Sussex are exploring the possibility of staging county cricket at Eastbourne again next season.

The Saffrons was taken off the rota this year after the local club hired out the ground for a pop concert.

Sussex had already made arrangements to play Durham there and some visiting supporters even booked accomodation in the town before Sussex switched the match to Hove.

A year's break from Eastbourne might prove to be beneficial to both parties in the long run.

Complaints from the county about the facilities have become increasingly vociferous in recent years and the wicket for the match with Northamptonshire last season was reported to the ECB after 19 wickets fell on the first day.

The match lasted less than three days while crowds for the one-day match were disappointingly low.

Sussex chairman Don Trangmar has had a meeting with the Saffrons' authorities, but is not making any promises until the facilities get better.

He said: "We would love to return to the Saffrons, but will not do so until there are significant improvements to the facilities both on and off the ground.

"I would hope the local authority would recognise the value of the Eastbourne cricket week and invest in its future. Only then will the ambitions of the Saffrons club be realised."

Sussex are also considering playing more one-day games at Hastings while staging a limitred overs match at Stirlands, near Chichester.

All-rounder Robin Martin-Jenkins will be pumping iron this winter in an effort to shake off his injury-prone tag.

He will come under the wing of Sussex's fitness consultant Rob Harley for three days a week in the close season and a fair amount of his time will be spent working on improving his physical strength.

Martin-Jenkins missed two months of the season because of a rib muscle injury and he needed a second cortisone injection earlier this week to ensure he can bowl without discomfort during Sussex's two remaining Championship matches.

Since becoming a regular in the first team in 1997 he has yet to complete a full season because of various niggling injuries.

He said: "It's a mutual decision to spend my winter doing this between me and the club. I'm not saying that I'm unfit, infact aerobically I'm very fit. But I need to build my body up a bit more to try and cut out the risk of serious injury because, believe me, it ruins your season."