Floodlight work under way at Brit Oval

The Brit Oval under the old temporary floodlights for last year's NatWest Pro40 game with Kent Spitfires

Work has begun on new floodlights at the Brit Oval ready for the start of a bumper 2009 season.

The four new 130-foot high lights will be used for up to 15 days of high-level cricket for the Surrey Brown Caps, England and the ICC World Twenty20.

Installed by Abacus, the new £2.5million lights will replace the old floodlighting system at the ground. Surrey were reliant on temporary lights and generators set up on a day-to-day basis.

Surrey have also undergone a £750,000 scheme to replace the Brit Oval outfield and install a revolutionary new drainage and irrigation system in the close-season.

“The new lights we are installing should help safeguard the future of the Brit Oval as a major international ground for years to come,” said Brit Oval operations director Clive Stephens.

“The system will allow us to bid for all international matches we choose.

“With a brand new outfield and drainage system, and this new set of floodlights, the Brit Oval will have to be classed as one of the very best international cricket grounds in the world.

“The construction process has been planned and will be tightly managed over the next five months. However, if local stakeholders have any concerns at all, they should not hesitate to contact us and make their point.”

Abacus were the company behind the highly-regarded floodlights at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

The new lights will offer a far higher quality of light, shone in a much tighter focus to minimise any spillage into the local area.

Surrey will retract the lights to half their length when not in use, minimising disruption to the local area.

Floodlit matches at the Brit Oval in 2009

May 26: Surrey Brown Caps v Sussex Sharks, Twenty20 Cup
May 27: Surrey Brown Caps v Hampshire Hawks, Twenty20 Cup
June 6: Australia v West Indies, ICC World Twenty20
June 7: England v Pakistan, ICC World Twenty20
June 13: ICC World Twenty20, Super Eights round two
June 15: ICC World Twenty20, Super Eights round five
June 19: ICC World Twenty20, semi-final
August 12: Surrey Brown Caps v Glamorgan Dragons, NatWest Pro40
September 4: England v Australia, NatWest Series, 1st ODI
September 16: Surrey Brown Caps v Warwickshire Bears, NatWest Pro40