From The Sea End Spring 2013

From the

Seaend

SUSSEX COUNTY CRICKET CLUB | MEMBERS MAGAZINE

ED LOOKS AHEAD ROBBO ON FRESH CHALLENGES ZAC: LET’S SPREAD THE WORD MATT PRIOR: BEST IN THE WORLD

PLUS TONY GREIG REMEMBERED

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welcome

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WHAT’S INSIDE Welcome to the Spring edition of From The Sea End as we look ahead to another great summer of Sussex cricket!

5 ZAC TOUMAZI 9 2013 FIXTURES 10 MARK ROBINSON 14 ED JOYCE 17 THE 2013 SQUAD 22 MATT PRIOR 25 NEWSDESK 33 2013 TEAM PICTURE 35 MAURICE TATE: A SUSSEX LEGEND 37 KINGS OF THE DESERT AGAIN 38 LUKE WRIGHT 40 COUNTY BY COUNTY 42 BLIND CRICKET IN SUSSEX 45 TONY GREIG REMEMBERED 48 WOMEN’S CRICKET 49 PRESIDENT PARKS 50 FOLLOWING THE CRICKET

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zac toumazi

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Spread the word New Chief Executive Zac Toumazi sets out his plans to get a positive message about Sussex cricket to all corners of the county.

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ussex have been based in Brighton & Hove since their formation 174 years ago and a move away from the County Ground is definitely not on the agenda of new Chief Executive Zac Toumazi.

But Zac, who succeeded Dave Brooks at the start of the year, does have a plan to start spreading the word about Sussex cricket beyond its traditional boundaries while making people more aware of the County Ground itself - and not just because Sussex

have agreed a naming rights sponsorship with BrightonandHoveJobs.com, which came into effect for the start of the new season.

Everyone with an interest in Sussex cricket knows where Eaton Road is. Some supporters could probably get there blindfolded from any corner of the county.

But Sussex have never lost sight of the need to keep attracting a new audience and a recent episode involving his wife Janice left Zac in no doubt that there is still work to be done.

“She had never been to the ground before and I said to her when she got off the train at Hove to ask people for directions or follow the signage,” said Zac. “None of the three people knew where the ground was even though it was effectively two streets away and the only signs she saw pointed her towards the Samaritans or the Seafront.

And this is Hove, a place whose history is intertwined with cricket.

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zac toumazi

“So that told me that we need to put the County Ground on the map a bit more and I don’t just mean extra signs. There is a whole population that isn’t aware of what a fantastic job the team are doing here on and off the field. We should be shouting about it and getting people in. I would love a situation eventually where people know there is an event on, whether it’s a cricket match or something else, and almost create a stampede for tickets. A lot has got to happen for us to be in that situation but it would be some achievement if we could.”

The criticism that Sussex are too Brighton & Hove-centric has been thrown at them for years yet if any county try and reach out to their population it is them. In the past Sussex have played at Hastings, Eastbourne, Worthing, Chichester and even Pagham, who staged two first-class games against Oxford University in the 1970s. True, these days festivals are only staged at Horsham and Arundel but they continue to be successful from a cricket and commercial angle and which other county still visits two outgrounds a season anyway?

Zac’s plan is to recruit volunteers to

spread across the county from Chichester to Rye, Crawley to Bognor and all points in between. “They would be our ambassadors to help us get the message out there about the wonderful cricket club we have here in Sussex and how the next generation of cricket fans can engage with us. It would also help us repel Hampshire, Surrey and Kent who are on our borders and are all looking to increase their own supporter base.”

sports fans who cannot be bothered with the hassle of getting to and from the AMEX League One football within easy reach of the A23 has become an attractive alternative.

He is also aware that Sussex faces a competition for the leisure spend even in a county which is usually buffeted during straitened economic times. That competition is fiercer than ever in the sporting context with Brighton & Hove Albion surely heading toward the Premier League and attracting 28,000 crowds to the Amex as well as a big slice of the local sponsorship market.

Meanwhile, up the A23, Crawley Town have gone from non-league to playing the likes of Sheffield United and Coventry in the space of two years. Their fanbase is a fraction of Albion’s but for floating

“They are concentrating on a promotion push at the moment but we did agree that there should be a more joined-up approach by both of us,” added Zac. “A strategic partnership should be more than

Shelter from the storm: Zac Toumazi cannot control the weather but he says Sussex are in good shape. “Things can always be better but we have a wonderful base to work from,” he said.

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Sussex have a reciprocal arrangement with Crawley whereby season ticket holders/ members can watch certain games for free.

Albion would surely be a better fit though and one of Zac’s first meetings after he became Chief Executive was to meet his opposite number Paul Barber at the AMEX.

zac toumazi just flogging tickets for each other. We are the two biggest sporting organisations in Sussex with Crawley Town not far behind.

We should be exploring joint community projects and initiatives to get young people watching cricket and football more in the great environments which already exist.”

The pile in Zac’s in-tray won’t reduce for a while but he has no complaints about that.

As Chief Executive of not just the county club but Sussex Cricket as an entity he is aware of his responsibilities towards the recreational game and the need to build on the good work done by his predecessor.

Then there are the day-to-day challenges

facing every head of a county club like making the books balance while ensuring that as much investment as possible is ploughed into the shop-window product: professional cricket.

Zac fell in love with Hove when he bought a flat in the Marina because his daughter was studying in Brighton. Even when he worked for Surrey and Hampshire he never turned down the opportunity to spend a few hours at the County Ground watching the successful teams of the last decade or so and sniffing the salty air.

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have inherited a club that is in good shape which is unusual in professional sport,” he said. “Dave Brooks did an outstanding job but there are always new challenges to confront. I love cricket and what it stands for and when (chairman) Jim May interviewed me I made no secret of my affection for Sussex. I’m 57 now so this might be my last job but this is the pinnacle of my career and I love the passion for Sussex that I see around the place. Things can always be better but we have a wonderful base to work from.”

Interview: Bruce Talbot

“It’s a great job and I am very fortunate to

“It’s a great job and I am very fortunate to have inherited a club that is in good shape which is unusual in professional sport.”

SPRING 2013 | 7

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2013 FIXTURES

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1st XI April

May

June

July

August

September

Date Mon 1st – Tue 2nd Fri 5th - Sun 7th Wed 10th- Sat 13th Wed 24th- Sat 27th Wed 1st – Sat 4th Sun 5th Fri 10th Sun 12th Wed 15th- Sat 18th Mon 20th Wed 22nd–Sat 25th Sun 26th Thu 30th Fri 31st – Mon 3rd Wed 5th – Sat 8th Wed 12th– Sat 15th Sun 16th Wed 19th Fri 21st Sat 22nd – Tue 25th Fri 28th Sun 30th Wed 3rd Fri 5th Mon 8th – Thu 11th Fri 12th Sun 14th Tue 16th Wed 17th – 20th Sun 21st Wed 24th Fri 26th – Sun 28th Wed 31st Fri 2nd -Mon 5th Tue 6th – Thu 8th Tue 13th Thu 15th Sat 17th Fri 23rd Sun 25th Mon 26th Wed 28th– Sat 31st Tue 3rd – Fri 6th Sat 7th or Mon 9th Wed 11th– Sat 14th Sat 21st Tue 24th – Fri 27th

Comp Opponents PSF Hampshire UNI Loughborough MCCU LV=CC Yorkshire LV=CC Surrey LV=CC Warwickshire YB40 Worcestershire YB40 Northamptonshire YB40 Warwickshire LV=CC Derbyshire YB40 Netherlands LV=CC Somerset YB40 Kent YB40 Warwickshire LV=CC Nottinghamshire LV=CC Middlesex LV=CC Surrey YB40 Northamptonshire YB40 Kent YB40 Nottinghamshire LV=CC Nottinghamshire t20 Surrey t20 Middlesex t20 Surrey t20 Hampshire LV=CC Somerset t20 Hampshire t20 Essex t20 Middlesex LV=CC Middlesex t20 Essex t20 Kent TOUR Australia t20 Kent LV=CC Derbyshire t20 qf TBC YB40 Netherlands YB40 Nottinghamshire t20 Finals Day Edgbaston WODI Eng Women v Aus W WODI Eng Women v Aus W YB40 Worcestershire LV=CC Warwickshire LV=CC Durham YB40 sf TBC LV=CC Yorkshire YB40 Final TBC LV=CC Durham

Venue Floodlit Hove Hove Headingley Kia Oval Hove Hove Northampton FL Edgbaston Derby Schiedam, Rotterdam Horsham Horsham Hove FL Hove Lord’s Arundel Arundel Canterbury FL Trent Bridge FL Trent Bridge Hove FL Lord’s Kia Oval FL Hove FL Taunton Ageas Bowl FL Chelmsford Hove FL Hove Hove Canterbury FL Hove Hove FL Hove TBC Hove FL Hove FL TBC Hove Hove New Road Edgbaston Emirates ICG TBC Hove Lord’s Hove

Start Time 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 1.45pm 4.40pm 1.45pm 11.00am TBC 11.00am 1.45pm 4.40pm 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 1.45pm 4.40pm 4.40pm 11.00am 7.10pm 2.30pm 6.30pm 7.10pm 11.00am 7.00pm 2.30pm 7.10pm 11.00am 2.40pm 7.00pm 11.00am 7.10pm 11.00am 4.40pm 4.40pm 10.45am 10.45am 1.45pm 11.00am 10.30am 10.30am TBC 10.30am

2nd XI April May

June

July

August

September

Date Wed 10th – Fri 12th Tue 16th – Fri 19th Mon 29th – Tue 30th Mon 6th Tue 7th – Thu 9th Wed 15th Thu 16th Tue 21st Wed 22nd – Fri 24th Wed 29th Wed 5th – Fri 7th Mon 10th Tue 11th Fri 14th Tue 18th Thu 20th Wed 26th – Fri 28th Mon 1st Tue 2nd – Thu 4th Tue 9th – Thu 11th Fri 12th Tue 16th Wed 17th – Fri 19th Tue 30th – Thu 1st Fri 2nd Mon 5th Tue 6th – Thu 8th Mon 19th Tue 20th – Thu 22nd Tue 27th Wed 28th – Fri 30th Tue 3rd Wed 11th Mon 16th - Wed 18th

Comp Friendly Friendly Friendly SET SEC Friendly Friendly SET SEC SET Friendly SE t20 SE t20 SET SE t20 SEt20 SEC SET SEC Friendly SEt20 SET SEC SEC SET SET SEC SET SEC SET SEC Friendly SET SEC

Opponents Lancashire Middlesex Surrey Middlesex Middlesex Guernsey Guernsey Somerset Somerset Unicorns A Hampshire Hampshire Surrey Essex MCC Young Cricketers Kent MCC Universities Hampshire Hampshire Essex Finals Day Gloucestershire Gloucestershire Kent Kent Surrey Surrey Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Semi-Final Essex Durham Final Final

Venue Floodlit Blackstone Hove Blackstone Radlett Radlett TBC TBC Taunton Vale Taunton Vale The Saffrons, Eastbourne Horsham Ageas Bowl Preston Nomads Preston Nomads Shenley CC Stirlands Horsham Ageas Bowl Ageas Bowl Garon Park, Southend Arundel Castle Frocester CC Frocester CC Maidstone Maidstone Arundel Castle Arundel Castle Horsham Horsham TBC Hove Preston Nomads TBC TBC

Start Time 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am 12.00pm 11.00am TBC TBC 12.00pm 11.00am 12.00pm 11.00am TBC TBC 12.00pm TBC TBC 11.00am 12.00pm 11.00am 11.00am TBC 12.00pm 12.00pm/11.00am 11.00am 12.00pm 12.00pm 11.00am 12.00pm 11.00am TBC 11.00am 11.00am TBC TBC

SPRING 2013 | 9

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Mark Robinson

New challenges invigorate Robbo Of first division coaches, only Notts’ Mick Newell has been in charge longer than Mark Robinson. As he prepares for his eighth season in the Hove hot seat his appetite for another summer is undiminished.

Q You are working with your third different skipper now in Ed Joyce. How does he compare to his predecessors?

A Yards was a completely different character to Chris Adams. Chris was a great orator with Churchillian speeches whereas Yards was a lot quieter.

The players knew when Yards was happy with them and when he wasn’t.

He was a strategist, a tactician. They were both completely different but had success which shows there are different ways to achieve what you want from your team.

I feel a bit sorry for Yards because during his captaincy he lost six or seven big players from the side and to manage that change was really hard. For us to still pick up a couple of trophies during that time is a real credit to him.

Now we have Ed Joyce who is more similar to Yards. He’s very laid-back and less emotional outwardly than his two predecessors. He gives the impression of calmness and control around the dressing room and he is a good thinker, he’s very committed and I’m sure he’ll do well.

Q What is your assessment of Ed having worked with him at the end of last season?

A He had a good taste of captaincy in the last third of the summer and did well. I felt the captaincy gave him a new lease of life because he was beginning to stagnate a little bit. He was keen to lead without pushing himself forward and he wanted a new challenge.

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There are certain things you don’t know how someone will cope with until it happens. There is added external pressure when you are captain. You feel accountable for 11 blokes and you take a win or a loss a lot more personally. If you are a player you can still take satisfaction from your own performance if you have done well even if the team has lost.

Q Do you expect him to captain in all three formats?

A He will be captain in the Championship and YB40 and we will have to see with T20. He hasn’t played much T20 in the last couple of years but he is keen to play in that format.

Q Do you think we will ever have a captain who does the job for a decade as Chris Adams did?

A I don’t think that you could ever say we will have that situation but it is harder now. Ideally, you need someone who is 27 or 28. I’m not sure it’s a job for a younger player because when you are 22 or 23 you should still be thinking about playing for England and that can take your focus away. If you are not in contention for England or the Lions it might mean your position in the team itself isn’t secure. Ideally you want someone who is secure in who he is and in his game, and with his place in the team. These often end up being the more senior players.

Q Last year was ultimately disappointing because we didn’t win a trophy but did we over-achieve in a

sense to be competitive virtually all the way in three formats?

A I don’t think that was the case and what happened in the one-day competitions was disappointing.

Sometimes a set of circumstances can make it hard for you on a particular day and I think we had that on T20 finals day. We played a good Yorkshire team so I’m not making excuses - we just didn’t perform, but the lead-up was far from ideal, sitting around at Taunton the day before waiting for the rain to stop.

In the 40 overs competition, disappointing though it was to lose a semi-final Michael Carberry played a special innings on a wicket that wasn’t easy. Matt Prior and Luke Wright had done that to a few teams for us on the way to the semi-final and in the shorter formats you are liable to run into a player in form like Carberry was that day.

In the Championship, having got into a position where we could have got second place the stuffing got knocked out of us a bit at Taunton when we drew a game we should have won. Our weakness was on flat wickets in both batting and bowling. Difficult pitches brought the fight out in us and covered up our inadequacies.

On flat wickets, the opposition could sit in when Steve Magoffin and Monty Panesar were bowling and exploit some of our less consistent bowling.

With the bat we weren’t able to get the 450 scores that gives you control yet when it was doing a bit we seemed to find a way to get to 250 that gives you a chance. We need big runs this season on a more consistent basis. If you can post 400 you are always in the game.

Mark Robinson

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“Yards will miss elements of the captaincy but freed from the pressures I hope will give him a new lease of life. He can be selfish and concentrate on his own form.”

Mike Yardy may no longer be captain but he is still a key member of the Sussex dressing room

Q Despite his travails last season Murray Goodwin will be a big loss. Is he irreplaceable or is there someone who can fill his boots?

A Our batting last year highlighted how much we came to rely on Murray over the years. He was not only our best player but also our best flatwicket player who would get double hundreds, not just hundreds. He had the season from hell but it’s not just his runs we will miss. He gave us a steeliness and drive in the dressing room and was someone who would help young players.

I don’t think you can replace a player like that, someone with his consistency are very few and far between. What we want is for everyone to kick on this year.

Yards will miss elements of the captaincy but freed from the pressures I hope will give him a new lease of life.

He can be selfish and concentrate on his own form and hopefully have a big year.

Chris Nash is vice-captain and that should give him renewed vigour

because it’s not a token appointment.

Ed’s Ireland commitments mean in certain parts of the season Nash will captain.

We have also brought in Rory Hamilton-Brown of course and you hope at his age (25) he will kick on and become a high run-scorer.

Q A year ago you said we were still a work in progress. Is that still the case?

A Yes, but I think we are a lot closer to where I’d like us to be although we still have work to do.

Back in 2002, when I first started working on the coaching side, we were as fit and driven as any side but we didn’t have that X-factor. Then Mushtaq Ahmed came along and we knew with him in the team we weren’t going to be relegated at the very least.

Eleven years later we are closer to getting as fit and organised as I want us to be. We stole a march a decade ago and other counties have caught up. Also, during that time four members of the personnel we had off the pitch have gone to work in the

England set-up. A lot of initiatives we pioneered are now shown to other counties as an example of how to do things. Warwickshire and ourselves were the only clubs to have full-time strength and conditioning coaches, now the ECB help fund them at all the other counties.

We are still looking for the fine margins that give us an edge. In recent years we have lost a lot of internal leaders in our dressing room- guys who knew how to win and how to drive standards of excellence.

This year Ed will have experienced guys like Magoffin, Nash and Yardy back on the shop floor to drive standards backing him up. That will be important. We’re not a football club where you can turn over a lot of players if you want to quickly achieve success. You cannot do that in cricket, even if you are a wealthy county. You have to trust the systems you have put in place and we are getting closer to having the personnel and structure we would like.

SPRING 2013 | 11

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Mark Robinson

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“A quiet but natural leader in his own way.

There’s no reason why Mags can’t have another good summer for us. ” Steve Magoffin has become an important and popular member of the dressing room

Q Let’s talk about the new signings.

What are you expecting from Chris Jordan and Rory Hamilton-Brown?

A Chris reminds me a bit of Luke Wright when he came from Leicestershire.

Luke has become an England cricketer and an integral part of our set-up and that has to be Chris’s aim. He needs to transform himself from a promising cricketer into a consistent one.

Losing your best friend in the circumstances that he did is not something anyone should have to go through, never mind someone at the age of 25. Rory had shared a life with Tom Maynard since they were at Millfield School together at 16 and he

was with him the night he died.

We are aware that there are going to be some down times for Rory and we will help all we can.

He has been to Florida in the winter and got himself really fit before coming back and working hard in January with our coaches. He went to Port Elizabeth on our training camps and I got great reports back on his progress.

Rory sets very high standards for himself and if he reaches them he will be a great asset to us.

Q Is it realistic to expect Steve Magoffin to repeat his heroics of 2012?

will be wary of him a bit more. Last season he was a bit of an unknown quantity and in a damp summer and on average wickets there was no one better. He is less effective on flat wickets but he has got a good bouncer and of course he bats as well. A good bowler is a good bowler and he is a craftsman. He’s old school - he bowls a lot of balls in the same place. He’s good in the dressing room as well and very low maintenance, a quiet but natural leader in his own way. There’s no reason why Mags can’t have another good summer for us.

Mark Robinson was talking to Bruce Talbot

A I hope he is as good and he’s capable of it although the opposition

SPRING 2013 | 13

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ED JOYCE

For club and county Ed Joyce can’t wait for his first full season in charge of Sussex. But he still has international ambitions to fulfil as well as those for his county

I

t is one of the best times of the year for any professional cricketer. Early March, the hint of Spring in the air and back together with the rest of your teammates at the start of another season.

And for Ed Joyce, the beginning of his 16th summer as a county pro has special resonance. Having led Sussex in the second half of 2012 following Mike Yardy’s resignation the genial Irishman is preparing for his first full season in charge.

And for a change, when Ed walked into the dressing room on the first Monday in March at the start of pre-season training the place wasn’t the ghost town it had been in recent years when international call-ups and commitments overseas often precluded seven or eight players from reporting back with the rest of the squad.

These days, of course, the majority of the Sussex players spend the winter in warmer climes, whether it’s playing for their countries or experiencing a different cricketing culture anywhere from Cape Town to Sydney. But Ed and Cricket Manager Mark Robinson had the luxury of everyone except Matt Prior and Monty Panesar, who were with England in New Zealand, in attendance when they laid down some markers for the season ahead.

“We will see if it makes any difference once the season starts but it certainly helped having virtually everyone there,” said Ed. “Especially for Robbo, who is used to players coming and going. As a coach that can be difficult to manage. I know he was delighted to have so many of the boys back for the start of pre-season.”

Ed’s winter did involve playing some competitive cricket in Ireland’s short-lived campaign in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

This summer Ireland are due to take on Scotland in qualifiers for the 2015 World Cup as well as prestigious ODIs against Pakistan and England. It means he will hand over the captaincy to Chris Nash for at least three Championship games but playing for his country still means a lot. “I really enjoy it,” he said. “I went shooting for the stars when I qualified for England to try and play Test cricket and I enjoyed the one-day internationals I played. But we are trying to grow the game in Ireland and getting to another World Cup in two years time would mean a lot. It might be time for me to call it a day after that so I want to help us reach another major tournament.”

On the domestic front Ed has considerable shoes to fill. Despite leading a team in transition Yardy still managed to win some trophies and he still remembers playing against Chris Adams’ all-conquering side. ‘Grizzly’ led Sussex for a record-breaking 11 seasons – an achievement in itself never mind the number of trophies he won as well. At 34, Ed is six years older than both Adams and Yardy were when they became captain.

“These days I think it would be impossible for anyone to do the job as long as Grizzly did,” said Ed. “How long can I do the job for? Well, as long as the body holds up I’d like to think I could do two or three good years. I’ve got big boots to fill but the more I have thought about it and the closer we have got to the start of a new season the more I have begun to relish the challenge ahead.”

Ironically, Joyce was 28 when he put himself forward to be Middlesex captain. They looked elsewhere and in 2009 he was heading to Hove in search of a fresh challenge. Back then captaincy was the last thing on his mind. “I’d been a fill-in a few times at Middlesex and when I didn’t get it I was disappointed.

When I came to Sussex I just wanted to play well but when the opportunity arose last year the more I thought about it the more I felt that at this stage of my career it was a fresh challenge I needed.”

14 | 2013 SPRING

You only have to spend a few minutes in his company or watch his demeanour at the crease to recognise that Joyce is made more in the mould of Yardy than Adams. He wants to win badly but there is a calmness and serenity to what he does. “Doing the job last season definitely improved my focus and that won’t change,” he said. “When I only had to worry about myself I found it quite easy to switch off. Failure never ate me up like it does to some players but there is no doubt that you do feel the losses a lot more.”

The vice-captains in both the Adams and Yardy eras had little input. It will be a lot different for Joyce’s deputy, not least because of the cricket he is going to miss because of Ireland commitments. Fortunately for him and Sussex Chris Nash is not only an experienced and hardworking player in his own right but also Joyce’s best friend and confidant in the dressing room. The captain’s privilege is his own room on away trips but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Joyce continues to share his quarters with Nash so they can chew the cud.

“Don’t get me wrong we do disagree on things,” says Joyce when discussing their partnership which, of course, extends to opening the batting together. “But we agree on a lot more and we’ve always got on. When I’m not here I know he will do a terrific job.”

Nash might end up leading the side in the Friends Life T20 too. Joyce hasn’t been involved for the Sharks in the last two tournaments and admits he was grateful in the past for the opportunity in mid-season to recharge his batteries and rest the hip which was operated on two years ago and which still needs to be managed. “I do miss playing Twenty20 and I certainly feel I can bring something to the side but it’s a format we are very strong in without me so we will have to see what happens.”

Joyce was watching from the Cardiff pavilion last August when Sussex were beaten in the semi-finals of the T20. Their subsequent tumble down the Championship table – after they had appeared favourites to finish second – and defeat in the semis of the CB40 competition added up to a ‘nearly but not quite’ season although one the vast majority of counties would have been happy with.

The problem for Joyce, of course, is that both Adams and Yardy set high standards in terms of achievement. So what was the gist of his message when he addressed the troops back in early March?

“Look, we have always been strong in one-day cricket and I can’t see that changing. Getting Rory Hamilton-Brown back here is a big coup, not least because he is a fantastic fielder and that is perhaps the one area of our one-day cricket that could improve. I can definitely see us challenging in both 20 and 40 overs formats.

“The Championship is a bit more of an unknown. With everyone fit I think we have an attack that can take 20 wickets but we need to bat better, both individually and as a unit and I include myself in that. Last season our best batting tended to be on poor pitches. On flat wickets we didn’t get big runs so we need to be able to perform on all sorts of surfaces. Our first aim will be to improve on last season (4th). If we do that, then I think we will challenge but the First Division is very hard to predict. Six or seven sides will feel they have a chance of winning it.”

Captaincy seemed to bring the best out in Joyce, whose first game in charge against Worcestershire not only brought an innings victory but a hundred for the skipper. If he and the senior batsmen can find consistency it might not be long before he is emulating his predecessors and holding a trophy aloft too.

Interview: Bruce Talbot

Above: Ed Joyce scored “Doing the job in 2012 d way to a century in the 4 strong in one-day cricket

ed joyce

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d a century in his first game as skipper last season. definitely improved my focus.” BELOW: Ed on his 40 overs league against Unicorns last May. “We are t and I can’t see that changing,” he says.

Ed in action for Ireland at the 2012 T20 World Cup against West Indies. He would love to represent his country in the 2015 World Cup in Australia

SPRING 2013 | 15

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SQUAD PROFILES

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Who’s who in 2013 Adam Matthews profiles this season’s Sussex squad

ED JOYCE

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he Irish left-hander was named as Sussex’s new captain in October 2012. He took over the captaincy at Hove midway through the 2012 season when Michael Yardy stood down from the position in LV=County Championship and Clydesdale Bank 40 cricket, leading the side in four LV=CC matches and five CB40 games.

During that period, he guided the Sharks to a semi-final in the CB40 competition whilst also sealing a fourth-placed finish in the Championship.

He topped the Championship averages, scoring 829 runs at 39.48 with a highest score of 108 in the draw against Worcestershire at New Road. Ed made his debut for Sussex in 2009 after joining from Middlesex and he is still an important member of the Ireland team, having also played international cricket for England.

CHRIS NASH

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uckfield-born Nash penned a new two-year extension to his contract in November 2012 that will see him remain at Hove until at least the end of the 2016 season, following his appointment as vicecaptain.

He made his first-class debut for Sussex in 2002, and has scored over 10,000 career runs for Sussex. He was named in the PCA Team of the Year at the conclusion of the 2012 season.

Chris scored 984 runs in 2012 in the LV=County Championship and also took 21 wickets with his off-spin. In addition, he notched 240 runs and took 10 wickets in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and made 319 runs in the Friends Life t20 campaign, which saw the Sharks reach Finals Day at Cardiff.

BEN BROWN

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he Crawley-born wicketkeeper-batsman signed a new two-year extension to his contract that will keep him at Hove until at least the end of the 2014 season. A product of the Sussex Youth and Academy set-up, he played 14 first-class matches during the 2012 season, scoring over 500 runs as well as taking 38 catches behind the stumps. He also featured in ten Clydesdale Bank 40 matches and five Friends Life t20 games before representing England, along with Chris Nash, in the Hong Kong Sixes tournament.

CHRIS LIDDLE

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ussex’s most consistent bowler in one-day cricket over the past two seasons, Liddle has kicked on to become the Sharks’ strike bowler in the 20 and 40 over formats. He topped the averages last season in the Friends Life t20 taking 17 wickets, with a best performance of 5 for 17 against Middlesex. His form in the Friends Life t20 at Hove persuaded Dhaka Gladiators to acquire his services for the Bangladesh Premier League where he performed admirably earlier this year. He was also leading wicket-taker in the Clydesdale Bank 40 with 14 scalps.

MICHAEL RIPPON

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n unknown quantity when drafted into Sussex’s Friends Life t20 campaign, the South African-born left-arm chinaman bowler left the Kent Spitfires batsmen in no doubt of his ability when he ripped through their line-up on debut at Hove. He claimed a haul of 4 for 23 on the day he penned an 18-month deal with the county. The 21 year-old qualifies for Sussex through his Dutch passport and also had a successful season in the 2nd XI, the highlight his incredible return of 7 for 12, also against Kent, in a Trophy match at Hove.

Michael plays club cricket for Brighton and Hove CC.

AMJAD KHAN

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he right-arm seamer made a real impact in all three formats for Sussex in 2012 despite still suffering from injury problems which ruled him out for several LV=County Championship matches. He also became an important member of both one-day sides taking some key wickets.

The Danish-born seamer also claimed the Champagne Moment at the Awards Evening after he smashed 16 off the final over in the crucial Clydesdale Bank 40 clash against Yorkshire at Headingley. During the winter Amjad underwent a major knee operation but is confident of being fit for the start of the 2013 campaign.

SPRING 2013 | 17

SQUAD PROFILES

JAMES ANYON

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012 proved to be yet another fruitful year for the former Warwickshire man as his improved pace yielded 42 wickets in the LV=County Championship, including a stunning haul of 5 for 36 in the ten-wicket win over Lancashire, the county of his birth, at Liverpool.

He played in all but one of Sussex’s four-day games with his other five-wicket haul coming against Surrey at the Kia Oval.

His lower-order batting was also particularly useful, with his eight not-outs propelling him to an average 28.72. It included a career-best 64 not out against Surrey at Horsham.

JOE GATTING

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t was the shorter format of the game that the Brighton-born batsman proved the most adept as he averaged 32.75 across the ten games he played.

His best performance came in the 19-run win over Essex at Hove when he hit an unbeaten 45 from only 22 balls. He has spent the winter in Australia working on his game and has been at the county since the age of 15, although he did spend three seasons away playing football for Brighton & Hove Albion before returning to cricket.

LEWIS HATCHETT

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ne of the most local members in the squad, having been born in nearby Shoreham-by-Sea, the left-arm seam bowler was restricted to mainly Second XI appearances in 2012 where he regularly impressed. He did get his chance in the LV=County Championship match with Somerset in September when he took 3 for 25 in the first innings, and followed it up with four wickets in the match at Durham. Has since struggled with injury over the winter but will hope to be fit for the new campaign.

LUKE WELLS

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t was another exciting season for the young and fluent left-hander as finished behind only the prolific opening partnership of Joyce and Nash in the LV=County Championship averages.

His 713 runs came at 37.52 and the son of former Sussex and England man Alan Wells took a particular liking to the bowling of rivals Surrey as he hit centuries in both matches, at the Kia Oval and Horsham. Sussex born and bred, he will this year be aiming to overhaul his season’s best run tally of 824 which he lodged in 2011.

MATT MACHAN

The 22 year-old left-hander finally announced himself on the 1st XI stage early last season with a stunning unbeaten 126 against the Unicorns in the CB40 victory at Hove. He went on to play a further three matches in the tournament, along with three appearances in the Friends Life t20 as well as an outing in Sussex’s final Championship match of the season at Durham. Born in Brighton but with Scottish heritage through his mother, he was selected for an informal tour of South Africa with Scotland in October and had his qualification confirmed earlier this year and is hoping to get further international opportunity with the Scots.

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CHRIS JORDAN

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arbados-born but E n glish-qualified , bowling all-rounder Jordan signed a two-year contract with Sussex in December 2012 following his release by Surrey at the end of last season. He had been with Surrey since 2006, after former Sussex opener Bill Athey, who spotted his potential at Dulwich College, recommended him.

Chris made his first-class debut a season later and has since played 40 first-class matches, 20 List A games and 12 t20 matches, taking 112 wickets across all three formats. He bowls genuinely quick and his allround ability can see him bat strongly down the order and even field in the slips. He played for Barbados during the winter and took match figures of 9 for 58 in his final first-class match there in February.

LUKE WRIGHT

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uke’s early season may have been dogged by both injury and illness but he hit back in style for Sussex in 2012 and was one of only two players – Chris Nash being the other – to score over 300 runs in the Friends Life t20 tournament.

His scintillating one-day form wasn’t only restricted to the shortest format as he averaged 59.71 – including three centuries – as the Sharks reached the semi-finals of the Clydesdale Bank 40. He has once again been globetrotting this winter, playing in the Big Bash and the Bangladesh Premier League whilst also cementing his place in the England t20 side and starring at the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

MATT PRIOR

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t was another great season for England’s wicketkeeper-batsman where he scored heavily for Sussex when available from international duty. He hit a swashbuckling 86 against Lancashire in a televised Championship match at Hove whilst his highlight in the Friends Life t20 was a knock of 81 from only 37 balls in the washed-out affair against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl. He helped confirm the Sharks’ place in the CB40 semi-final with an unbeaten 78 against Kent at Canterbury, putting on 152 with Luke Wright. On the Test match stage he was among England’s best players in the 2012 home series against West Indies and South Africa and in the historic series victory in India at the end of last year.

SPRING 2013 | 19

SQUAD PROFILES

MICHAEL YARDY

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n the season when Yardy relinquished the captaincy at Hove in two formats of the game, his top score with the bat came in the second outing in the County Championship with a superb innings of 110 against Lancashire at Liverpool which helped to set up the ten-wicket victory against the reigning champions. He retained the captaincy in the Friends Life t20, leading the Sharks to their second Finals Day in four seasons and was also named the 1st XI Fielder of the Year, with his 34 catches across all formats rivalling numbers taken by wicketkeepers around the county circuit.

MONTY PANESAR

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laying in all but one of Sussex’s Championship matches, Panesar again broke the 50-wicket barrier, claiming 53 scalps at an average of 23.15, with a best of 7 for 60 in the first innings of the drawn match against Somerset at Taunton. He also took six wickets in the second innings, handing him match figures of 13 for 137. It was this kind of consistent form which again persuaded the England selectors to come calling, with him being selected for the tour of India. There was controversy as he was not picked for the First Test in Ahmedabad which the tourists lost, but he vindicated the decision to leave him out by taking 17 wickets in the next three matches.

RORY HAMILTONBROWN

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he 25 year-old all-rounder returned to his former county last September when he signed a threeyear deal at Hove following his release from Surrey.

He originally developed through the Surrey youth system but spent two seasons at Sussex in 2008 and 2009, winning both the t20 and Pro40 competitions in 2009. He also played for the Sharks in the Champions League but moved to the Oval shortly afterwards when the lure of captaincy proved too good to turn down. He took a break from cricket last season following the tragic death of his close friend and team-mate Tom Maynard. He has spent much of the winter fitness training in Florida.

WILL BEER

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aving forced himself into Sussex’s one-day line-up during 2012, the 24 year-old Crawleyborn leg-spinner signed a new two-year deal with the county which ties him to Sussex until the end of the 2014 season. His best haul came in the crucial CB40 clash with Warwickshire Bears under the floodlights and in front of the cameras at Hove when he took 3 for 27 as he helped Sussex defend 199. He also kept his nerve, with the bat this time in the Friends Life t20 clash at Essex Eagles, again televised, as he and Ben Brown ensured that the Sharks crept over the line with a ball to spare in a nail-biting affair at Chelmsford.

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SCOTT STYRIS

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he former New Zealand international, who returns for the Sharks’ Friends Life t20 campaign this season, wrote himself into Sussex folklore during last season’s Quarter-Final against Gloucestershire Gladiators at Hove, and needed only 37 balls to do it. The hard-hitting all-rounder showed no mercy on the visiting attack, plundering five fours and nine sixes in his unbeaten century which fired Sussex to Finals Day once more. His seam bowling also proved useful during the tournament, along with knocks of 48 and 36 against Middlesex and former county Essex respectively, and confirmed his return to Hove last October with the Club announcing he will once again play in the t20 tournament. A true globetrotter, Styris has also represented Kandurata Warriors, Northern Districts and Hobart Hurricanes in t20 tournaments over the past 12 months.

ANDREW MILLER

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ussex signed the 25-yearold former Lancashire and Warwickshire seamer on a oneyear contract after a successful trial.

Andrew was released by Warwickshire at the end of the 2012 season having taken 35 wickets in 18 first-class matches. He travelled with Sussex to both Port Elizabeth and Dubai on their recent pre-season tours and impressed the coaching staff sufficiently to be awarded a contract.

Miller said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity. I am really looking forward to making an impact within the squad as we go forward.”

STEVE MAGOFFIN

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riginally signed as Sussex’s overseas player for only the early part of the 2012 summer, his blistering form earned him a deal until the end of season and 2013.

He took 57 wickets in the LV=County Championship Division One last season at an average of only slightly over 20, his best of 7 for 34 coming on his debut at Lancashire in April. He also made some vital contributions with the bat, scoring 363 runs at an average of 22.68. The 33-year-old also has experience in England with Surrey and Worcestershire.

SPRING 2013 | 21

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MATT PRIOR

Best in the world?

Matt Prior’s performance in New Zealand had the pundits comparing him to some of the great wicketkeeperbatsmen but his goals are all about team success with England and Sussex rather than individual glory

Matt Prior’s focus in 2013 is back-to-back Ashes series but Hove is never too far from his mind. “I’m passionate about Sussex cricket,” he says. “It’s been a huge part of my life for almost 20 years.”

22 | 2013 SPRING

Matt PRIOR

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his year could hardly have started any better for Matt Prior, with his elevation to the Test vice-captaincy in New Zealand and a series of individual performances which, after his 110 not out in Auckland especially, led to widespread media notices pressing his case to be considered the best wicketkeeper-batsman in England’s history.

All that came after a successful Sussex benefit year in 2012 which, he said, “was a great honour”, and yet he is now preparing for another English summer with the exhilarating prospect of 2013 becoming the most momentous year of his career to date, which in itself is saying something for a

and I won’t do that again.”

Prior’s modesty and grounded attitude also shines through when he is asked about comparisons between himself and the greatest wicketkeeper-batsmen of England’s past – a list headed by the likes of Alan Knott and Alec Stewart, Prior’s own mentor, and especially Les Ames, the first of a line of great Kent and England stumpers which also includes Knott and Godfrey Evans, and who has long been generally regarded as the finest of them all.

Ames scored 2,434 runs in the 47 Test appearances he made between 1929 and 1939, at an average of 40.56, and hit eight hundreds – still the most by an England wicketkeeper – while his batting average of 43.40 in the 44 matches he played as a keeper-batsman has also been a long-held England record.

Prior, however, took his own Test batting average above Ames to

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anywhere in the top or middle order. But it is a question of team balance. If the opportunity to bat at No 6 in the Test team arose then I would take it, but for me it is always about the team situation and what is best for the team.”

Prior, meanwhile, is approaching even this busiest and most high profile of ‘double-Ashes’ years with a real desire to continue to do his best for Sussex in whatever county cricket he gets to play outside of his England commitments. Sussex, indeed, has been such a big part of his life – let alone his cricketing life – that he cannot begin to visualise himself playing for another county.

“I probably won’t have a huge amount of time to play for Sussex in 2013, if things go well with England, but when I do get the chance I’ll be hoping to contribute on and off the field. On international duty I’ll be following

“I’ve been part of the club since I was 12, so it’s been a huge part of my life for almost 20 years – with many more years to come, I hope.” man with 65 Test caps and almost 3,500 runs at the highest level.

With ten Ashes Tests scheduled in the back-to-back series here in July and August and then in Australia from November, Prior could even become one of a select band of English cricketers who have played in four or more winning Ashes series against the oldest enemy.

Prior, however, an Ashes winner already of course in both the 2009 and 2010-11 series, makes it a habit these days of not looking too far into the future, despite rising excitement among England supporters that Alastair Cook’s team can post a run of four or more winning Ashes series for the first time since 1890 and the first back-to-back away victories since 1929 and 1933.

“It’s a massive year for English cricket coming up and I’ll hopefully have a large part to play during what should be an exciting next twelve months,” said Prior.

“But I made the mistake once before, earlier in my England career, of looking too far ahead

45.46 with that Wellington 110, and ended the New Zealand tour with seven centuries, the same number Stewart made when wearing the gloves and one more than Knott.

“I might have some distant goals, but in my mind I have a long way to go yet before I can class myself with the likes of Knott, Stewart and Ames,” said Prior. “Those guys are legends of the game.”

It is the same when the question is raised about whether Prior will be promoted up the England batting order from No 7 to No 6 – where he batted, don’t forget, throughout the 2009 Ashes, when Andrew Flintoff was placed at seven in his final series – and when it is intimated, too, that he might even finish his Test career as a specialist batsman as high as No 5 with a younger thruster such as Jonny Bairstow or Ben Foakes eventually being given an opportunity with the gloves in the five-day game.

“I do consider myself a frontline batsman, and batsmen can play

the team’s progress and will be checking the scores at the end of each day’s play as usual, and I hope that 2013 is a good year for us.

“I’ve been part of the club since I was 12, so it’s been a huge part of my life for almost 20 years – with many more years to come, I hope. I’m passionate about what goes on at the club, which is why it means so much pulling on the shirt whenever I get the opportunity and trying to make a positive contribution.

“It was a great honour to have been awarded a benefit year, which thanks to all the members and supporters went very well. I hope that everyone who turned up and supported the events had a good time and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all once again for the continued support not only of myself but every Sussex beneficiary and of Sussex cricket and the team in general.”

Mark Baldwin writes on county cricket for The Times

SPRING 2013 | 23

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Our new partners It’s the BrightonandHoveJobs.com Montefiore Hospital to sponsor County Ground Boundary Rooms

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Brighton and Hove Jobs.com founder Gary Peters is welcomed to the County Ground by skipper Ed Joyce and Mike Yardy

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rightonandHoveJobs.com have become the official ground naming rights partner for at least the next three seasons. The ground will now officially be known as The BrightonandHoveJobs. com County Ground.

The deal cements the close relationship between BrightonandHoveJobs.com and the club, as the employment specialists sponsored the Boundary Rooms - Sussex’s state-of-theart and award winning hospitality facilities - last season.

As well as this the job specialists have gone one step further by relocating part of their business to a new base in the ground, with a purpose-built office on the eastern side housing their sales and marketing team all year round.

BrightonandHoveJobs.com, the leading employment website for the region, was founded in 2010 by Gary Peters. The company - which specialises in advertising local jobs and providing employment advice - also has plans to open further offices and to become one of the leading employment websites in the country.

BrightonandHoveJobs.com has a track record of major investment in sport in Brighton and Hove, particularly with their sponsorship of Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club since their move to the Amex.

Gary said: “We have grown significantly over the past two years and due to overwhelming demand we are now taking our model across the UK and beyond. The sponsorship of Sussex is not only a significant investment into the expansion of the cricket club but also a further commitment to our local area — particularly in the area of job advertising and employment advice.

“Our relationship with Brighton and Hove Albion continues to go from strength to strength but, as was always the case, our two-year shirt sponsorship comes to an end at the end of this season. Ensuring our brand continues to be associated with the very best sporting and cultural facilities locally is imperative and this sponsorship couldn’t have been better timed.

“Since coming to the County Ground I have made so many good friends, seen the club grow significantly and I’m delighted to be part of the Sussex cricket family. It really is a dream come true to be so involved in one of the country’s most successful teams and I’m really looking forward to meeting the many businesses and fans involved with the club.”

Chief Executive Zac Toumazi said: “It is pleasing to see an expanding local company like BrightonandHoveJobs.com increase their involvement in the club and take their place as a major part of the Sussex family. We look forward to working together.”

he Montefiore Hospital are the new sponsor of the Boundary Rooms.

The Boundary Rooms, which are situated in the south-east corner of the BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground, are a focal point for both match day and non-match day activity and will now be known as The Montefiore Hospital Boundary Rooms.

Montefiore Hospital director Andy Wood said: “We are in the business of looking after people, but we believe this should extend beyond the hospital and out into the community. Sussex CCC is on our doorstep and part of the local community that we are very proud to be part of.

“The club does a great deal to promote a healthy and active lifestyle which is something that the Montefiore Hospital, as a healthcare provider, wholeheartedly endorses.

“We hope that our support of the club will help to encourage more people to come and watch the matches and in turn, be inspired to have a go themselves.”

Mark Robinson and Zac Toumazi welcome Director Andy Wood and Commercial Manager James Dempster to the Sussex family

Mayo Wynne Baxter sponsor Executive Suite

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ussex-based solicitors Mayo Wynne Baxter, who have been long-term supporters of the club, have signed a two-year deal at Hove, with ‘The Mayo Wynne Baxter Executive Suite’ becoming the latest name behind the boundary.

The Executive Suite gives visitors to Hove the chance to entertain clients, colleagues and friends in a superb location, situated between the Players’ Club and The Montefiore Hospital Boundary Rooms in the south east corner of the ground.

Mayo Wynne Baxter are one of the largest law firms in the region and boast five offices in Brighton, Eastbourne, East Grinstead, Lewes and Seaford. They provide a comprehensive and personal service to a broad spectrum of local, national and international clients and have been highly commended by the Law Society for their client service.

Chairman Dean Orgill, said: “We are delighted to sponsor the Executive Suite and show our continued support for Sussex cricket. Mayo Wynne Baxter have a strong association with sport across the county that goes back many years and we are looking forward to more first-class cricket at The BrightonandHoveJobs. com County Ground this season.”

SPRING 2013 | 25

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Academy intake confirmed

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ur Academy intake for 2013 has been confirmed with the programme a combined one between the ECB and the club itself.

Following a two-month trial before Christmas, nine players regained their places for a further year whilst three players have also been added to the programme. The audition included the Academy tour to Cape Town before Christmas.

Georgia Adams, Harry Finch, Ollie Graham, Josh Hayward, Elliott Hooper, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Callum Jackson, Tim Moses and Abidine Sakande will all remain part of the Academy in 2013, whilst Leo Cammish, Ben Shoare and Sam Grant will become part of the setup for the first time.

Leo and Ben showed during the audition that they could absorb new information and alter their techniques in the appropriate areas, whilst achieving the set goals to earn their place on the programme.

All 12 players have shown good evidence that they can portray the Sussex values which are of course an important part of Sussex Cricket and its Academy.

Cammish, a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman who is educated at Hurstpierpoint College, has played for Sussex Under13s right through to the 17s age group last season and has also featured for the Development XI in the Sussex Premier League.

Shoare, 17, has also represented Sussex right through from the Under-13s and the right-handed opening batsman, who can also bowl off-spin, has played for Horsham in the Sussex Premier League.

The nine existing players will be hoping to step up their development this year. Both Harry Finch and Callum Jackson were in in the England Under-19s squad that toured South Africa in February whilst Sakande remains a part of the Under-18/19s Development Programme with England.

Sam Grant is a 17 year-old all-rounder, who bowls left-arm seam and bats in the top-order. He plays for Steyning in the Sussex Cricket League.

It was Sussex’s connections at Brighton College which brought Grant to the attention of Cricket Performance Manager Keith Greenfield, with former Sussex Women’s player and Director of Cricket at Brighton College Alexia Walker and Les Lenham who has of course been involved with the county for over 60 years, both working closely with Sam over the past year.

Keith said: “Les approached me earlier in the year about Sam and how well he was developing, so we kept an eye on him and invited him to practise with our Development Squads and Academy.

LED Europe light up Hove

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here is a brand new addition to the facilities at the BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground this season – an LED big screen.

It will replace the fascia of the old main scoreboard as part of a five-year sponsorship agreement between the county and LED Sport Europe who, as part of the sponsorship, have agreed to sponsor the Yorkshire Bank 40 clash with Worcestershire Royals on Sunday 5th May when there will be free entry to all supporters.

It will enable LED Sport Europe to showcase the big screen by streaming live match footage.

All supporters MUST gain their ticket for free entry in advance of the day by calling the Ticket Office on 0844 264 0206 or booking online. Tickets will be limited to four per person maximum.

Anyone attending on the day without a ticket will be asked to

Steyning’s Sam Grant is the latest addition to the 12-strong Sussex Academy intake for 2013

“We are looking forward to continuing the work we have started with the majority of this group. We’re excited by the addition of Ben and Leo and how far we can progress them all and the whole group as players and as importantly, people and leaders.”

Sussex Academy 2013 Georgia Adams Leo Cammish Harry Finch Ollie Graham Josh Hayward Elliott Hooper Fynn Hudson-Prentice Callum Jackson Tim Moses Abidine Sakande Ben Shoare Sam Grant

Brighton & Hove CC Unattached Hastings Priory CC Haywards Heath CC Cuckfield CC Hastings Priory CC Haywards Heath CC Eastbourne CC Lewes Priory CC Three Bridges CC Horsham CC Steyning CC

pay the usual Yorkshire Bank 40 price of £15 for Adults or £5 for juniors.

Zac Toumazi, Chief Executive of Sussex Cricket, said, “We’re delighted to be able to form this partnership with LED Sport Europe, which we hope will bring many benefits to both parties.

Thanks to their generous support we are able to offer the Worcestershire clash as a free match.

“Hopefully the waiving of the admission fee will encourage not only new visitors to Hove but also those who have not been to the ground in a while, particularly with the fantastic new redevelopment which has been undertaken.“ Ed de Lucy, Managing Director of LED Sport Europe, said: “The new big screen and perimeter boards will help enhance the match day experience for supporters with live match coverage and replays.”

Visitors to the Worcestershire game will be able to enjoy the Sussex Beer Festival with a range of real ales on offer as well as the Street Entertainers that will also be in the ground on the day.

SPRING 2013 | 27

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Water way to launch Ashes year!

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he Southern Water Ashes returns this year and the launch event took place at Hertford Junior School in Brighton, when the Sussex Community coaches and Sid the Shark were in attendance, along with Southern Water’s very own ‘Mr Drink-it’.

The Community Roadshow will be visiting eight schools across the South Coast between Rottingdean and Portslade, the aim of the tour to promote the message of hydration in cricket and water saving as well as how to become more efficient with water in school and at home.

Each student’s aim during the roadshow is to build up as many points as possible in their quest to be one of the top five scorers at their school. This earns them a “golden ticket” invitation down to The BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground to compete against all the other ticket winners for the right to take home the ‘Ashes Urn’.

Every school involved in the scheme has or will receive an assembly presentation, highlighting the importance of water efficiency and hydration, including a fun catching competition between two teachers. All children are given a Southern Water

comic book and 7-day water diary.

They also get the chance to take part in the practical part of their roadshow themselves where the Year 5 and 6 children are challenged with cricket-based activities.

Andy Shaddick, Southern Water’s Public Affairs Manager, said: “We are delighted to again be running the Southern Water Ashes with local schools. As part of our Sporting Chance programme this partnership with Sussex Cricket teaches children the importance of staying hydrated during exercise while being put through their paces by these professional coaches.”

Matt Parsons, Sussex Cricket Board’s Community Coach, said: “The cricketing reason behind the event is to bring simple, slightly different and interactive cricket activities to the schools and generate as much interest in this year’s Ashes series as possible.

“We’re very grateful to Southern Water for supporting the event as such a scheme wouldn’t have been possible without their sponsorship.”

The final takes place on Saturday 27th April in the Farnrise Indoor School at Hove between 12.00pm and 3.00pm.

Junior pro contracts awarded

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arry Finch and Callum Jackson have both been awarded junior professional contracts for 2013.

The pair have been given the squad numbers 12 and 16 respectively following their graduation through the Academy setup.

Finch, an 18 year-old all-rounder who bowls right-arm medium-fast, hails from Hastings and began his Sussex career playing for the under-13 team.

Jackson, also 18, is a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman from Eastbourne who has also represented Sussex through from the under-13s age group squad.

Both players have already made their 1st XI debut in the nonfirst-class match against Leeds/Bradford MCCU last summer and earlier this year toured South Africa with England under-19s.

Harry said: “I’m absolutely thrilled as it is something that I have been working towards for a very long time. This is the first big step on the ladder to what I hope will be a successful career with Sussex”.

Callum said: “I owe a lot to the age group coaches at Sussex and my time in the EPP, while both Keith Greenfield and Andy Cornford have been a great help in the Academy.

“I am really looking forward to representing Sussex and I’m

delighted at the opportunity given to me.”

Club coach Carl Hopkinson said: “Both players made good strides in the Second XI last season and gained some valuable experience.

“They will both be hoping to use this season as a springboard into the professional ranks and hopefully we’ll see them make their mark on first team cricket in the future.”

SPRING 2013 | 29

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NEWS

FtSe

Testimonial to benefit two charities T

he county have announced that this season’s testimonial has been awarded to the two Sussex CCC charities: the Sussex Cricket in the Community Trust (SCCT) and the Sussex Cricket, Museum and Educational Trust (SCMET), who have joined forces to create the Sussex Cricket Combined Appeal 2013 to raise vital funds for these local cricket based charities.

Bryan Bedson, who is chairman of the Appeal Committee said: “This is a very exciting opportunity for Sussex Cricket and the money raised will be spent in three separate ways: 1. On Cricket in the Community projects including Street20 cricket, played across the county, and Disability Cricket. Annually, Sussex Cricket runs a very successful Disability Cricket Day at Hove which sees over 400 disabled children come to The BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground to play various forms of cricket, and our Visually Impaired team are also county champions.

2. At the Sutton Winson Academy Ground at Blackstone, where we have developed a unique facility with two grounds where the county’s entire youth cricket is played. It is good at the moment but we aim to make it world class with extensions to the playing facilities, a drainage project, state of the art machinery and top class grass nets.

3. At Hove where we are working to develop the most exciting Cricket Museum in the country and are aiming to purchase a series of interactive exhibits for educational and entertainment purposes.

The appeal is particularly pertinent in 2013, with this year being not only the 10th anniversary of Sussex’s historic inaugural County Championship victory, but also the 50th Anniversary of Sussex winning the first one-day competition against Worcestershire at Lord’s in the first ever Gillette Cup. The patrons of the appeal have been confirmed as the former England wicketkeeper batsman and Sussex icon Jim Parks, former Sussex captain Michael Yardy, who is a graduate of the Sussex youth programme and a World T20 winner with England, and Holly Colvin, Sussex women’s captain who was just 15 when she played in an Ashes Test at Hove.

Fashion guru Wayne Hemingway has designed the Appeal tie.

Chairman Jim May said: “The Combined Charities Appeal is very important in helping our two cricket charities develop their good work. I trust that the supporters of Sussex Cricket will support the events to help our volunteers with these two worthy causes.”

The appeal was launched in March with a lunch attended by 315 guests at the Grand Hotel when £28,000 was raised to give the appeal a magnificent start.

Their next event is a lunch to remember Tony Greig and Christopher Martin-Jenkins, who both passed away this winter.

It takes place on Monday, May 6 in the Montefiore Hospital Bounday Rooms when John Barclay will pay tribute to both men.

Tickets cost £30 and the event starts at 12 noon. A commemorative booklet produced by Nick Sharp in memorial to Tony Greig and limited to 150 copies will also be available to purchase on the day at £20 per copy. Forward orders may be placed in advance if desired from the Sussex Cricket World website or by emailing Nick directly at sharp554@btinternet.com

Three of the trustees Jim Parks, Holly Colvin and Bryan Bedson toast a successful start to this year’s testimonial when £28,000 was raised at the launch lunch

Family Fun Days are back Family Fun Days will be returning to Hove this year with four fixtures designated for Cricket & Sunday Lunch at The BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground, including the weekend of the much-anticipated visit of Australia in July.

You can sample a fantastic two-course lunch, combining first-class food and first-class cricket in The Montefiore Hospital Boundary Rooms.

These options are for pre-booking only and no combined ticket will be available on the day. The price includes matchday ticket, dedicated seating area and a two-course lunch.

Sunday Lunch fixtures Sunday 2nd June – v. Nottinghamshire (LV=County Championship) £40 adults, £20 juniors.

Sunday 21st July – v. Essex Eagles (Friends Life t20) £40 adults, £20 juniors.

Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th July – v Australia (Tourist Match) £40 adults, £20 juniors.

Sunday 4th August – v Derbyshire (LV=County Championship) £40 adults, £20 juniors.

SPRING 2013 | 31

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Maurice Tate

FtSe

Remembering a legend He was named the county’s best ever player in 2004, now a new book tells the story of the remarkable Maurice Tate

S

ussexhas always had a place for stars. From Ranjitsinhji and CB Fry through the likes of Ted Dexter, John Snow, Tony Greig, Imran Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed to today’s Matt Prior, we love a bit of glamour on the south coast.

But who is the greatest of the great? The one who achieved the most fame, the largest success? In my humble opinion, but one name emerges: Maurice Tate.

In the 1920s he was the most popular cricketer in the world.A medium-fast bowler of genius he was famed for an uncanny ability to “gain pace” off the pitch, flummoxing the best in the world.

So muchso that in his first encounter with the Aussies he broke the record for wickets in an Ashes series.Tate also took a wicket with his very first ball for England when South Africa were dismissed for just 30 runs.

When not on international duty, Tate dismissed batsmen in their hundreds for Sussex. In three consecutive years he did the extraordinary “double” of at least 200 wickets and 1,000 runs. A first-class career record of 2,784 first-class wickets is barely conceivable nowadays.

Tate was the first professional to captain Sussex in the 20th century and was a key part of the heart-breaking seasons of 1932, 1933 and 1934, when the team were runners-up in the Championship three times in a row.

Tate hit more than 20,000 runs too, while charming crowds with his broad smile.

His enormous feet inspired music hall songs. On the Bodyline tour of Australia

in 1932-3 he even managed to take part in a comedy feature film.

The title of my book,Then Came Massacre, refers to a newspaper report in which that three-word sentence was used to describe his single-handed demolition of Glamorgan in a game. It was deliciously over-the-top and yet appropriate for a biography of this force of nature.

Tate in his pomp was as box-office as they come: an all-round English cricketing superstar not seen again until the days of Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff. And he was ours, Brighton-born and mostly Sussex-raised.

But who today remembers and reveres him? Having read a distressing newspaper articlein 2010 about the awful state of his gravestone in the East Sussex village of WadhurstI decided to write a book about this man, whose memory is vague, even in his own county.

His story began in the most extraordinary circumstances. His father, Fred, was for many years a stalwart medium pace bowler for the county.

Then, in 1902, he was called up by England to do service in the deciding match of the Ashes summer at Old Trafford.

“Poor Fred’s” début was possibly the worst personal sporting disaster in history. At a crucial point he dropped a catch, which was blamed for the loss of the match – and the series.He never played for England again. Fred was a broken man on the train journey home,

reportedly confiding to his fellow passenger: “I’ve got a little kid at home who’ll make it up for me.”

And how he did – eventually.

Maurice Tate started life as a fairly ordinary spin bowler. But one day, either in the nets at Hove or in a match (reports conflict), he decided to bowl quickly instead. Almost straight away he started taking wickets by the bucket.Within two years Tate was universally recognised as the best bowler in the world, indeed one of the best ever. For a decade, he knew nothing but cricketing success.

But life outside cricket was not as easy. Tate set up a sports shop anda pools company which failed miserably.

Hesuffered a nervous breakdown and was even accused of throwing a glass of beer over England captain Douglas Jardine.His sacking by Sussex was the bitterest in the county’s history and he died, aged just 60, as a rather unsuccessful publican.

Yet Tate was a fascinating human being, with magnetism and skill shared by few cricketers. *Then Came Massacre, by Justin Parkinson and published

by Pitch Publishing, will be published on July 1.

SPRING 2013 | 35

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Pre season

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Feeling the heat The pre-season trip to Dubai was another successful one as the Sharks retained their Emirates T20 trophy.

Kings of the desert: Sussex celebrate after retaining the Emirates T20 title

W

hile the rest of us shivered back at home, the players enjoyed another successful pre-season trip to Dubai and came home for the second year running with a trophy in the luggage after retaining the Emirates Airline T20 Trophy.

Conditions in Dubai weren’t always what you might expect in the desert with overcast skies and even the odd shower but Mark Robinson, his coaching staff and the players enjoyed excellent conditions in which to train and play in a setting they have become familiar with in recent years.

The playing part of the tour began with an eight-wicket win over Lancashire Lightning.

Chris Jordan impressed in his first bowling stint for the Sharks with 3 for 14 and there were two wickets for Jimmy Anyon as Lancashire were restricted to 118 for 9. Joe Gatting kept wicket and even pulled off a stumping to get rid of top scorer Andrea Agathangelou (42).

Man of the match Chris Nash then took centre stage, scoring 71 off 59 balls to help ease Sussex to victory with 16 balls to spare.

MCC were our next opponents and Sussex made short work of them as they won by seven wickets with seven balls to spare.

MCC were restricted to 115 for 6 with trialist Andrew Miller taking 2 for 11 and Nash 2 for 17. Joe Denly made an unbeaten

29 while Rahul Dravid (26) and Dawid Malan (21) also chipped in.

In reply, Nash and Matt Machan (28) put on 58 for the first wicket before Nash was dismissed for 23. Joe Gatting (12) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (29) put Sussex on their way to victory.

The trophy was retained in some style as as the Sharks comfortably beat the Fly Emirates XI in the final by 89 runs.

Batting first, Sussex made 172 for 8 with Luke Wells making 54 at the top of the order.

Jordan scored 42 and Nash 18 off seven balls to propel Sussex to a total that was always going to be hard to get on a slow pitch.

The Fly Emirates’ reply never took off and they were bowled out for 83 in the 18th over. Wells completed an excellent match with 3 for 17 with his off spin and there were two wickets apiece for Lewis Hatchett and Michael Rippon.

The format switched to 40 overs against MCC Young Cricketers and the game ended in a tie.

Sussex made 242 for 5 with captain Ed Joyce top-scoring with 66 from 65 balls.

Ben Brown (38) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (35) also chipped in but MCC made good progress in reply and required 11 from the final over bowled by Chris Liddle.

Adam Dobb, who had only just come to the crease, hit a six over fine leg to leave

former Sussex player Jordan Rollings needing a single off the last ball. But Chris Liddle produced a perfect leg-stump yorker to prevent a run being scored. Both Liddle and Andrew Miller each took two wickets.

Next, Sussex met Lancashire in a two-day friendly with both sides batting for a day, regardless of how many wickets they lost.

Jimmy Anyon took 4 for 14 as Lancashire made 301 from 91 overs and when Sussex replied made 259 with Ben Brown unbeaten on 57.

Brown continued his good form in the tour finale when Sussex beat Lancashire by 23 runs in a 40 overs game.

Brown made a counter-attack 58 as Sussex recovered to make 199 for 9 before Rippon ripped through the Red Rose on a turning wicket with 6 for 27 as Lancashire slumped to 176 having been 103 for 1.

It was a great end to another tour in a place which has almost become a second home for the Sussex boys.

SPRING 2013 | 37

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LUKE WRIGHT

Wright happy to take flig All-rounder Luke Wright clocks up the air miles playing T20.

But he’d love to play ODI cricket for England again and playing well for Sussex can help

Luke made contributions with bat and ball during England’s T20 series win over New Zealand win. Here, he celebrates the wicket of Hamish Rutherford in Hamilton.

RIGHT: Luke in action for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash semi-final in February.

Already he has played T20 in four different countries in 2013

38 | 2013 SPRING

ght

LUKE WRIGHT

L

uke Wright still looks like someone out of a teenage pop band but it will be ten years in September since he first made his mark on Sussex cricket.

In truth it was as something of a bit-part role during the greatest few days in the county’s history.

Wright made his first-class debut in the Leicestershire side trounced

by Sussex at Hove in 2003 when the county won the Championship for the first time.

The following year Peter Moores brought him to Sussex and now Wright is part of the furniture at Hove, although these days it is rare for him to be in any place for more than a few weeks at a time.

For Luke is the archetypal gun for hire in Twenty20, a format of the game that seemed tailor-made for his muscular talents from that

Australia’s Big Bash tournament before a quick stint in the Bangladesh equivalent for Dhaka.

Then it was off to New Zealand where he helped England win the T20 series. After a few weeks at home, including a few days of pre-season at Hove, he was on his travels again to India to take part for the second time in the IPL for Pune Warriors.

Since his recovery from knee surgery at the end of the 2011 season he seems to have taken his game to a new level. The ebullient stroke-play is what attracts potential suitors but he has become a better white-ball bowler in the past 18 months, safe in the knowledge that following knee surgery in the Autumn of 2011 his body isn’t going to let him down.

There are plenty of people – not all of them from Sussex – who find it hard to believe that Matt Prior, the world’s best wicketkeeper-

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many superb one-day innings for Sussex, topped off by that brilliant century in a losing cause in the CB40 semi-final against Hampshire, would argue that he has moved his game on in the last 12 months and deserves another crack in England’s middle order this summer.

More eye-catching domestic performances would help and so, no doubt, would a few in the IPL. Wright only played one game for Pune last year but he is one of only three England players in this year’s edition and, as the only one who is not centrally contracted, he is allowed to play in the whole six-week tournament from April 7 to May 27.

“I’m looking forward to it because you are up against the best players in the world even if you tend to come across a lot of the same guys playing T20 these days,” he added. “I must have faced Alfonso Thomas on at least

“It is quite tough to get into our top order with Cook, Bell, Trott and KP but I’d love to come into the middle order if there’s no role for me at the top and obviously my bowling would help” June evening back in 2007 when he announced himself to the wider cricketing world with that blitzkrieg hundred against Kent at Canterbury.

A few weeks later he was making his England debut and although there have been periods when he has been out of the side since he goes into this summer’s international series against New Zealand and Australia with 88 appearances to his name, 46 in ODIs and 42 in Twenty20. He will always be more than a footnote in English cricket history having been part of the side which won the T20 World Cup in 2010 and in Sri Lanka last September his 193 runs in five games was one of the better individual performances in a pretty toothless title defence by England.

Already this year Wright has played T20 for Melbourne Stars in

batsman, doesn’t play limitedovers cricket for England. Wright hasn’t played an ODI for more than two years now and while his is happy to jet off around the globe (despite his aversion to flying he made 38 flights in 2012) to pick up T20 riches it is a means to an end in some ways.

three different continents! But I know that if I perform well in any competition wherever it is I will get noticed and that’s all I can do.”

“I have huge ambitions to get back into the one-day side,” he said. “It is quite tough to get into our top order with Cook, Bell, Trott and KP but I’d love to come into the middle order if there’s no role for me at the top and obviously my bowling would help.

Every time I get the chance to push my case I will try and do so.”

Those 46 ODIs to date have included just two fifties while his economy rate with the ball is 5.07.

These are not statistics which are necessarily going to alert Andy Flower & co. but everyone who watched him last season play so

SPRING 2013 | 39

FtSe

COUNTY Preview

County by County Bruce Talbot looks at what’s been going on at our first division rivals and previews their prospects for the new season WARWICKSHIRE Coach: Dougie Brown

Captain: Jim Troughton

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o county has retained the title since Durham followed Sussex by winning back to back in 2008 and 2009 and it may be difficult for the Bears to emulate them.

They have a new coach in Dougie Brown but Ashley Giles, now with England, will be a hard act to follow and with an expensive ground redevelopment to pay for there have been no big signings at Edgbaston.

Mind you, the existing squad is still strong although Warwickshire will need the likes of Chris Wright and Varun Chopra, who had the best seasons of their career last year, to repeat their achievements.

A strong seam attack, with Wright supplemented by the likes of Boyd Rankin and Chris Woakes (pictured) will make them a handful on early season pitches and Rikki Clarke has matured into one of the best all-rounders in the county game. They will go close again but might come up short.

When we play them – May 1-4: Hove; August 28-31: Edgbaston

YORKSHIRE Coach: Jason Gillespie

Captain: Andrew Gale

J

udging by the comments attributed to their chairman Colin Graves, the Tykes felt they were too good for Division Two but they only just scraped up and might find it tough to avoid relegation again.

The seam attack has been strengthened by the signing of Jack Brooks (pictured), from Northamptonshire, and Durham’s Liam Plunkett and their bowling unit looks decent but Joe Root is likely to be lost to England for much of the season while the normally reliable Anthony McGrath has retired. Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance are also England contenders so scoring heavy runs to give their attack a chance could be problematical.

They are a decent one-day side and will target further success in T20 while leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who is now 25, has to kick on. The forgotten man of England’s spin department, he lost his place to Azeem Rafiq last season and is in danger of squandering his talent.

When we play them – April 10-13: Headingley; Sept 11-14: Hove.

40 | 2013 SPRING

DERBYSHIRE Coach: Wayne Madsen Captain: Karl Krikken

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ost Championship aficionados were delighted to see the Peakites win promotion and a top-flight place for the first time since the two-divisional split. Staying up will be a big achievement but in Shiv Chanderpaul they have recruited a batsman almost guaranteed to score consistently and someone comfortable in English conditions. Their other recruit is Billy Godleman, a batsman who has so far failed to fulfil his promise at Middlesex and Essex.

The seam attack is decent although not a patch on some of their rivals but Derbyshire have an under-rated spinner in David Wainwright who is also a very useful lower-order batsman as Sussex found to their cost in his Yorkshire days.

South African Wayne Madsen (pictured) is an astute leader whose runs will again be important and if they can continue to perform well at home they might have a better than even chance of staying up.

When we play them – May 15-18: Derby; Aug 2-5: Hove.

COUNTY Preview

DURHAM

MIDDLESEX

Captain: Paul Collingwood

Captain: Neil Dexter

his could be a tough season for cash-strapped Durham who have no money to bring in an overseas player and who have lost two key members of their attack in Liam Plunkett, now with Yorkshire, and Ian Blackwell, who was forced to retire because of injury.

hey might be an outside bet for Championship honours, having strengthened an already strong seam attack by recruiting Glamorgan’s James Harris who opted for Middlesex ahead of a clutch of other counties.

Coach: Geoff Cook

T

They cannot rely on the runs of Michael Di Venuto anymore either and if Graham Onions wins back his England place there won’t be much left of the excellent seam attack that helped them win the title as recently as 2009.

Coach: Richard Scott

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Toby Roland-Jones (pictured) could emulate Steve Finn and push for England honours if he has another good season while the batting looks strong and their batsmen now have the benefit of Mark Ramprakash’s tutelage after he joined them as coach.

Chris Rogers, who leads them in one-day cricket, should have another solid season and the arrival of Australian Adam Voges might enable them to improve on a pretty average T20 record.

When we play them – June 5-8: Lord’s; 17-20 July: Hove

Can Steve Harmison and Paul Collingwood, now in the twilight of their careers, roll back the years? They might have to if Durham are to avoid a long battle against relegation.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

When we play them – Sept 3-6: Emirates ICG; Sept 24-27: Hove

Captain: Chris Read

SOMERSET Coach: Andy Hurry

Captain: Marcus Trescothick

T

he nearly-but-not-quites for so long now, time is running out for Somerset to fulfil their undoubted potential and win a trophy.

It looks like Nick Compton won’t be around for much of the summer, which will be a big loss, but they still have plenty of potential match-winners although their lack of a quality spinner means that elusive silverware is likely to come in either of the oneday competitions.

South African Alviro Petersen should make big runs, especially at Taunton, while all-rounder Peter Trego (pictured) enjoyed some of the best form of his career last season as Sussex discovered to their cost in the final home match.

When we play them – May 22-25: Horsham; July 8-11: Taunton

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Coach: Mick Newell

A

nother county who will quietly fancy their chances of making a tilt for the title.

Australian Ed Cowan is their early-season overseas player and won’t lack for motivation with back-toback Ashes series on the horizon while James Taylor (pictured) has the talent to improve on a modest first year at Trent Bridge and push his England claims again.

Ajmal Shahzad has joined his third county in as many years and will relish conditions at home but a lot will again depend on the formidable Andre Adams, although at 37 it could be that his powers are on the wane.

They might not win the title but with England’s T20 openers Alex Hales and Michael Lumb in their ranks they ought to challenge for one-day honours.

When we play them – May 31-June 3: Hove; June 22-25: Trent Bridge.

SURREY Coach: Chris Adams

Captain: Graeme Smith Surrey flattered to deceive last season and nearly ended up getting relegated but if things click they could well challenge strongly for the Championship this year.

Any side with the formidable Graeme Smith and – for two months at least – Ricky Ponting should score big runs. There’s no Mark Ramprakash, of course, but a new challenge ought to invigorate Vikram Solanki (pictured), who has joined from Worcestershire.

Like Solanki, left-arm spinner Gary Keedy has been there, done that and will relish a new challenge on a wicket which ought to help him more than Old Trafford tended to in recent years.

Their seam attack has enviable depth and will allow rotation and if things fall into place they could be genuine contenders.

When we play them – April 24-27: The Oval; June 12-15: Arundel.

SPRING 2013 | 41

FtSe

Review blind cricket

The game is adapted for visually impaired cricketers but matches are hard fought and competitive!

S

ussex CCC in association with Santander will be hosting their annual Disability Cricket Day at the Brighton & Hove Jobs.com County Ground on Thursday, May 16, between 10am-2pm.

Participation by disabled people in the game has grown in the last three years and this event will hopefully attract more people to cricket, whether your interest is in playing, watching or even scoring.

There will be small-sided games and lots of other fun activities including ECB’s Cricket Factory, Table Cricket, Skills Zone, Street20 Zone and VI Skill Zone. Food and drink will be available.

Coaching is available and entrance is free. It runs from 10am – 2pm and for more details, or to book a coaching course, please email roger.newman@sussexcricket.co.uk Come down and get involved!

T

he Sussex Sharks Visually Impaired team are celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2013. What a ten years it has been, topped off with winning two trophies - the Visually Impaired Cricket League Cup and the Bill Frindall T20 Memorial Cup – last year.

With the support of the county club, the Sussex Sharks VI team play many of their games at the Academy Ground at Blackstone. The game and laws of cricket have been slightly adapted for the visually impaired but the spirit of cricket is the same and highly competitive and hard fought

42 | 2013 SPRING

games have become a mainstay of visually impaired cricket.

The Sussex Sharks has been part of the Sussex Cricket family since 2003, growing from strength to strength not only through one of the most successful senior squads in the visually impaired cricket but also through an ever-growing and impressive junior section.

The Visually Impaired Cricket League stretches throughout the country from Durham to Hampshire and Kent to Wales, meaning that many games need to be fitted into the season.Extra pressure on team

selection can also happen when members of the Sharks VI team are also involved in the English VI side, as is regularly the case.

Sussex Sharks VI are looking forward to yet another ten years in partnership with Sussex CCC. They hope to win more trophies and encourage young people who might not think they can access the wonderful world of cricket and play the game.

To find out more visit www.sussexcricket.co.uk or www.bcew.org.uk

INDOOR SCHOOL

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Get ready for the new season!

Courses and coaching available in our fantastic Indoor School

There are coaching sessions and courses for players of all ages and standards available in the Farnrise Indoor School

T

he Farnrise Indoor School is an all-year round facility at The BrightonandHoveJobs.com County Ground, Hove and is a key component to Sussex’s preparation for the season, both in the winter and summer months.

It boasts some of the most up-todate facilities in the country, including specialist surfaces, independent lanes with interchangeable nets, substantial run-ups, tension netting (which is ideal for indoor cricket matches), bowling machines and a comfortable viewing gallery overlooking the school.

We also offer unrivalled one-to-one coaching with a Sussex CCC coach, subject to availability. The cost for these sessions is £40 per hour, £34 for area squad players and £30 for early-bird sessions. Discounts are available for block bookings.

There are Junior Coaching Courses taking place in the Indoor School

throughout the year including all school holidays. Many of the professional and coaching staff of the County Club started their cricketing careers by attending one or other of the Club’s Junior Coaching Courses.

Children aged between 6 and 14 years of age, of all abilities and experience, will find a suitable course at an appropriate time of year. The Coaches supervising all these sessions are all English Cricket Board qualified and experienced in relaying information to children in an informative but enjoyable way. Several current and ex-Sussex players take part in many of the courses.

Do you play for a local club? Why not hold your net sessions at Hove? The nets are hired by many clubs across the county on evenings and weekends and with the changing and shower facilities, as well as the viewing area, coupled with the

state-of-the-art cricketing facilities then we really are the premier place venue for clubs to base themselves for out-of-season for indoor training.

The school is also available for private hire to accommodate corporate days or birthday parties.

To find out more about the Farnrise Indoor School, visit our website www.sussexcricket.co.uk/indoor-school To book nets or find out about the latest courses ring: Indoor School Manager: Colin Bowley: colin.bowley@sussexcricket.co.uk Indoor School Administrator: Pat Green: pat.green@sussexcricket.co.uk Or call us to book on 0844 264 0203

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Review

44 | 2012 AUTUMN

TONY GREIG

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colossus of Cricket Sussex committee member Richard Barrow pays an affectionate tribute to Tony Greig, who died at the turn of the year

Tony gets ready to play for the Rest of the World team in World Series Cricket.

News of the Packer revolution, and Tony’s part in it, broke at Hove in May 1977.

W

ith the incredibly sad passing of Tony Greig, Sussex and England lost one of their most charismatic and controversial captains of the 20th century.

A.W. Greig exploded on to the Sussex scene as a 20-year-old ‘import’ from South Africa with a debut hundred (156) against Lancashire at Hove in 1967. Born in South Africa of Scottish parentage Tony was forced to serve a one-year qualification in 1966 by MCC. Tall, athletic and strong he could bowl, bat and field with equal adeptness. He had an ego and an ambition to match his ability and a self-belief that never wavered. In 1970 he played three ‘Tests’ against the Rest of the World, although no caps were awarded for these prestige games. In 1972 Tony was selected to make his official Test debut

against Australia at Old Trafford, scoring two fifties and taking five wickets. His star was rising.

During the Port of Spain Test in March 1974, on the tour to West Indies, Tony experimented by bowling off-spin with phenomenal results, taking 13 for 156 in the match to square the series.

Tony played many a memorable Test innings but possibly none more so than his 110 at Brisbane in November 1974 against Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson at their absolute devastating and ferocious best. Greig counter-attacked by angling his bat flat and aquaplaning the ball over the four slips and two gully fielders. Australian captain Ian Chappell was not amused.

In 1975 Tony assumed the England captaincy from Mike Denness, leading England for the first time at Lord’s against

Australia and scoring 96 before he was caught behind going for the boundary.

I was privileged to see this innings. Lillee had ripped out the upper order but David Steele on debut and Greig added 96 for the fifth wicket, carefully building the innings before going on the offensive. The infamous streaker on the fourth day just seemed to add to the gaiety of the occasion!

Greig’s tendency to provoke the opposition backfired the following year with his infamous ‘grovel’ quote during an interview at Hove to preview the series, which the West Indies rightly took a bit too personally. This culminated with Greig grovelling on his hands and knees at The Oval during Viv Richards’ epic 291 to the humiliation of England cricket.

SPRING 2013 | 45

TONY GREIG

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Greig played 58 Tests for England averaging just over 40 with the bat, scoring 3,599 runs. With the ball he averaged 32 taking 141 wickets.

Tony bowling for England in India in 1977 when he led his country to only their second series win on the sub-continent

Of course the opposition prized his wicket greatly and in one-day games the opposition crowds loved to hate Tony, a sign of his enormous contribution to Sussex.

MAIN: Members of the Greig family, including his wife Vivian, at the tribute to Tony held at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January. LEFT: Tony bowling for England in India in 1977 when he led his country to only their second series win on the sub-continent

During the winter of 1976-77 Tony was at the height of his powers. England won 3-1 in India and Tony became only the second England captain to win on the sub-continent, Douglas Jardine being the other. However, during the Centenary Test at Melbourne that followed Greig’s triumphal tour, the storm clouds were gathering which would ultimately explode at Hove on May 11 1977.

The start of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket dominated the front pages of the broadsheet and tabloid papers.

At the time, the Packer Revolution was sensational news. The sedate world of English cricket was turned upside down overnight.

The ultra-conservative establishment was vitriolic and indignant at the loss of its star players and the England captain to private enterprise. Court writs were served, Packer players ostracised even in their own dressing rooms and the public could not comprehend such insolence.

In May 1978 Tony’s Sussex contract was terminated by mutual consent and he quietly slipped out of the UK and did not return for a very long time. Of course Greig’s actions, seen as heresy at the time, ultimately commercialised the professional game beyond recognition, while rewarding players their true worth and introducing

much-needed sponsorship to international and domestic cricket. Floodlights and coloured clothing were just the start. Today’s generation of millionaire cricketers have every good reason to thank Tony Greig.

After a fractious peace broke out in 1979 and Packer won control of Australian TV cricket coverage, Greig moved to the Channel Nine commentary box where he would stay for over 30 years.

Greig played 58 Tests for England averaging just over 40 with the bat, scoring 3,599 runs. With the ball he averaged 32 taking 141 wickets. If Packer had not happened it is possible Tony could have played 100 Tests and scored 7,000 runs and taken 300 wickets, putting him right up there with the absolute best of the game’s all-rounders.

On a personal note I remember his heyday at Sussex with great affection. He, more than any other Sussex player during the late 1960s and early 1970s, fired my enthusiasm for cricket and Sussex CCC. As a kid he was great to watch, always involved in the game with his searing off drives, unique ‘engine pistons’ bowling action and bucket hands at slip. ‘Tony Greig walks on Water’ was the view in the ‘Cowshed’. And so said all of us!

Of course the opposition prized his wicket

greatly and in one-day games the opposition crowds loved to hate Tony, a sign of his enormous contribution to Sussex.

Off the field there was a real human heart and he was a very approachable man. As a 14-year-old I wanted so many pictures of Tony autographed (to his despair). He invited me to his home for tea and cakes and signed all 32 pictures! When I was 18 Tony gave me a lift in his white Jaguar from Leicester to Worcester and bought me a fillet steak.

I was just a ‘green behind the ears’ teenager. He was Captain of England. It seemed surreal then as it does now, but Tony really was a decent man and arguably the Godfather of the Sussex Family we know today.

I was fortunate to see so much of Tony’s career. I recall his career-best 226 against Warwickshire at Hastings in 1975. Having passed 200 just after tea on the first day he decided to try and emulate Sobers and go for six sixes. The first four off Peter Lewington’s off-breaks easily cleared the boundary, the fifth went up a mile and was caught just inside the long on rope. ‘Greig the Colossus’ was the headline the next day. Indeed he was.

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Review cricket women’s

REWARDING START FOR SUSSEX The domestic season has only just got underway but Sussex’s women cricketers have been busy since the start of 2013, as Charlotte Burton reports

S

ussex women’s season began early this year with the under-19 squad heading to Abu Dhabi in February for the first women’s Sport Arabia tour and the first overseas tour by a Sussex women’s team.

Sussex were up against Lancashire, Wales and Scotland with the group winners going on to play in the final at the Zayed International Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Sussex played Lancashire first and adjusted to conditions quickly, posting 245 for 7 with Georgia Adams (59) and Chiara Green (35) the top scorers. Sussex kept the runs down by bowling and fielding tightly, restricting Lancashire to 149 for 6 with Freya Davies and Rebecca Silk both taking two wickets each.

In their second match against Wales in a day/night game in Dubai, Sussex again kept the bowling tight and restricted Wales to 144 for 6 with Silk taking 2 for 28. Sussex openers Adams and Green continued where they left off the day before in their partnership, playing with intelligence and confidence as they worked the ball into the gaps. They put together a stand of 73 before Adams was caught at square leg for 37. Sophie Parnell joined Green and both kept the momentum going with Green finishing on 57 and Parnell 31 as Sussex won by nine wickets.

Sussex faced Scotland in their final game and they knew victory would mean they would reach the final.

Sussex were put into bat and Georgia Adams and Sophie Parnell played with power and flair and put pressure on the bowlers from the start. Both players reached 50 quickly and put together an opening partnership of 142 before Parnell was caught for 65 off 68 balls. Adams continued to hit all around the ground with some impressive shots and she led the team to 248 for 5 with 112 not out off 118 balls.

Izi Noakes started well with the ball and took three early wickets with Scotland soon 28 for 3. Jade Elphick, Georgina Monk and Alicia Caillard kept the bowling tight and restricted Scotland to 104 for 7 in their 40 overs.

48 | 2013 2012 SPRING AUTUMN

The Zayed International Stadium provided a magnificent backdrop for the tournament

Sussex were in the final where they faced the MCC and fielded first, with Noakes taking the early wicket of fellow Sussex player Izzy Collis. Sussex’s fielding and bowling was again tight as it had been in their earlier games and they kept the MCC down to 150 with pick of the bowlers being Sam Wright (1 for 12) and Jade Elphick (1 for 19).

Sussex lost the early wickets of Green and Parnell, but Carla Rudd and Izi Noakes built a partnership and kept Sussex in the game with a stand of 58 before Noakes was caught and bowled for 35.

Rudd continued to dig deep but Sussex kept losing wickets at the other end before she was given out lbw for 41. Sussex came close but were finally bowled out with just two overs remaining and lost by 12 runs.

Even though Sussex lost, the tour was a great success and to reach the final and to come so close in conditions the side were not used to was a great achievement and they will all take a lot from this experience.

The forthcoming season sees one major change with Holly Colvin taking over the captaincy reins from Caroline Atkins and Sarah Taylor coming in as vice captain.

Both players have fantastic knowledge of the game and have worked together since they were at school so the side is in very good hands. With the experience and knowledge they have and the youth in the side Sussex are in good shape.

The under-19s who took part in the first overseas tour by a women’s team from Sussex

The domestic season starts against Berkshire at East Grinstead CC on Sunday 14th April in the County Championship.

They will also face Warwickshire, Surrey, Kent, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Middlesex and Essex. Sussex couldn’t retain the title they won in 2011 last year despite being the side that played the most games and had most wins (five). Instead, they finished second on bonus points.

They will also look to hold onto the T20 trophy for the first time and the squad are very determined to win the double this year.

Let’s just hope the rain stays away this summer!

JIM PARKS

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THE PRESIDENT’S MEN: Jim, far right, with current chairman Jim May, one of his predecessors Robin Marlar, and vice-chairman Richard Barrow

It’s President Parks Jim gets the honour for second time in his illustrious career

F

ormer Sussex and England wicketkeeper-batsman Jim Parks is our club President for 2013, his appointment having been ratified at the county’s AGM at the end of March.

Jim, who was born in Haywards Heath, played 739 first-class matches including 46 Tests for England and scored over 36,000 runs in his career. He followed in the footsteps of his father Jim and uncle Harry, who both played for Sussex between the wars.

Jim first played for the County in 1949 and captained the side for five years before he saw out his playing days with Somerset in 1972. He later worked as the Marketing Manager at Hove in the 1990s and served as President from 2003 to 2005, when Sussex won the Championship for the first time and Jim famously marched onto the outfield at Hove with a glass of champagne for skipper Chris Adams in the title-clinching game against Leicestershire.

Jim said: “I feel very honoured to be invited to be President for the coming year, and look forward to what I hope will be a most successful season for the team.”

Sussex Chairman Jim May said, “Bryan Bedson has been an outstanding President for the past five years and has helped us improve the way Sussex is run. 2013

is a very important year for us with a testimonial granted to the two Sussex cricket charities. It will also mark the 50th anniversary of Sussex’s triumph in the inaugural Gillette Cup Final over Worcestershire, in which Jim Parks starred with the bat. We also have the Australians playing us in July at Hove and Jim is well respected by the Aussies.

“Jim is an iconic Sussex cricketer and we are delighted that he has agreed to be this year’s President.”

The story of Sussex’s first domestic success 50 years ago, as seen through Jim’s reminiscences, is one of the chapters in a new book on Sussex ‘Match of my Life’, written by Bruce Talbot and published by Pitch Publishing.

Sussex beat Worcestershire in a lowscoring Lord’s final after earlier wins over Kent, Yorkshire (in front of a 15,000 crowd at Hove) and Northamptonshire.

Jim said: “I just don’t think the one-day sides back in the early 1960s got enough credit. A lot of very fine English players took to the one-day game very easily when it started, it’s just there wasn’t a lot of fuss made at the time. If we’d had a World Cup then instead of waiting until 1975 I’m convinced England would have won it and the next one as well.”

Jim played 739 first-class games in a career of more than 25 years including 46 Tests for England

Jim has an association going back with Sussex cricket for more than six decades and doubtless ‘Mr President’ will enjoy reminiscing about his life and times with the county during 2013.

SPRING 2013 | 49

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Following Sussex If you can’t get to the game…

John Lees, of BBC Sussex, shares commentary duties with Chris Nash at Arundel. Stick to the day job Nashy!

I

f you cannot get to a Sussex game this summer you won’t have to move too far to enjoy the best possible coverage of every ball home and away.

The BBC have agreed a new radio commentary deal with the ECB which sees commentary of all county games streamed through the BBC website.

Locally, BBC Sussex will be providing ball-by-ball commentary on every single match played at Hove in all competitions.

That commentary will be available via the BBC website and many of the matches should also be on Tune-in radio. You can also purchase radios at the ground pre-set to hear the commentary.

BBC Sussex will also be staffing every Sussex away game in the County Championship and the BBC Local radio network as a whole will be guaranteeing that every away game in the YB40 and Twenty20 competitions are also covered and available on the BBC website.

BBC Sussex Sports Editor Tim Durrans said: “Our coverage of Sussex this season will be better than ever thanks to this deal which is great news for

50 | 2013 SPRING

cricket fans everywhere in the county.

“Not only can you listen to ball-by-ball commentary if you are not at a game you can listen to the coverage at the match too which will hopefully enhance your viewing and listening experience.”

BBC Sussex will again be calling on the services of the indefatigable John Lees, who watched his first Sussex game in the 1950s, as well as John Barnett, Simon Levenson and Adrian Harmes.

The BBC Sussex team will also link up with the commentators covering our opponents to bring you the best possible coverage as well as special guests and hopefully a Sussex player or two!

As well as live stream of all match commentaries, there will also be increased coverage on Radio 5 live sports extra.

“There is a big appetite for county cricket coverage,” said BBC head of radio sport and sports news Richard Burgess. “This broadcast partnership between the BBC and the ECB means that the entire season will now be available to audiences.

“The BBC has a long-standing commitment to cricket commentary,

and this is a great opportunity to further raise the profile of the sport and promote the game at county level through BBC Sport’s multi-platform capabilities.”

The new agreement came into force for the opening day of the County Championship on 10 April.

ECB chief executive David Collier said the new deal was a “fantastic boost” for county cricket.

He said: “With a new domestic playing schedule due to start in 2014, we are keen to promote the county game to the widest possible audience and are delighted that the BBC will be providing such comprehensive coverage of all our county competitions, and seeking to recruit a new generation of broadcasting talent.

“This is great news for all followers of county cricket nationwide, and for the 18 first-class counties who will undoubtedly benefit from wider levels of media exposure.”

BBC Test Match Special will be providing full coverage of this summer’s international fixtures, featuring the Ashes Tests against Australia, on Radio 4 LW and 5 live sports extra.

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