Sussex members have been told that a severance payment of £31,200 was paid to former Chief Executive Tony Pigott when he left the County four months ago.

The annual accounts have also revealed that Sussex have so far only paid £40,000 towards the total costs of their £160,000 permanent floodlights.

Although a surplus of just over £9,000 was reported for the year the playing of games at outgrounds at Arundel, Horsham and Eastbourne produced a deficit of £7,657.

This year the Horsham club has taken on responsibility for running the five days there and a similar arrangement applies at Eastbourne with both clubs paying a fee to Sussex for staging first-class cricket.

With Zimbabwe at Hastings for a one day game in May, Sussex have negotiated a total guarantee of around £32,000 for a total of eleven days cricket played at these three venues this year.

It is hoped Arundel will generate a profit on its own this year.

Meanwhile, Lewes Priory, promoted from Division Two of the Sussex League last season, will not be in the Premier League this year.

The Executive Committee of the League has placed the Lewes club back in Division Two because of problems with the outfield at the Stanley Turner Ground.

There are strict criteria operating for Premier League clubs this year. The ECB have laid down standards which have to be met if a League is to receive Premiership accreditation and the central funding that goes with it.

Lewes, along with several other clubs, were given until 31st December, to take action to ensure compliance with ECB standards, but although they are addressing the issue in conjunction with the local authority, League officials were not satisfied that things would comply in time for the start of the season.

Two other Premier clubs have been advised that their pitches must improve if they are to avoid relegation at the end of the coming season and all Premier League clubs have to provide pitch covering this year.

Premier League: Bexhill, Brighton & Hove, Chichester, Crowborough, Eastbourne, Hastings, Haywards Heath, Horsham, Three Bridges.

Division 2: East Grinstead, Lewes Priory, Littlehampton, Middleton, Preston Nomads, St.James, Sidley, Steyning, Stirlands, Worthing.

Cup, 1st round: Littlehampton v Worthing, Middleton v Steyning, Sidley v Stirlands. 2nd round: Horsham v Preston Nomads, Lewes Priory v Crowborough, Eastbourne v East Grinstead, St James v Bexhill, Brighton &Hove v Chichester, Hastings v Middleton or Steyning, Three bridges v Littlehampton or Worthing, Sidley or Stirlands v Haywards Heath.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.