THE fifth and final floodlight is now in place at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton.

Work has taken place on the third, fourth and fifth floodlights at the home of Somerset County Cricket Club this week, and has been completed this afternoon.

Testing will now take place on the lights during March, ahead of the return of the Specsavers County Championship on Friday, April 5.

Somerset's first match under lights will be the Royal London One-Day Cup match with Essex on Friday, April 26.

Bridgwater Mercury:

HERE THEY ARE: The County Ground floodlights have become a new part of the Taunton skyline.

The height of the floodlights has been the topic of some discussion among Taunton residents, gaining both positive and negative reactions.

Somerset CCC chief executive Andrew Cornish said this week: “The lights will mean that we are able to play matches at more suitable times for our members and spectators.

“Our Vitality Blast matches will now be able to begin later at night rather than at 4.30pm.

"This is of obvious benefit to our fanbase but will also add to the night-time economy of the town overall.

“It means that local businesses such as restaurants and bars will benefit from the fact that we’ll be attracting people here later in the evening.

"It’s important for us but it goes far beyond just the cricket club."

Cornish added: “In 2017 the Daily Telegraph reported that the IT20 we hosted between England and South Africa that year was ‘worth around £1 million to the local economy’.

“That was just one match! This year we will be playing host to three sold-out matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup.

“These three fixtures will see thousands of supporters from all over the world descending on Somerset and, due to the nature of the sport, the majority of them won’t just be visiting for the day.

"They will be staying and spending their money in the hotels and guesthouses as well as the restaurants and shops.

"This will provide a hugely positive impact to the economy of the town and Somerset as a whole.

“In addition to these international matches, six of our seven Vitality Blast matches will be played under the floodlights.

"These will obviously also help to boost the local economy, but they will also be a genuine spectacle!

"Cricket under lights in Taunton has to be seen to be believed.”