Ray Bieber is stepping down as Brighton and Hove captain convinced at least four of his young guns are set for great things.

Bieber skippered Brighton to a league and cup double last year but has taken just as much satisfaction hauling the club away from the relegation zone to a likely top four finish this time round.

The 37-year-old skipper has 35-year-olds Neil Marchant and Richard Luker alongside him but most their team mates are in their teens or early 20s.

Steve Ades has already caught the attention of Sussex and Bieber is tipping others to follow suit.

Bieber's four to follow are batsmen Chris Grammer, Rob Wakeford and Jeremy Green and fast/medium bowler Stewart Collier.

Right hander Wakeford, 17, was top batsman in the Sussex League in August with 209 runs.

He added 62 last week in the defeat of Hastings and enjoyed batting alongside Sussex's Bas Zuiderent, who hit 102.

Bieber said: "Rob is a really fluent shot maker and is probably the one who has prospered the most from that group.

"I was keen for him to get some games for Sussex IIs. He is a real prospect."

Grammer enjoyed success at the top of the order earlier in the summer while Green has also made steady progress.

Collier has stepped into the void left by Greg Guilford and taken a lot of responsibility over the other bowlers.

Bieber added: "There are restrictions on how much he can bowl because of his age but he has been our workhorse and a very important player for us.

"We ended up with a very low average age and I am very optimistic for the short and medium term.

"I honestly think these four youngsters have a shot at playing senior professional cricket but they have some important years ahead of them.

"They are naturally gifted and well coached but it is down to whether they develop their temperament and take their games on.

"In 20 years in the league I have not seen a group like them."

Brighton's young hopefuls have been given a glimpse of what can be achieved thanks to club mate Matt Prior's progress in the Sussex first team this summer.

Zuiderent has also been a positive influence when his commitments at the County Ground have allowed.

Bieber added: "Matt did not play that many games for us but he is very popular at the club and all the boys look out for him.

"He would not for one moment think he had made it in professional cricket.

"He knows he has a massive amount to learn and the ones who develop all seem to have good heads on their shoulders.

"Bas batted for three hours on Saturday, which will have done him good before the Championship games and was a good experience for Rob.

"We are very proud of Matt and Bas for having done so well. They are good blokes because they are very much part of the club and are very interested in how we do."

Bieber finished the season as his side's top batsman in the league while Andy Sartor was leading bowler with 40 wickets at at around 17 apiece.

After a slow start, it has been a decent effort from the seamer and his 3-25 last week probably went some way to ending Hastings' title ambitions.

Ades figures high up the league's batting and bowling averages and Patrick Spencer has also chipped in.

Bieber added: "At the beginning of the year, after losing a few players, I felt we had a team for the top three or four and we got that right in the end but it was disappointing we did not push the top two a bit harder.

"A few other clubs like Three Bridges and Crowborough will probably feel the same but it has been an enjoyable and hopefully a profitable season for the club."