ORGANISERS of a Cricket match in which an umpire was hit in the face by a ball today defended the standard of the ground's floodlights.

Simon Entwistle, from Rawtenstall Cricket Club, said improvements were planned, although the existing lights were perfectly acceptable.

Official Alan Chisnall, from Nelson, was taken to hospital after being injured during the final over of a semi-final match in the Rawtenstall Floodlit Festival tournament on Thursday night.

Some players on the pitch had suggested it had become difficult to see the white ball because of the lighting, although they said nobody could have escaped the blow.

But Mr Entwistle, who played for Rawtenstall in the other semi-final of the competition on Tuesday, said: "

"Mr Chisnall is a friend of this club and a personal friend of mine and we would never do anything which we thought put people's safety in jeopardy.

"The game on Tuesday night took place in exactly the same conditions but without incident.

"We are planning to improve floodlighting at the ground using lights on cranes in the near future, but not because they aren't good enough at the moment."