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John Crawley today pledged to cast aside his reservations about the Benson and Hedges Super Cup and go full tilt for Lord's.

The Lancashire skipper is on the record as believing that too much county cricket is played in England.

And the Super Cup was created virtually as an afterthought to reward the top eight teams in the Championship last season after the initial proposal for two divisions was scrapped.

But Crawley said: ``I understand why the Super Cup has been criticised when you consider that the purpose of restructuring the county programme was to play less cricket.

``But we are taking it seriously. It offers another chance of a Lord's final. We only need to win two matches to get there and it will be highly competitive against good sides.''

The first obstacle in Crawley's path as he aims to lead out Lancashire at Lord's for the first time were Sussex, who finished seventh in the Championship last season and have lost only one game in all cricket this summer with skipper Chris Adams and Aussie opener Michael Di Venuto in impressive form.

It is their second visit to Old Trafford this season after a rain-ruined Championship draw in April, and they warmed up with a crushing NatWest Trophy win over Cumberland at Netherfield on Wednesday.

Yorkshire were facing Hampshire in today's other quarter final, with Leicestershire playing Warwickshire tomorrow and Gloucestershire versus Surrey on Sunday.

Crawley also expressed his sympathy for fellow Manchester Grammar School old boy Gary Yates, the unsung hero of Lancashire's recent one-day success but currently squeezed out of the team by Muttiah Muralitharan.

``I have every sympathy for Gary,'' said the skipper. ``He is bowling well but two facts are against him - Murali and the performances of Mike Watkinson, who has shown good form with bat and ball.''