Coach Peter Moores hasn't had too many tough decisions to make during a season which has gone as well as he, the Sussex players and their supporters could have dared hoped.

But sitting down last week and choosing the county's player of the year must have caused him as much head-scratching as anything else he's had to ponder over the last four months or so.

How can you choose between Richard Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin, who have both scored over 1,600 first-class runs?

And what about James Kirtley and Jason Lewry, both of whom are on course to finish the season with their best ever haul of wickets?

They may have been the star performers, but the supporting cast have rarely fluffed their lines either in Sussex's promotion-winning campaign.

Skipper Chris Adams passed 1,000 runs and Mark Robinson is poised to bow out of first-class cricket with 50 wickets for only the second time in his career.

The job isn't quite finished. Sussex have won more games than any of their rivals and haven't been out of the top three since beating Derbyshire in June. Even their rivals now concede that Sussex deserve promotion, but Adams wants to go up as champions and that means they will probably have to beat Gloucestershire in their final game at Hove, starting tomorrow.

Things will have turned full circle if they do. A year ago a defeat by the same opponents condemned Sussex to the wooden spoon and no one, least of all their normally upbeat coach, could raise much of a smile.

Even though he still had a year left on his contract, Moores' future was by no means secure. But he rode out the storm, added to his coaching education with a successful England A tour , and, along with Adams, took his medicine. Both deserve every credit for the way they have turned around the county's fortunes.

They identified the need to invest in youth, hence the emergence of Prior, Yardy, Bas Zuiderent and, in the last couple of weeks, Ambrose. All four have prospered through regular exposure in the first team.

Trying to bed down the next generation of players hasn't been the only test Sussex have passed with flying colours.

They have been without their most experienced batsman, Tony Cottey, for all but the first game through injury while Robin Martin-Jenkins was sidelined for two months. Which makes the achievements of their opening batsmen and new ball bowlers, even more impressive.

Goodwin and Montgomerie have scored 15 centuries between them, compiled four opening stands of over 100 and one in excess of 300, while Kirtley - who was finally rewarded with England selection - and Lewry have taken over 120 Championship wickets between them.

It's been hard work but history suggests staying in division one will be even tougher. Since the Championship was re-organised the three promoted sides have all gone straight back down. Is Sussex's spin attack strong enough? Will Bevan be able available for the whole season? Is Billy Taylor ready to fill Robinson's shoes and will the side for once be disrupted by England call-ups?

Whatever the answers, Sussex will have pulled off an even bigger achievement than promotion if, 12 months from now, they have held onto their first division place.

All that's for the future. For now Moores, Adams and the players fully deserve to enjoy their success before the hard work starts again.