Sun rises on Derbyshire's new square

Derbyshire have brought forward their plans to rotate the pitch at the Racehorse Ground by 90 degrees, which should eradicate the problems of the late-evening sun which has blighted teams in the past.

The club made the decision earlier this year to turn the square from east-west to north-south, at an estimated cost of £100,000, which included the demolition of several old buildings, and it was expected the new ground wouldn't be ready until 2011. But after some successful trials in practice matches, Derbyshire will be playing in a north-south direction from next season onwards.

"The decision for Derbyshire to play in an east-west direction was made prior to any thoughts of floodlit cricket coming into the equation and - with increasing amounts of floodlit cricket frequenting the calendar with each passing year - the turning of the playing square was the logical step to take," said the club's chief executive Keith Loring.

"The pitches maturing quickly enough for us to switch direction as early as next season is a huge bonus, especially bearing in mind the recently announced development to our seating."

Two thousand additional seats will be built behind the bowler's arms, while the electronic scorecard and two floodlight pylons will be moved to reflect the change in playing direction.