner Danny Briggs and was pinned in front.

Magoffin struck twice in successive overs as Rhodes (24) gloved a lifter and Joe Leach was taken low down at slip before Cox led the recovery.

With Ed Barnard giving him solid support, they plundered 48 in six overs after tea with Cox striking Briggs for three sixes down the ground.

After adding 75 in 15 overs, Barnard (30) was held on the mid-wicket boundary off Robinson but Cummins muscled 25 off 20 balls, including an outrageous flat-batted six back over the head of bowler Jofra Archer.

Magoffin was belatedly brought back into the attack and completed his fifth five-for of the season with the second ball of his spell when he bowled Cummins.

Cox was last out for 69 from 87 deliveries, which also included nine fours, when he was well caught by the diving Archer at mid-on two deliveries after David Wiese had taken the second new ball.