Chris Jordan warmed up for the third Investec Test with three wickets while on-loan James Tredwell took 4-7 as Sussex beat Warwickshire by 226 runs in the LV= County Championship Division One clash at Horsham.
Warwickshire were set 326 to win from 77 overs, but never recovered from Jordan’s pre-lunch burst when he removed Varun Chopra, Will Porterfield and Jonathan Trott to leave the Bears to nine for three.
Tim Ambrose held up his former county with 56, but when he departed it prompted a crash of four wickets in six balls, either side of tea, to end the match.
Warwickshire were therefore bowled out for just 99 – in an innings that featured five ducks – to set back their title bid.
For Sussex victory eased their relegation fears as they moved 35 points clear of the drop zone.
Off-spinner Tredwell, who is in the second month of a loan spell from Kent, finished with remarkable figures of 12.4-8-7-4 as three wickets fell in his final over.
After removing Chris Woakes and Jeetan Patel from the first two deliveries – either side of tea – the Warwickshire innings ended in farcical circumstances when Keith Barker was run out after being sent back by last man Boyd Rankin.
Jordan’s new-ball burst had set Sussex on their way to an important win and boosted his hopes of forcing a way back into England’s Test team against India at the Ageas Bowl.
Jordan had only bowled four overs in a Twenty20 since the second Test against Sri Lanka five weeks ago and after taking two wickets in the first innings he produced a hostile spell of swing bowling to undermine Warwickshire’s run chase.
Chopra drove at a delivery he could have left alone in Jordan’s second over and two balls later he had completed a double-wicket maiden when Porterfield was trapped lbw playing across the line for a duck.
The key wicket of Trott, who had made his first hundred of the season in the first innings, came four overs later when he edged a ball that beat him off the pitch.
There was a brief fightback by Ambrose and Ian Westwood, who took the score to 35 before left-armer Lewis Hatchett got some extra bounce in his second over and Westwood gave wicketkeeper Ben Brown his ninth catch of the match.
By then Tredwell was settling into a long spell and he struck twice in the 23rd over as Sam Hain was taken at short-leg and Rikki Clarke at slip, both for ducks, to leave Warwickshire on 46 for six.
Ambrose and Woakes added 53 for the seventh wicket with Ambrose reaching his half-century with his seventh boundary, an on-drive off Steve Magoffin.
But Ambrose was bowled through the gate by Chris Nash and in the last over before tea Tredwell switched ends and had Woakes superbly caught one-handed by Jordan at slip.
The first ball after the interval, Tredwell bowled Patel through the gate before the comical run-out of Barker brought a sorry end to a hugely disappointing Warwickshire batting display.
Earlier, Sussex had lost five wickets adding 41 runs before Ed Joyce declared with a lead of 325.
Patel picked up three of them to finish with 4-84 but Sussex were well on course to completing their first championship double over Warwickshire since 1960.
Jordan was delighted with the part he played in helping Sussex climb to fifth in the table.
The 25-year-old, who took 3-38, said: "We spoke beforehand about not trying to bowl magic deliveries, but rather bowling consistently in good areas because we knew the pitch would do the rest.
"But I felt good. It was my first proper bowl for over a month and I definitely needed some overs under my belt. James Tredwell has bowled really well since he came to us on loan and it was good to see him get his rewards as well."
Warwickshire coach Dougie Brown had no complaints after watching his side rolled over for 99.
"Sussex outplayed us," he said. "We knew the final day would be difficult and to have any chance we needed to get through the new ball but Chris Jordan bowled a brilliant spell.
"We lost this game on the first three days to be honest. Sussex were better than us in all departments."