CRICKET fans can watch the World Cup on big screens in their favourite pub – thanks to star Phil Tufnell.

“Tuffers”, who made his name as a bowler for Middlesex and England, was special guest at The Sussex Cricketer at the County Ground in Hove on Wednesday.

He had chosen the pub as the winner of a nationwide “technical makeover” competition.

Pubs with cricket-related names were invited to enter, stating why they deserved to win.

Entries flooded in from across the UK but Phil picked out the Sussex Cricketer as the worthy winner.

He was at the pub on Wednesday along with regulars and general manager Dave Ormerod to celebrate the victory.

The pub now has big new TV screens as part of the luxury makeover.

It was perfect timing for England’s first match against South Africa yesterday which kicked off the summer of cricket.

Phil, who is team captain on BBC One’s long-running A Question Of Sport, said: “The Sussex Cricketer really stood out and reminds me of my local. It was a pleasure to open the newly kitted-out pub, courtesy of Currys PC World and Samsung.

“It has the camaraderie and the authenticity of a great British pub and the ultimate tech to watch an exciting summer of cricket.”

Tom Brown, assistant manager at the Sussex Cricketer, said: “We’re made up, we’ve had people down this morning watching the Cricket World Cup. We’re chuffed with it. We’ll be showing all the cricket throughout the World Cup

“And it’s great that people will be able to come and enjoy it with us.

“It was fantastic to have a cricket legend like Phil down here. The locals loved him – they were all over him.”

The competition was run by Currys PC World and Samsung.

A poll of 2,000 sports-mad Brits, commissioned by the electrical retailer, revealed pub-going fans will spend the equivalent of more than a year and a half of their lives watching sports such as cricket, rugby and football in their local.

Henrik Schmidt, of Currys PC World, said: “Watching sports in the pub is enjoyed by many with two thirds of people agreeing it is one of their favourite venues to watch sport, whether your team wins, loses or you are just there for the atmosphere.

“We wanted a find a pub that was quintessentially British, a pub that needed a technology facelift.”

As well as big screens the pub now has two Samsung “Q-series Soundbars” which bring sporting action to life in vibrant colours and ultra-high definition.