STUART Law will captain Lancashire for the first time as manager Mike Watkinson rings the changes for tonight's Norwich Union League game against Sussex under the floodlights at Hove.

The Queenslander takes over with Warren Hegg ruled out by his dislocated finger and Andy Flintoff, who was appointed vice captain last winter, unavailable as usual while England decide whether to gamble on his groin injury in Thursday's Headingley Test against India.

Neil Fairbrother, who took over as captain in the Roses Match after Hegg's injury, has been left out of the team - although Watkinson stressed that he will travel south in time for the crucial Championship match against Sussex which starts on Thursday.

Fairbrother is an agonising 15 runs short of becoming the first Lancashire batsman to pass 7,000 in the one-day league competition, but he has suffered four consecutive ducks in Lancashire's last four games against Gloucestershire, Derbyshire and Hampshire twice.

Graham Lloyd also misses the game as Lancashire give Alec Swann the chance to take his superb Championship form into the one-day game, while Kyle Hogg and Peter Martin are back after injury to give the seam attack a double boost, and Chris Schofield is recalled for the first time in six weeks.

"With the way things are in the Norwich Union League we thought it might be a good time to look at some of the younger players and find out what they are capable of doing," Watkinson explained.

"We've not been having massive success in the middle order, so there was perhaps no point in playing Lloyd and Fairbrother when we can have a look at people like Swanny, and also throw Schoey back in and see what he can do."

Lancashire still have a mathematical chance of finishing in the top three of the Second Division and winning promotion, especially after Surrey's shock defeat by Derbyshire at the Oval on Sunday, but they have to win their remaining four games and then hope for the best.

Sussex are rock bottom of the table with only two wins from 11 matches.

LANCASHIRE (v Sussex tonight, from): Chilton, Swann, Byas, Law (captain), Schofield, Chapple, Haynes, Hogg, Martin, Wood, Keedy, Anderson.

SCORES

Frizzell County Championship, Division Two, Bristol: Gloucestershire 422 (M G N Windows 83, I J Harvey 79, C M Spearman 71, J A Pearson 51, M E Cassar 6-34) & 446-7 (A P R Gidman 117, R C Russell 104 no, I D Fisher 69, M E Cassar 4-100) v Northamptonshire 746-9 dec (M E K Hussey 310 no, G P Swann 183, D J G Sales 70, A L Penberthy 61) - Gloucestershire (10pts) drew with Northamptonshire (12pts)

Norwich Union League, Division One, Grace Road: Yorkshire Phoenix 229-6 (M T G Elliott 109, A McGrath 78) v Leicestershire Foxes 231-5 (D I Stevens 85, M Kaif 60 no) - Leicestershire Foxes beat Yorkshire Phoenix by 5 wkts; Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire Outlaws 239-9 (K P Pietersen 122) v Somerset Sabres 170 (B M Shafayat 4-35) - Nottinghamshire Outlaws beat Somerset Sabres by 69 runs

Division Two, The Rose Bowl: Essex Eagles 227-4 (A Flower 54, D D J Robinson 51) v Hampshire Hawks 228-5 (J D Francis 84 no, W S Kendall 51) - Hampshire Hawks beat Essex Eagles by 5 wkts; The AMP Oval: Surrey Lions 190 (M R Ramprakash 78) v Derbyshire Scorpions 193-6 (S A Selwood 50) - Derbyshire Scorpions beat Surrey Lions by 4 wkts