A Sussex County Cricket Club physiotherapist found love on a TV show after team colleagues played a trick on him.

Stuart Osborne did not know county players had put his name forward for the programme, called Looking For Love, until a TV crew turned up at the cricket ground in Hove to do a screen test.

Stuart, 29, said: "They had phoned several days before but I just thought it was one of the bowlers, Mark Robinson, winding me up.

"I arranged a meeting as if I was going along with it then forgot all about it. I couldn't believe it when they actually turned up at the physio clinic."

Stuart decided to go ahead with the six-part programme which would follow him and the club's other physiotherapist Tim Wright, 29, as they went on double-dates in Brighton.

After introducing themselves on a Southern FM radio show, the flat-mates waited for the girls to ring in.

Within days they were set for a double-date with two Brighton girls.

Stuart said: "They were lovely and we had a great time but they were not quite what we were looking for. But when they nipped to the toilet another couple of girls came over and asked if we wanted to go for a drink with them afterwards."

Televised date over, the cameras followed the new group. Stuart was particularly taken with Paula Simmons and almost six months later the couple are still an item.

Stuart said: "Tim and I found it easy enough to be ourselves in front of the cameras when we went out on the pull.

"Paula and I were also filmed to see how we were getting on which was fun."

Tim was written out after he met a girl at a barbecue away from the programme, who did not want to be filmed.

Stuart is now looking forward to watching the 10.30pm show on Meridian tomorrow.

He is one of seven people from Brighton who are followed by a camera crew as they search for Mr or Mrs Right on some successful - and several nightmare - dates.

Stuart has yet to see all the programmes, but has no regrets the cricketers put him forward as a joke because he was single.

He said: "We travel around a lot with the team and banter is a large part of it because we know each other so well.

"I'm glad they did it because I had a great time and Paula is a lovely girl."