Sussex see the light

Sussex plan to install floodlights at least three times more powerful than those which failed during Thursday’s Twenty20 Cup match.

Providing they get planning permission, the eight new pylons will have a lux value on the square of 2,000 to conform to ECB standards compared to the current value of between 650-700, and will go up in time for the 2010 season.

In the short-term the county are taking steps to ensure there is no repeat of the scenes at Hove two days ago when the lights at the Cromwell Road end did not come on because of a fault with one of the diesel-powered generator pumps.

Umpires Vanburn Holder and Rob Bailey abandoned the game because it was too dark after 11 overs of Kent’s reply and Sussex were declared winners under Duckworth/Lewis by two runs.

Chief executive Dave Brooks said: “The faulty pump will be inspected over the weekend. It could be repaired but something else might go instead. When you are surging like we were on Thursday trying to get it going something else may go so we are looking at hiring a new generator for the remaining three months of the season.

“A new generator would only take a day to wire in so we have plenty of time before the Surrey Twenty20 game (on June 22).”

Sussex were the first county to erect permanent lights in 1999 and were always planning to replace the system as part of their general ground redevelopment plans.

Brooks added: “The new lights will be powered by electricity. It’s not fool-proof because you can get power cuts but it will be much more reliable than generators because there are less moving parts.

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