Museum and Educational Trust

SUSSEX CRICKET MUSEUM & EDUCATIONAL TRUST

LUKE WRIGHT WILL OPEN THE MUSEUM IN APRIL 2022

We are looking forward to our beloved museum springing back to life in 2022.

The pandemic has affected us hugely with the museum unable to open, volunteers restricted in their visits and the 2020 and 2021 exhibitions never seen by our friends and supporters. But in the background there has been a huge amount going on and we are looking forward to our opening with Luke Wright on Thursday 7 April, the first day of the 2022 season. I am especially grateful to Mark Foster who ensured the safety and security of the collection during the lockdowns.

Our volunteers have done an amazing job working in smaller groups than usual but under Rob Boddie’s leadership they have prepared a wonderful exhibition to enjoy this summer. Paul Hutson, Norman Epps and Mark Foster have joined Rob to get the museum prepared and the theme will be a celebration of 150 years at the County Ground with special features on Sussex favourites Ted Dexter, John Snow, Jim Parks and Ian Thomson. A cabinet will be dedicated to our friends from New Zealand who will be visiting us for the first time since 1990, having played 12 matches at Hove since 1927.

Our volunteers made great strides in the cataloguing and care of our collection, detailing its various aspects. I am particularly grateful to Nigel Tarr and Keith Ridge for their great work in our picture archive; to Peter Crowhurst, Ian Bishop and David Jeater for the order that is beginning to appear in the Archive Room; to Sheila Phillips for brilliantly sorting out our office and shining exhibits until they gleam; and to the indefatigable Tim Burges who returned caps and ties to players who were awarded them at the 2004 Celebration Dinner and also made sure that our autograph collection is fully up to date. Thank you all.

Our publications prospered during the lockdowns. We were thrilled to be the inaugural winners of the Howard Milton Award for Cricket Scholarship awarded by the Cricket Society in Autumn 2020 and finally presented in October 2021 by none other than Johnny Barclay. Our lockdown publications included Treasure Trove by David Stoner, which details the history of the library and

COPIES OF THE BOOK CHRONICLING MURRAY GOODWIN’S OUTSTANDING SUSSEX CAREER ARE STILL AVAILABLE FROM THE MUSEUM

the museum collection, and Bruce Talbot’s delightful monograph on Murray Goodwin. Just a few copies remain of each.

We are delighted to be working with Patrick Ferriday and James Mettyear on The Field of Dreams, detailing 150 years of cricket and other activities at the County Ground which will be published in April. Meanwhile, Norman Epps has been working hard on a record of the great and unusual events at the ground which will be published later in the season.

Phil Barnes has finished our record of Danial Ibrahim’s prodigious feats which will be published in our pamphlet series and we are pleased to announce that we are working with the great historian and writer David Boorman on a series of publications about club and recreational cricket in the Horsham area. The first of these will be the great story of Cricket at Knepp Castle, to be published in July. We continue to work with Stephen Baldwin on his biography of John Wisden which is nearing completion.

We are so lucky to have such an efficient and professional support team led by secretary Mary Gallivan and treasurer Cliff Robinson. Mary, with much help from Phil Barnes, does a wonderful job keeping our valued friends and patrons informed, whilst Cliff ensures our finances are well looked after. Supporters will be pleased to know that we made a profit of about £3000 last year which is added to our reserves and can be used for acquisitions should anything become available to buy for the collection.

I would like to also record my sincere thanks to all the trustees, notably Nicholas Sharp who does so much for the museum and who has published his own booklet about the museum which I am sure readers will enjoy.

But the final word must go to our much-loved curator Rob Boddie. We are absolutely delighted that at the 2022 AGM Rob was made a vice president in recognition of well over 20 years selfless service to the club and the Museum Trust. Few such awards have been so hard earned. We all look forward to welcoming you to the museum this summer to see the fruits of our labours.