Everything Sussex captain Tymal Mills touched in the early stages turned to gold, as the visitors started both innings on top.

He won the toss, got every fielding adjustment perfect and got Hawks’ dangerman James Vince out in the second over.

Mills went for just 13 runs in his two powerplay overs, but that was eclipsed by James Coles’ unmovable darts – which went for seven runs and yorked Toby Albert.

Tom Price and Danny Briggs backed those overs up by dismissing Tom Prest and Joe Weatherley – the former to a stunning caught and bowled – as Sussex suppressed the hosts to 42-4 after seven overs.

Dawson’s elevation to number five against Surrey saw him strike his first T20 fifty for three years. Another promotion saw identical results.

He swung his first ball for four into the legside and barely gave the bowlers a break from then on, as he and Tristan Stubbs recalibrated the innings.

The pair put on 66 to boss the middle overs, with Dawson reaching back-to-back fifties.

They had both gone by the end of the 17th over, Dawson to give Mills his second wicket, but Fuller and Hilton Cartwright lifted the Hawks to 173 with 37 runs in the final three overs.