WORCESTERSHIRE boss Steve Rhodes admitted the toss played a crucial role in their innings and seven run reversal against Sussex.

The director of cricket said it had been a mistake to bowl first as the County batsmen had to contend with a Hove pitch of increasingly variable bounce on the final two days.

But he was pleased with the fighting qualities evident in such conditions from the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Brett D'Oliveira, Ross Whiteley and Ed Barnard.

Sussex amassed 579-8 declared to put the visitors on the back foot before they were removed for 312 and 260 with Mitchell scoring 121 and 54, D'Oliveira 80 in the first innings and Whiteley 53 in the second.

Rhodes said of the toss: "Once we had made that decision and they got a big score we were really struggling because that wicket went up and down against a fiery sort of international-class attack.

"When you make the decision it is important to balance how much it is going to go up and down with how much it is going to go sideways initially.

"I understand Sussex were going to bowl (first) so it's not just Worcestershire who would have made that decision.

"Sometimes you've got to take that on the chin but if we fight like that and show the same effort levels in tough conditions then that's a really good sign for us going forward."

Worcestershire suffered their first Specsavers County Championship Division Two setback of the season after winning the opening four games.

But Rhodes does not view it as a case of having to bounce back when they face Glamorgan in the competition at New Road on Friday.

He added: "I saw it as a great effort. There have been times in the past when we would have just rolled over and we made Sussex, who had the better of the conditions, really fight hard.

"There was a lot to celebrate even in defeat and if we carry on with that sort of effort level when we get decisions right (with the toss) we will probably be on the winning side."