Sussex chairman David Green has admitted it would be a disaster if coach Peter Moores quit the county and joined first division rivals Warwickshire.

Moores is being linked with the vacancy at Edgbaston created by Bob Woolmer's decision to leave at the end of the season after seven years as their Director of Cricket.

Warwickshire do not expect to make an announcement until the end of the season but Moores will be one of the names discussed by their cricket committee when they meet next week.

Also in contention for the post are former Warwickshire players Allan Donald, Andy Moles and Tim Munton as well as former Worcestershire and Zimbabwe coach David Houghton.

Other possible contenders include former South Africa coach Graham Ford and Essex's Zimbabwean wicketkeeper-batsman Andy Flower.

Green said: "I have had no indication from Peter yet to say he would be interested so it's unfair to comment too much.

"He is the fulcrum of the playing and coaching at the club and it would be a disaster if we lost him. He's rock solid and the very essence of the squad."

Moores signed a contract last autumn which ties him to Sussex until the end of the 2003 season and if Warwickshire were to make an official approach the county may have to renegotiate a new deal to keep him at Hove.

One of the best young coaches in the country, he is highly regarded by the players and backroom staff at the club and also has his admirers at Edgbaston, notably captain Michael Powell who was impressed with Moores when he coached the England A squad in West Indies in 2001.

Moores, 39, played for the county for 14 years before turning to coaching in 1998 and has guided Sussex to promotion from Division Two in both the Championship and National League.

He said: "I am ambitious like everyone else but it's very tricky to comment about the speculation.

"If Warwickshire make an approach then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. All I'm concentrating on at the moment is the next six weeks which is a period which will shape our season.

"Everyone involved has worked really hard to get us where we are in Division One and we're all concentrating at the moment on fighting tooth and nail to stay there."

Woolmer is leaving so he can spend more time with his family at his home in Cape Town.