SUSSEX chief executive Dave Gilbert today warned that county cricket is facing a cash crisis, even though his club have made a profit.

Sussex have made a surplus of £2,252 compared to a £9,054 profit the previous year, but those figures have bucked the national trend.

Of all the non-Test match hosting counties to have released their accounts, only Somerset have so far declared a profit. Most of the others have made a loss, some for the first time in their history.

Gilbert blamed the increase in players' wages although the annual handout from the ECB fell by £55,000 to just over £1.2m after four of the seven Test matches last summer finished early with a resultant loss of match receipts.

"The majority of non-Test match counties have made a loss, it's a worrying situation but it has been coming," said Gilbert.

"Salaries for players have been steadily rising. They were probably underpaid in the past but it has left a lot of counties strapped although I think it has topped out now.

"When Mark Ramprakash became available last month a lot of our members contacted me saying we should try and get him, but it wouldn't have made economic sense and the fact that only Surrey and Essex were ever in the bidding shows a lot of other clubs feel the same.

"In any case, this is a year where we have got to find out whether some of our youngsters can force their way into the team on a permanent basis."

Sussex's own wage bill topped £980,000, an increase of £110,000 from the previous year, after the highly paid Michael Bevan returned for his second season and the club renegotiated the contracts of four senior players.

With Bevan having a year off, the wage bill is expected to drop again this year and Gilbert says the county should make a bigger profit in 2002 as a result of that as well as a five per cent increase in funding from the ECB and the prospect of a lucrative match against the touring Australians at Hove.

There are plenty of encouraging signs on the latest Sussex balance sheet with subscriptions, match receipts and sponsorship all showing a healthy increase while operatiing costs fell.

And matches on the four outgrounds are profitable again with a £36,859 surplus recorded after a loss of £7,657 the previous year.

Chairman Don Trangmar said: "All counties - with the exception of Test match venues - have struggled to stay afloat, so our small profit was an excellent achievement."

Meanwhile Sussex's most vocal supporter is standing for election to the committee.

Nick Bartlett, 53, is best known for his stirring renditions of 'Sussex by the Sea' at matches all around the county.

He is one of six supporters chasing three places. Richard Barrow, John Pengely and John Ebdon are all seeking re-election while Andrew Long, from Littlehampton, and David Stoner, who already advises the club on various issues, are also hoping to be elected. The results will be announced at the AGM at the Grand Hotel in Brighton on March 20.