Twenty20 comes to Sussex

The Sharks take on Middlesex Crusaders under the Hove floodlights (7.30pm) and chief executive Hugh Griffiths believes the new 20 overs format will be as well received in Sussex as it has elsewhere.

Nearly 9,000 attended Sussex's opener at Hampshire's Rosebowl on Friday while around 3,000 were at the Metropolitan Police's club ground in Esher on Monday when the county lost to Surrey.

A second successive defeat against the south group leaders means Sussex's chances of reaching the finals are slim but Griffiths does not think that has had an adverse effect on the interest in tonight's match.

He said: "It's extremely difficult to guess what sort of crowd we will get. We're looking on this match and the Kent game next Tuesday as bonus floodlight games and normally the day-nighters attract between 2-3,000.

"I'd be disappointed if we didn't get that again. What will be interesting is the number of non-members attending. I guess it will be around 80 per cent. The competition has generated massive publicity and the awareness level for Twenty20 cricket is already very high which can only be good for the game.

"We've been languishing near the bottom of Division Two in the National League for a couple of seasons now but that hasn't our affected crowds in that competition. I think people would prefer to see a close finish, even if Sussex lost, and you are more or less guaranteed that in Twenty20 cricket."

Admission prices have been cut in a bid to attract the new generation of cricket fans with youngsters being admitted for just £1. Fans will be greeted by fire-eaters at the main gates while supporters who turn up in either Sharks or Albion shirts will get in for half price. Adult admission is £10 (students and senior citizens £5.)

Inside there will extra food and drink outlets including a 'Shark Bar', a bouncy castle and the ECB roadshow will be in attendance. It is the first of four one-day matches in six days for Sussex who host South Africa on Friday before completing their Twenty20 Cup fixtures against Essex on Saturday and Kent next Tuesday.

Griffiths does not believe Sussex's decision to start two hours later and play the game under lights will deter the younger audience the competition was designed to attract.

He added: "Most teenagers are up until 10pm, when the game finishes, and with exams nearly over and end of term close I think we will get a young crowd in. Unless you can take time off and get away from work early, arriving at 5.30pm is difficult, especially if you live away from Brighton and Hove.

"There's no point getting here at 6pm because you miss quarter of the game - you wouldn't turn up at Withdean to watch Brighton halfway through the first half out of choice. Like everything with Twenty20 it's a learning curve but we have a lot of experience of staging day-night matches and know what works well for us."

Sussex are likely to play the same side which lost to Surrey with director of cricket Peter Moores urging one or more of the senior batsmen to play the big innings which could make the difference. Sussex have failed to score 150 in either of their matches so far with only Tim Ambrose making a half-century against Hampshire.

"As in all one-day cricket big partnerships are the key and the Twenty20 is no different," said Moores.

"There was a temptation to bring in Carl Hopkinson but it would have been at the expense of a bowler and I think we have bowled and fielded well in the two matches so far. We need our batsmen to take more responsibility, to bat as if they are the last man and not expect someone else to do the job."

Sussex: Prior, Zuiderent, Goodwin, Adams, Martin-Jenkins, Ambrose, Innes, Ahmed, Davis, Lewry, Hutchison.

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