New Australian signing Ryan Harris was sensationally pulled out, minutes before the game, by his Queensland paymasters, because the validity of his overseas qualification was in question — but in Oz not in England!

Within a couple of days he was back on a flight Down Under, his Sussex career seemingly over.

Sussex skipper Chris Adams later admitted the county club could have done more, and now the hunt for another signing begins.

To my mind, with or without Harris, Sussex are still very much in contention for a hat-trick of Championship wins, but could they be one of the last teams to dominate the four-day game?

Twenty/20 cricket is here to stay, whether the traditionalists like the pyjama uniforms or not.

And now, with the advent of the Indian Premier League, the richest competition in the history of the game, one wonders how long it will be in this country before the ECB go down the route of a Premier League?

And, frankly, who can blame them?

The Twenty/20 competition in its current format attracts regular full houses up and down the country in cricket grounds which then attract almost one man and his dog for the County Championship.

Market forces will ultimately dictate, but if we become awash with the Twenty/20 format, just what that will do to our Test side remains to be seen.

Established quality players will be able to adapt to whatever format, but if the youngsters coming through are focused on the shorter version will they be able to compete over five days with the best in the world?

On subject of cricket, I am very aware of how important is the development of our local players.

Therefore I have made the conscious decision that, with at least 10 of my 15 strong Worthing United squad actively playing the summer game, we will not enter as many of the traditional six-a-side football tournaments as normal — in order for the boys, not only to have a rest from football, but also to enjoy a summer of cricket.

The ongoing saga at the top of League One has taken another turn this week with the news that Swansea City will NOT be presented with the championship trophy this weekend on account of Leeds United's arbitration process.

It is all gearing up to the season ending in farce, with the division being decided off the field rather than on it, and the Football League perhaps looking at ways to placate everyone, as a result.

So just what will they come up with?

Well, if some of the rumours being bandied about are true, the Football League could lose a lot of credibility.

What a difference 4½ months can make . . .

Nearly 10,000 Joe Calzaghe fans in the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas respected the American national anthem which was sung, along with the Welsh one, courtesy of Sir Tom Jones, before the big fight on Saturday night.

With Ricky Hatton due back in New York in November, let's hope his travelling fans will do the same when the Star Spangled Banner strikes up at Madison Square Garden . . .

And finally, congratulations to Graham Hill, one of those special youth football managers, who has taken a side from Under-7 right up to Under-18 — from boyhood to adulthood.

His Worthing United side won their ACYFL League Cup final 5-2 at Arundel on Friday evening, and that is a testament to Graham's hard work and dedication.