Grass needing protection with snug covering in Sussex town (8,5)

'sussex town' is the definition.
(town in West Sussex)

'grass needing protection with snug covering' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'grass' could be 'hay' (I have seen 'Mown grass ' mean 'hay' so perhaps 'grass' could also mean 'hay') and 'hay' is found within the answer.
'protection' could be 'sheath' (sheath is a kind of protection) and 'sheath' is located in the answer.
'with' could be 'w' (abbreviation) and 'w' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ard' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'in' acts as a link.