Sussex Cricket Yearbook 2023

SUSSEX CRICKET

Welcome to the 2023 edition of the Sussex Yearbook.

I’d like to start by thanking Chair Jon Filby for his support. More and more counties are dispensing with their annual record of the previous year but Jon believes passionately that the yearbook should continue. I hope you will find the mix of scorecards, statistics, pictures and articles will bring back memories of last summer (it wasn’t all bad!) and give you a sense of the club as it moves forward, from first XI to the Foundation.

While it’s always nice to look back, and this year Paul Weaver fondly remembers two titans of Sussex cricket, Jim Parks and Robin Marlar as well as a modern great in Luke Wright, there is also an opportunity to look forward. Head coach Paul Farbrace has contributed a thoughtful essay on his hopes for this season and beyond and, at the request of several readers, we have reinstated the player profiles, all 28 of them, and kept the scorecards intact. I tentatively suggested to Jon last summer that they might be left out as the information is available online but he insisted that this publication is one of record first and foremost.

A few thank yous: Gavin, Justin and Dihaan at O&G for design and production skills; Ali McCreedy for supplying some of the photos (the rest are Getty Images); Paul Elford and Nicholas Sharp for the home scorecards; Roger Packham, who wrote the obituaries; and the indefatigable Norman Epps, for his Notes on the Season and for updating the records section which, I suspect, is still the most thumbed part of the yearbook. It is the 47th yearbook Norman has contributed to and the vice-presidency the club awarded him this year is richly deserved.

Let’s hope a few more records are rewritten this summer and that Sussex’s fortunes on the field start to move in the right direction.

Bruce Talbot, March 2023

CREATING A PASSION FOR CRICKET

Iattended the first day of a County Championship match as a new junior member with my brothers, Andrew and Christopher, and my dad, William, who had just been appointed as the Vicar of Bishop Hannington Church in Holmes Avenue, Hove. The Sussex team included three great players who were to become my heroes: Tony Greig, Jim Parks and John Snow. I fell in love with the place and the people instantly. Fifty-one years later it is a huge privilege to have been elected Chair of Sussex Cricket.

I would like to start my first contribution to the yearbook, by paying tribute to my predecessor Bob Warren for his service as Chair through some of the most difficult years in our history. Thanks to Bob’s stewardship and financial prudence we have emerged from the pandemic in a strong position financially and with much to look forward to in all aspects of Sussex cricket.

The progress that we are making as an organisation is symbolised by the magnificent Tate Residences that have replaced the pub I used to wait patiently outside for to get autographs of my heroes. It will now greet all visitors as they arrive at the main gates at the sea end of The 1st Central County Ground. The new Sussex Cricketers pub on the ground floor will open its doors in early April and all 37 flats, which have been sold off plan, will be occupied by the time the 2023 season starts.

It is such an important project for Sussex Cricket with long term annual financial benefits of around £350,000 deriving from rental income from the pub and two floors of commercial offices.

My huge thanks go to Simon Crundwell and Rob Andrew who have led this work and to Ben Cheal of our partners, Roffey Homes, who have ensured that the project has completed to time and within budget despite the most difficult of circumstances caused by Covid restrictions in the early part and material supply and escalating prices as the work was nearing completion.

The new Chair of the ECB, Richard Thompson, has set out a vision for making cricket the most inclusive sport in the country and this is an ambition that we in Sussex share. It is pleasing to report that during the winter we have installed a Contemplation Room at Hove and an alcohol-free family stand with

The first Sussex match that I saw at the County Ground was against Warwickshire in May 1971.

the aim of helping to make The 1st Central County Ground a more inclusive venue.

Our player pathway continues to provide opportunity for boys and girls across Sussex to aspire to the dream of professional careers and our partnership with the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy offers the opportunity for 50 state-school pupils to receive a cricketing education which is the equivalent of any available in the private sector.

I am pleased to be able to report that our Board is now compliant with Sport England and ECB requirements on diversity of membership. We must, and will, use the publication of the Independent Commission into Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report as an opportunity to make lasting change to cricket in Sussex and to ensure that we indeed make our sport the most inclusive sport in the county.

The performance of the men’s first team has been the subject of much comment and with just one win in the County Championship last season and failure to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast results have continued to be disappointing. However, the depth of our young talent in all disciplines of the game means that

there is much cause for optimism. Jack Carson and Tom Haines were selected for England Lions this winter, whilst James Coles, Bertie Foreman, Danial Ibrahim, Archie Lenham and Charlie Tear were all picked for the Young Lions tour of Australia. They will have returned enriched by their experiences and determined to develop their careers and win matches for Sussex.

I am delighted to welcome Paul Farbrace as our new Head Coach. Immediately after his appointment, Paul made it clear that we need to stop talking about “potential” and starting to talk about “performance”. We will all watch with hope and expectation that our exciting, young, locally developed team will start winning matches with the aim of competing for silverware in the years ahead and with the ambition, as individuals, of following in the footsteps of Sussex teammates Jofra Archer, George Garton, Tymal Mills and Ollie Robinson in representing England at the highest level.

All of our home 2nd XI games will be played at either Blackstone, Horsham or Hove and it is pleasing that this year very few of the fixtures clash with 1st XI matches which means that many of you

THE CROWDS RETURNED IN NUMBERS DURING THE ROYAL LONDON ONE-DAY CUP CAMPAIGN, INCLUDING THE SEMI-FINAL AGAINST LANCASHIRE IN LATE AUGUST.

will be able to watch some excellent cricket played by our talented young players fighting for places in the first team. I know that you will receive a particularly warm welcome at Horsham and hope that many will take the opportunity to again enjoy cricket at this most special ground.

Women’s cricket is the fastest growing sport in the country and 2023 is a landmark year in Sussex because we will be launching the first ever Women’s Cricket League which will have a premier division of five clubs and a second division of ten teams. We confidently expect this to grow in the years ahead but hope that all the women and girls who get to play league cricket will hugely enjoy it and have the opportunity to develop their skills.

The talent pathway in Sussex continues to develop international cricketers with Freya Kemp from Fletching recently joining Freya Davies in the England team. At The 1st Central County Ground, we have plenty of top quality women’s cricket to look forward to as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ever women’s ODI which was played at Hove on 23 June 1973 when England beat an International XI by nine wickets in the first match of the inaugural World Cup. England play Sri Lanka in an ODI at Hove on Sunday September 15 and the Southern Vipers will play three home matches at Hove.

The recreational game in Sussex continues to prosper and our men’s league will again see an increase in the number of teams and divisions this season when over 370 teams will play in 38 divisions across the county. The connection between the professional and recreational game has never been stronger with so many of our men’s first team having started at clubs across the county. My thanks are due to Gary Stanley and his outstanding team of volunteers who run the league and continue to enable us to buck national trends by growing the quantity and quality of league cricket played in the county. The Sussex Slam competitions also continue to grow and provide a great opportunity for people to enjoy playing midweek cricket during the long summer evenings. Many people have been able to enjoy playing competitive cricket for the first time as a result of this competition and I am sure this summer will see many more first-time cricketers enjoying the game. Our Community Cricket department under the exceptional leadership of Gary Wallis-Tayler delivers a range of programmes both to encourage participation in cricket and to enhance people’s lives through the power of cricket. The undoubted highlight of the programme is DIScoverABILITY Day on 11 May at The 1st Central County Ground. Last year over 600 children and young people came from

all over Sussex to enjoy a wide variety of cricket activities and fun. We are expecting the same again this year and anybody who would like to volunteer can contact Gary for more details.

Another important date for the diary is the D40 match at Hove on Sunday 18 June. Last year we became the first county to host a disability cricket match at our home ground and were rewarded with the most amazing innings of 161 by Alfie Pyle who became the first player to score a century in an ECB D40 match. A crowd of over 300 enjoyed Alfie’s innings and a Sussex win over Surrey by 118 runs. Will history repeat itself? Come to Hove on 18 June to find out!

Our network of Sporting Memories groups meets each week across the county and provides the opportunity for older folk who may struggle with dementia or loneliness to meet together with our wonderful team of volunteers. This year will see us add a second weekly meeting in Hove and a new group in Crowborough bringing the number in the county to ten. At the opposite end of the age spectrum our community cricket coaches will deliver coaching to over 20,000 children in junior schools around the county with funding provided by Chance to Shine. Over 3,000 will attend the weekly All Stars and Dynamos programmes delivered at clubs around the county, 369 junior club teams will

compete in leagues and four disability cricket hubs will be run across the county to enable everybody to enjoy the chance to play cricket.

On your visits to Hove you might also enjoy calling in to the museum where our group of volunteers continue to preserve and display the Sussex Cricket Museum and Educational Trust’s outstanding collection of Sussex-related cricket memorabilia. Look out for a recently restored oil painting of Arthur Hyde who was a predecessor of Archie Lenham, Ollie Carter, Henry Crocombe, Ali Orr and Delray Rawlins at Eastbourne Cricket Club in the 1870s.

Sussex Cricket exists to create passion for cricket. I hope that you will all enjoy your visits to Hove watching our exciting young team and will also take the opportunity to engage with the game in your local community as we seek to win matches and make cricket the most inclusive sport in the county.

A VIEW FROM THE JIM PARKS PAVILION AS ALI ORR SCORES MORE RUNS IN HIS 198 AGAINST GLAMORGAN IN THE FINAL LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH OF 2022.

EMBRACING THE FUTURE

Cricket generally has come out of the pandemic in pretty good shape considering everything that has happened. Financially, unlike some other sports, the game is still in a reasonably good position, although I suspect economic worries caused by inflation and the cost of living crisis may create problems for some in the coming 12 months.

There are ongoing debates about the domestic playing structure following the High-Performance Review last year, and this debate is unlikely to go away given the continued growth of overseas franchise T20 leagues around the world, and the growing influence of Indian Premier League owners in other competitions in the West Indies and South Africa.

Professional Cricket

2022 was another challenging year for the club both on and off the field but we came out of it stronger as an organisation and look forward to 2023 having made some significant changes, particularly on the playing structure front.

Following another disappointing season on the field, albeit one ravaged by injury particularly to our bowlers, we decided to change the structure of men’s professional cricket and appoint one Head Coach who would be responsible across all formats and the role of Director of Cricket would no longer exist. It was clear that the split coaching roles did not work in practice and greater clarity was needed for both players and coaches.

We were delighted when we appointed Paul Farbrace as our new Head Coach in December. He is vastly experienced both domestically and internationally across all formats and we are all looking forward to working with him in the coming years. He is also excited by the potential we have in the group and is both positive and ambitious for our future.

Paul has talked about our priorities going forward and they include developing home grown players for Sussex, developing players for England and winning trophies for our members and supporters. We are doing a good job on the first two but need to improve our performances on the field. Our white-ball cricket has been consistent over the last few years but our red-ball performances have not been good enough.

We have Jofra Archer and Ollie Robinson on central contracts, Tom Haines and Jack Carson in the England Lions, and Archie Lenham, Dan Ibrahim,

AFTER AN INJURY-PLAGUED 18 MONTHS IT WAS GREAT TO SEE JOFRA ARCHER TAKING WICKETS AGAIN FOR ENGLAND DURING THE ONE-DAY SERIES AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA IN FEBRUARY

James Coles, Charlie Tear and Bertie Foreman in the Young Lions, as well a host of other talented home grown players in George Garton, Ali Orr, Tom Clark, Ollie Carter, Delray Rawlins, Henry Crocombe and Fynn Hudson-Prentice to name a few. We now need to be more consistent with the red ball. Keith Greenfield has taken up a new role as Director of Pathways and Cricket Partnerships and will continue to build on the work of the last few years as we focus on creating opportunities for young cricketers across Sussex and beyond, for example our partnership with Oxfordshire. We will grow our partnership with Brighton Aldridge Community Academy to provide first-class cricket facilities for state-school children, as well as build on our relationship with the private schools who deliver outstanding cricket programmes for our young people. Our relationship with the clubs in the 1st Central Cricket League is also critical as all our young players come through some combination of school and club programme before being part of our Sussex pathway and academy.

Women’s cricket has undergone a significant change over the last few years with the introduction of the Hundred and the regional structure, which has allowed more women to become professional. We play a full role in the Southern Vipers regional programme and provide Hove as a venue for matches, BACA for training and players for the squad/academy who come through the girls’ pathway and into the Sussex Women’s team. We will consider the best way to develop our girls and women’s programme and as part of this we are launching a Sussex Women’s premier division this summer, another first for women’s cricket in our county.

Community Cricket

2022 saw another amazing year of playing and development programmes across the county. Gary Wallis-Tayler, in his role of Community Cricket Director, and our three Territory Managers Matt Parsons, Carl Tupper and Hamish Russell, together with their teams, deserve great credit for their

commitment and professionalism in inspiring a passion for cricket across Sussex. I urge you to look at our Sussex Cricket Foundation 2022 Impact Report to see the scale of our programmes and how many lives we touch.

There have been many highlights as we continue to grow recreational cricket in the county and give young people an opportunity to fulfil their potential in whatever format of the game they choose.

Some of the key statistics from 2022 are:

190 affiliated clubs, 90 junior sections, 67 women’s and girls’ sections, four disability champion clubs/

143 clubs, 352 teams, 7900 players and 3016 matches played in The 1st Central Sussex Cricket League.

Over 20,000 children coached through our Chance to Shine programme.

Over £250,000 invested into clubs through County Grant Scheme or other funding streams.

£125,000 invested into our Crawley Urban Plan.

We continued to grow our flagship DIScoverABILITY day with over 600 attendees at Hove; we were the first county to host a disability cricket fixture (D40) against Surrey last June; over 1,500 children attended schools day at The 1st Central County Ground in July; and over 500 volunteers attended the Royal London One Day Cup match against Surrey for Grassroots Awards day.

As always we are indebted to the thousands of volunteers across Sussex who bring the game of cricket to life and inspire many thousands more to get involved with this great sport and in the process create a lifelong passion for it.

Commercial & Operations

Mark Judges and Ian Waring have done a remarkable job over the last three years trying to juggle the myriad operational and commercial challenges in the face of a pandemic and economic uncertainty. It is no mean feat to have achieved the results we have and maintain the financial sustainability of the club. In January, we were sad to see Mark move on to the next stage of his career as Commercial Director of Portsmouth FC. He has created a very loyal group of partners for the club, and we are very grateful for his hard work over the last decade. We will miss him and look forward to welcoming him back to Hove in the future. He

leaves behind a very good team who will build on his work.

Our Marketing & Communications, Ticketing & Membership and Sponsorship & Hospitality functions have been modernised despite the challenges of the last three years and we are looking forward to returning to pre-pandemic levels of support at the ground. All of our partners have been very committed, and we were delighted to extend our ground naming rights partnership with 1st Central for another three years, which will take this long running relationship to ten years. We are also grateful for their support of the 1st Central Sussex Cricket League.

The last few years have been some of the busiest at Hove operationally. We started thinking about the masterplan for the ground in 2018 and hopefully by the start of the season phase one will be complete with the residences occupied and the Sussex Cricketer open for business. We are still marketing the three-storey office building to the rear of the residential block and hopefully this will be let during 2023. As part of preparations for phase two we will have demolished the old Wilbury office by the start of this season. The office staff have moved into the South Stand and Radius will relocate to the South-West Stand allowing them to remain on site. During 2023 we will start to consider in more detail phase two, which is a five-star conference and event space on the site of the Wilbury office. Along with a successful completion of phase one this will also be a significant addition to the look and feel of the ground and create one of the best conference and event spaces in the city.

This winter we worked on creating a changing places space and Contemplation Room as part of our commitment to the ECB’s welcoming environments plan for cricket venues, and we will be installing solar panels on the roof of the indoor school as part of our sustainability pledge to help reduce energy costs.

Finance & People

We are fortunate to have Finance Director Alan Bradshaw and People Director Kay Gunn, who have worked tirelessly to help us navigate the last few years. There have been a million and one issues to manage while all the time trying to look after our people and our business and keep moving forward as an organisation.

Financially I don’t think the club has been

in such good shape since the days of the Spen Cama legacy, although this also created some challenges and perhaps a false sense of security. The completion of phase one and the creation of a new long-term income stream, and the fact we lived within our means over the last few years, means we can look forward with huge optimism and react to whatever challenges come our way, especially given that we carry no debt. I hope we can find a way to complete phase two and create another long-term legacy project for the club.

People and culture has never been more important to any organisation than at the current time. At Sussex we have always put culture and values at the forefront of everything we do. Our SHARED values – Selflessness, Honesty, Accessibility, Respect, Enjoyment, Drive have been in place for many years.

Cricket organisations have been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons over the last 12 months following the Yorkshire racism scandal while the ECB waits for the publication of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report into the state of the game. It is likely to be a tough few months, and lessons must be learned. We all have a responsibility to make the game more inclusive and diverse.

Everyone should be aware of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) action plan WE ARE YOU ARE Sussex Cricket.

I would like to thank Laura Walford, as executive assistant to the Board and senior management team, for her work in managing our County Partnership Agreement (CPA) with the ECB and working closely with the Board and the Governance, Nominations and Elections Committee (GNEC) to ensure our governance meets ECB standards as per the CPA.

Despite the challenges of the last few years, I am confident about our future and ability to adapt quickly to the changing landscape that is the sporting and cricketing world. It is exciting and we have to embrace what the future brings and do everything in our power to ensure Sussex Cricket has a part to play.

Thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you in the summer.

OLLIE ROBINSON RETURNED TO THE TEST ARENA IN STYLE IN 2022, HERE CELEBRATING A WICKET AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE SERIES-WINNING MATCH AT THE KIA OVAL

WE HAVE A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The key words I will keep talking about are opportunity, winning and enjoyment. From a playing and staff point of view, we have a fantastic opportunity to really make a difference, to take on the new season on with high levels of optimism and excitement.

I make no apologies for talking about winning, expecting to win and approaching every game with a winning mindset. There is no point continuing to talk about the potential of our young players, to ask for patience and say it is going to take time to change things. What has gone before has gone, there is no point in looking back and wasting time talking about previous seasons or former players. There is of course no magic dust that you can sprinkle that automatically helps you win games. Winning will only happen if we play good cricket and create an environment that allows the players to really take the game on, play with skill and enjoy showcasing their ability.

Enjoyment is not something you can make up. You can’t pretend that everything is great when it is not. Our job as coaches and support staff is help the players create an environment that they can relax and thrive in, so they genuinely look forward to striding through the gates every morning.

I am very set on three key principles that we should all be working towards at the club. The first is developing a spine of home-grown players, the second is developing players to play for England at all levels and the third is to win trophies for the club and its members.

The first two principles are very much in place, and whilst we have some very talented players in our squad, we also know that we have had to make one or two excellent additions to provide the on-field experience to help us win trophies. We had nine players involved in England teams this winter, from Ollie and Jofra in the senior squad through to Archie, Dan, Bertie, Charlie and James in the Young Lions. Tom and Jack went to Sri Lanka with the Lions.

Thank you to all the members who have made me feel so very welcome, and I look forward to meeting many more of you this season. The overriding feeling I have going into this new season is one of excitement at the opportunity we all have to really make a difference.

The third of those principles is the area we have the most work to do: winning trophies for our members and the club. We could do the usual English thing and say we would like to compete and do well, but if we hope to win then the chances are we won’t, but if we expect to win I think we have a much better chance of doing so. Equally, by openly talking about winning we invite a certain amount of expectation onto us as a squad. That might scare some, but if we are serious about representing this great club then there should be a high level of expectation, and that we are doing all we can to win.

Talking about a group of players who have not had a lot of success and expecting them to win might sound daft as it will also put pressure on those players. Every team wants to win and not every team can, but unless you expect to win, and do everything you can to win, then that’s even more daft. Pressure is not a word we should worry about. Playing professional sport brings many challenges but it is a unique opportunity and a privilege that we should all embrace and enjoy.

It was easy to use words in the winter months, when there were no matches to play, but if we had spent the time being negative and talking down our chances of success then we should not be surprised if we have a tough 2023. The words we use and the way we used them this winter has helped build a unity in the squad we are going to

need and rely on during tough periods in games. This group is highly talented and with the right direction and strong leadership on and off the field I believe we can really play some exciting cricket. I am certainly not going to be making any wild predictions before we bowl a ball, but I will promise that we are going to give it a really red-hot go this season and give the players belief, courage and confidence and allow them to do everything they can to play positively and not worry about what can go wrong, but enjoy what can go right.

Whilst we must never forget some of the great players who have played wonderful cricket for Sussex, the current squad have a great chance to create their own fantastic memories and build their own legacy. They must embrace the history and traditions that has gone before and realise there has never been a better time to take this great club to new levels and enjoy the expectation that comes with that privilege.

IT’S A PROJECT THAT EXCITES ME

New head coach Paul Farbrace regards Sussex as ‘a project that really excites me’ after his appointment at the end of 2022.

The former England assistant coach had spent the last three years as sporting director of Warwickshire CCC, overseeing their County Championship victory in 2021 alongside former Sussex coach Mark Robinson.

Farbrace is full of enthusiasm when discussing his new role. “The phrase I have in my head is opportunity for everybody. I am really delighted to be here.”

Farbrace left Warwickshire last September and had many attractive opportunities presented to him to work in franchise leagues around the world. But the chance to leave an imprint on Sussex appealed more. “It’s a project and being able to get your teeth into something really excites me. To be able to share responsibility for driving the club forward is huge and I think the rewards for all of us at the end of this could be massive.”

Farbrace is no stranger to success having won trophies with Sri Lanka, England and Warwickshire in various roles. The former wicketkeeper was head coach of the Sri Lankan side that won the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup, the first in their history.

Joe

He says his main aim is to create a winning environment at the club. “I will make no apology for talking about winning at every opportunity that I can, because I have not come here to just help to develop a group of talented players. I have come here to win and be part of a winning team. I love winning, I hate losing.”

Sussex have won just three first-class matches across three years during a difficult period for the club and finished seventh in their Vitality Blast group in 2022. The county handed a number of debuts to young players over the last few seasons and broke numerous records across different competitions for the average age and callowness of their side. Dan Ibrahim became the youngest player in the history of the Championship to score a half century at 16 years and 299 days in June 2021 while the team which played Worcestershire later that year was the youngest in the competition’s history. But wins have been few and far between and confidence was affected as a result.

Grant talks to Paul Farbrace about his plans to revive Sussex.

PAUL FARBRACE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN VARIOUS ROLES WITH SRI LANKA, ENGLAND AND, MOST RECENTLY, WARWICKSHIRE.

Farbrace is excited to work with one of the most talented young squads in the country and remembers a Royal London One Day Cup game between his former county and his new one for bringing to his attention the potential in Sussex’s squad. “The [50 overs] game at Edgbaston last year was a fantastic game of cricket with 600 runs scored and sitting watching some of the Sussex batters was exciting. There was a bloke called [Cheteshwar] Pujara with a bit more experience who played exceptionally well and nearly got the team over the line, but I thought there was a talented group of young players there.”

Sussex had a few experienced heads around the dressing room, including former England internationals Ravi Bopara and Steven Finn, but post-Christmas recruitment focused on bringing in more senior players hence the arrivals of Steve Smith, Shadab Khan and Nathan McAndrew, who will all play a part this summer, along with the returning Pujara.

“Around every successful team your senior players play a key role. The danger of having lots of good young players is they know they’re playing and that there isn’t maybe the battle to get into the team.”

Another of Farbrace’s aims is to stop the exodus of players from Hove to other counties in recent seasons. “The plan is selling them the dream that I have. The image I have in my head is winning trophies and players playing for England at all levels. You don’t need to go to a first division club to do that.”

Time will tell but Farbrace has made a positive impact even before a ball is bowled this season. “I want a team that our supporters will enjoy watching and getting behind. The talent is definitely there, and we all have to take on the challenge of winning games consistently again.”

ALI ORR ON THE ATTACK AGAINST LEICESTERSHIRE AT HOVE IN 2022.

PLAYER PROFILES

TOM HAINES

Despite a frustrating spell out with a broken hand during the middle of last season, our Championship captain has still averaged 48.1 since the start of 2021. That consistency earned him selection for the England Lions earlier this year and he made a century in the first of the two first-class matches against Sri Lanka A. Haines ended last season with a flourish by scoring hundreds in both innings of the final match against Glamorgan, the first time a Sussex batter has done that since 2011. He had bookended the season nicely – 524 of his 941 runs in 2022 were scored in that game and the first away match at Derby, where he made 243.

CHETESHWAR PUJARA

The Indian batter is back for his second season with Sussex having enjoyed an outstanding 2022. Pujara scored more than 1,000 Championship runs including three double hundreds as he averaged 109.4. After playing for India in the Test match at Old Trafford he returned to captain Sussex in the Royal London Cup and continued his fine form, averaging 89.14 and scoring 174 against Surrey. The 35-year-old played his 100th Test for India against Australia in February 2023 and has scored more than 7,000 Test runs.

SHADAB KHAN

The Pakistani leg-spinning all-rounder has signed for the Blast campaign and brings a wealth of experience. He made his international T20 debut in 2017 and has played more than 80 T20 internationals and is close to 100 wickets for Pakistan, for whom he is also vice-captain. He is more than handy with the bat too, and has an T20I strike rate of 143.8 including a top score of 52. Last season, Shadab played for Yorkshire in the Vitality Blast.

NATHAN McANDREW

The Australian fast-bowling all-rounder will be with Sussex until July to play in the County Championship and Vitality Blast. The 29-year-old is well known to head coach Paul Farbrace after playing seven Championship games for Warwickshire last season, when he took 20 wickets and scored two half-centuries. McAndrew produced his best T20 bowling performance during the winter when he took 4-32 for Sydney Thunder, his eighth season competing in the Big Bash.

STEVE SMITH

Sussex secured the Australia captain for three Championship matches in the early weeks of the season as he prepares for the Ashes series. The former Australia captain, who made his Test debut back in 2010, is currently ICC world ranked No2 batter and going into the tour of India in February the 33-year-old had scored 30 Test centuries. Smith played second XI cricket for Surrey and Kent in his formative years but his only other stint in county cricket was with Worcestershire, when he played in their 2010 T20 campaign.

JOFRA ARCHER

England commitments and injury mean Sussex supporters have seen little of their prize fast bowler in the last few years, but he reaffirmed his commitment to the county by signing a contract extension until the end of 2023. Archer returned to competitive cricket after elbow and back injuries in England’s one-day series in South Africa in January and Sussex fans will hope to see a little bit of him in action during the 2023 season.

OLLIE ROBINSON

Robinson is very much an England player first these days but he can always be guaranteed to put a shift in for his county. After recovering from injury and getting back into the Test team last year he only made three Championship appearances but still took 17 wickets at 15.64. With his step-father now installed as Head Coach, Sussex fans will be hoping Paul Farbrace can persuade Ollie to play a few more games for Sussex in 2023!

ALI ORR

Orr firmly established himself in Sussex’s Championship team in 2022 while also making strides in white-ball cricket and is now a batter around the county can build their team for several years to come. In the Championship he passed 1,000 runs in the final game against Glamorgan when he fell two runs short of a double hundred. Belatedly chosen in the Blast, his strike rate of 161 was only bettered by Tim Seifert while in the Royal London Cup he made the first double hundred by a Sussex batter in List A cricket against Somerset at Taunton. At 21, the left-hander has a big future in front of him.

TOM CLARK

The 21-year-old left-hander and product of the club’s academy signed a contract extension in early 2023, four years after making his Championship debut. Last year he made two Championship centuries but perhaps just as significant was his maiden List A hundred against Surrey, which offered proof that he can flourish in all formats.

TOM ALSOP

Tom, 27, joined on loan from Hampshire, but his performances soon earned him a contract until 2025. The left-handed batter, who also keeps wicket in white-ball cricket, scored back-to-back Championship centuries against Durham and Middlesex and finished the season with four hundreds and an average of 42.27. He also made an impact in shorter formats including a career-best 189 not out against Middlesex in the Royal London Cup.

OLLIE CARTER

Carter established himself as first-choice keeper-batter in 2022 before Charlie Tear was given the last couple of Championship games. The 21-year-old knows he has competition for his place but Carter will relish the challenge. Last season he averaged a very respectable 48.51 in the Championship and scored his maiden hundred against Glamorgan. He spent the winter playing grade cricket in Adelaide with Orr and Fynn Hudson-Prentice.

DELRAY RAWLINS

Delray signed a contract extension at the end of the 2022 season and will be looking to build on some impressive performances in last year’s Royal London Cup when he achieved his List A best with both the bat and ball. A multi-format player who plays international cricket for Bermuda, the 25-year-old made his debut in 2017 and will be looking to kick on during the peak years of his career.

ARI KARVELAS

Ari signed a permanent contract last October after some outstanding performances in 2022 in both red and white-ball cricket. The 28-year-old, who played international cricket for Greece, spearheaded Sussex’s run to the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup by taking 20 wickets as well as making good contributions in the Championship.

JACK CARSON

Carson endured a frustrating 2022 and only returned to action in September after knee surgery and then a foot injury meant he only played three Championship games. But the 22-year-old off spinner from Northern Ireland is highly regarded and was selected for the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year and picked up nine wickets in the two first-class matches against the hosts.

CHARLIE TEAR

Charlie made his debut at the end of 2022 with two first-class appearances. A wicketkeeper-batter developed through Sussex’s pathway, the 18-year-old was coached by former Sussex captain Chris Adams at Seaford College near Petworth. He has played junior cricket for Scotland but spent the first part of 2023 in Australia with England’s under-19s.

FYNN HUDSON-PRENTICE

The all-rounder’s second spell with Sussex was badly affected by a serious back injury but after a winter in Australia he will be hoping to make up for lost time in 2023. A capable player in all formats, Hudson-Prentice was limited to just three games in all three formats last year after returning to Hove from Derbyshire but reported no issues during his time in Adelaide and the 27-year-old is raring to go.

STEVE FINN

It was a frustrating first season at Sussex for the former England bowler, who finished it undergoing a knee operation. Finn played in every game in the Blast but was restricted to just five Championship appearances and took a modest seven wickets. Finn will be 34 when the season starts but if he stays injuryfree he will have a big role to play, not least as a mentor to the younger members of the bowling attack.

BRADLEY CURRIE

Currie got his chance in the second half of the season after a successful trial and quickly made his mark. Only two bowlers took more than his 15 Championship wickets, which included six wickets on debut at Lord’s, even though he played only four games. The left-armer only missed one match in the Royal London Cup and had the best economy rate of all Sussex’s bowlers. The 24-year-old could have a big season ahead. In March 2023, Currie signed a contract extension.

HENRY CROCOMBE

It seems that Crocombe has been around for a while now but the bustling seamer is still only 21 and became even more important last year when injuries decimated Sussex’s bowling attack. Crocombe bowled 215 Championship overs – only Delray Rawlins sent down more – even though he played in nine of the 14 matches. He also appeared in both the Blast and Royal London Cup and will have another important role to play this year.

SEAN HUNT

Sean signed a contract extension last May and 2022 turned out to be a breakthrough season for the left-arm seamer as injuries regularly meant he took the new ball in Championship cricket and he finished leading wicket-taker with 18 in his eight appearances. Hunt joined Sussex in 2019 from Surrey and at 21 he has bags of potential and the ability to give even the best batsmen the hurry-up.

GEORGE GARTON

No cricketer has endured as frustrating a time in the post-Covid era as Garton. He was diagnosed with Long Covid in 2021 and spent the next year making sporadic appearances for Sussex and Southern Brave in the Hundred. But early in 2023 he revealed that he had been misdiagnosed and had a blood clot on his lung, which was treatable. The 25-year-old wintered playing in various T20 leagues and will be hoping his fitness worries are behind him. He still has so much to offer.

DANIEL IBRAHIM

It was a frustrating 2022 for Ibrahim, after his record-breaking achievements in 2021. The 18-year-old was side-lined by a shoulder injury suffered in the Championship opener against Nottinghamshire before he returned to play his part in Sussex’s run to the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup in August. He was chosen for England under-19s tour of Australia early in 2023 and made 54 in the second Youth Test in Brisbane.

ARCHIE LENHAM

Archie signed a contract extension during a busy winter when he toured Australia with England under-19s. The 19-year-old leg-spinner was 16 when he followed in the footsteps of his father Neil and grandfather Les and made his Sussex debut in the Blast and took 3-14 against Hampshire. Lenham has played in all three formats and is a product of the club’s junior pathway.

JAMIE ATKINS

After taking 20 wickets in five Championship appearances in 2021 and signing a contract until the end of the 2024 season, potentially the fastest bowler on the Sussex staff struggled to make much of an impact last year. He only made three Championship appearances –all in the first month of the season – but at 21 the academy product has time on his hands and the physical attributes to make his mark.

TYMAL MILLS

Mills signed a contract extension in the winter and is set for a decade of service to Sussex in the Blast, having joined in 2015. Last season’s T20 campaign fell a little flat but the left-armer finished leading wicket-taker with 15. The 30-year-old was part of the England squad which won the World Cup last November and has played in various franchise competitions including the Big Bash and IPL.

RAVI BOPARA

Bopara’s first stint as captain in the Blast was disappointing as Sussex won four games out of 14 and had their worst performance for a decade. His own form – 294 runs and 13 wickets – was more than respectable and shrewd recruitment this winter should leave him with more armoury at his disposal in 2023.

JAMES COLES

The all-rounder burst onto the scene at the end of 2020 when he became the second-youngest player to play first-class cricket for Sussex against Surrey at the Oval. Coles is the first product of the partnership Sussex formed in 2013 with Oxfordshire to develop players who become pros. Last season he appeared in all three competitions and last May signed a contract until the end of 2023.

HARRISON WARD

Like James Coles, a product of Sussex’s partnership with Oxfordshire, Ward was a mainstay of Sussex’s white-ball teams last season. The 23-year-old left-hander, who is contracted until the end of 2023, would arguably benefit from a defined role in the Blast team. He often came in at No7 and had little time to make an impact.

GENTLE - AND ACERBIC

Some cricketers are judged less by runs and wickets than by sheer presence and weight of personality. Robin Marlar, who died in September, aged 91, is an example – even though he was a considerable player in his own right.

Paul Weaver remembers Robin Marlar, a giant of Sussex cricket in many ways.

Marlar was round. And large. And loud. He was a bouncer of a man who could take your head off if you weren’t ready to duck out of harm’s way –quite appropriate, in view of the fact that he ran a successful headhunting business. For 70 years from 1952, when he established himself in the Sussex side, taking 108 wickets and winning his county cap, he was one of the dominant figures in the county’s cricket, not only on the field but in the committee room, in the press box and, not least, in 1997, when he was at his feisty peak, and played a key role in the meetings that revolutionised the club and paved the way for the most successful epoch in its history in the early years of the 20th century.

He was too substantial a figure for his influence to be confined to Sussex. He became president of the MCC in 2005 and did a great deal to promote cricket in Afghanistan and Bangladesh. As cricket correspondent of the Sunday Times, between 1970 and 1996, he locked horns with Kerry Packer among many others, and his maverick views were impossible to ignore.

A few days before his death, at the memorial event for Ted Dexter in the Long Room at Lord’s, he could be heard laying into Sir Andrew Strauss for the inadequacies of his controversial HighPerformance Review.

But, here in Sussex, this Pickwickian figure is remembered with particular fondness. He was a loose cannon who still managed to hit the target with great regularity. And, even when he missed, his memorably raucous laugh made up for it.

When, in 2003, Bruce Talbot and I worked together on a book, The Longest Journey , to commemorate Sussex’s first County Championship, we found Marlar a wonderful witness, recalling not only that heroic triumph but the years leading up to it.

Shortly after Sussex had sealed the title I had lunch with Robin and his wife, Gill, at their then Guildford home. How did he feel about the Championship, I asked him? He beamed, swelled

ROBIN MARLAR, A SUBSTANTIAL FIGURE IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

with pride and invoked Lewis Carroll.

“Twas brillig. And as for Thursday and Friday, when the Jabberwock, the demon who stood between Sussex and victory, had been slain, ‘Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! We chortled in our joy.’ We were champions at long, long last.”

I have another, later memory. It goes back to a September afternoon in 2007 when he charged into the Sussex committee room, trembling with fury.

“Why aren’t the flags at half-mast today,” he demanded.

“Er, why should they be?” came the bewildered reply.

Marlar, enraged, turned on his doubter. “Don’t you realise that Pavarotti died today?” he thundered, before marching out of the room, crashing the door behind him.

But there are so many memories. Those of us who were lucky enough to travel the world following the fortunes of the England team often did so in his company, and Gill’s, and will never forget the entertainment he brought to these occasions, when he was at once genial and acerbic.

He might have been lost to politics. As with Ted Dexter, he attempted to become a Conservative MP in unpromising circumstances. Dexter – who would succeed him as Sussex captain - took on the future prime minister James Callaghan in Cardiff;

Marlar fought the labour stronghold of Bolsover. Bolsover fought back. While playing for Sussex against Derbyshire he told the England fast bowler Les Jackson, who lived in the constituency, that he felt sure he could count on his vote. Jackson whistled one past Marlar’s nose and said: “That’s your answer!”

Oh, and Marlar played cricket too. He was educated at Eton and Harrow, first played for Sussex in 1951 and made his last appearance for the county in 1968. There were 970 first-class wickets at 25.22, including match figures of 15 for 119 against Lancashire in 1955, when he took 139 wickets. Some thought him unlucky not to off-spin for England, but the competition was fierce. There was, above everyone else, Jim Laker, but also Ray Illingworth, Fred Titmus, John Mortimore and David Allen.

As a player, the best story about him concerns his appearance for the Rest of England against Surrey in 1955. He went in as nightwatchman and was stumped second ball – for six! He was protesting to his captain, Doug Insole, after being made to change back out of his evening clothes. “As I was saying,” he said on his return to the pavilion, “I am not a nightwatchman.” Robin Marlar was many other things.

SUSSEX THROUGH AND THROUGH

Jim Parks was halfway through his 91st year when he died on the final day of May last year. But he was known – and will forever be remembered - as Young Jim, the youngest and most illustrious member of one of the many famous families to represent Sussex. His father was Old Jim, and his uncle was Harry.

But Young Jim also suits because it captures something of the athletic adventurer who was such an exciting cricketer in the 1950s. And he remained an essentially young cricketer in the sixties, an ever-smiling player with smiling strokes to match.

He may not have been a truly great cricketer, like his team-mates Ted Dexter and John Snow. But he was a very, very good one. And he was a Sussex cricketer much more than the Italy-born Dexter and the Worcestershire-born Snow; he also played more first-class matches than those two put together. In the introduction to his biography, Young Jim, Derek Watts says: “This [is] the story of one of the county’s favourite sons. It is a Sussex life, born of the warp and weft of the Weald, which is the cradle of the game.”

Paul Weaver remembers Jim Parks, an ever-smiling player with smiling strokes to match.

Jim Parks might also be described as the epitome of Sussex cricket, his face browned by a southern sun, his stroke play honed by a history of rich stroke makers going back to the Golden Age days of Ranji and Fry. What is difficult to describe is the sheer joy his batting brought, the gorgeous timing of his cover drives. As the Sussex cricket writer Alan Ross observed: “Parks may not have been as great as Dexter but he often made the game look easier.”

Dexter himself – who died a few months earlier – had nothing but fond memories of his old friend. He said: “It’s always Hove that I remember best, Hove and Jim Parks, the sublimely gifted, sandyhaired Jim Parks – you could pick out his style from a mile away, open stanced with his hands high on the handle. No furrowed brow for this prince of sweet ball-strikers. What it was not wise to do was to take him on at table tennis, shove halfpenny, darts or tiddlywinks, to name but a few of his other talents. You were lucky to get away with your shirt.”

On batting with Parks, Dexter added: “My partnerships with Jim were always on an equal footing, where ascendancy was regularly passed

JIM IN ACTION IN 1963 WHEN HE PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN SUSSEX’S EARLY DOMINANCE OF THE GILLETTE CUP

from one to the other. Against subtle spin bowling Jim easily had the edge; against downright fast stuff, I had the advantage.” Dexter, though, was quick to defend Parks when it came to a perceived weakness against fast bowling. “For every bit of that silly tittle-tattle I could cite an innings of superb quality, and not a flinch of any kind, such as playing Jackson and Rhodes on a green top at Derby, when he stroked them all over the ground. The rest of us were struggling even to make contact.”

Although Jim scored more runs at Hove than at any other ground, personal reverie has him batting at Tunbridge Wells, bombing the rhododendrons with the easy power given by sweet timing, or at Eastbourne, for this most festive of cricketers appeared to be at his most celebratory at festival grounds.

I never saw the young Young Jim, the brilliant cover fieldsman, occasional leg-spin bowler and twinkle-toed batsman who, it was predicted, might be another Denis Compton. He was good enough to play for England in 1954, long before he donned the wicketkeeper’s gloves. It was Sussex captain Robin Marlar who made the seismic change to Jim’s career, picking him to keep wicket ahead of Rupert

Webb in 1958. The following year Jim scored 2,313 runs at more than 50, including the season’s fastest century in 61 minutes. He also claimed 93 victims.

He was probably at his best in the early 1960s when he played a pivotal role in the county’s early successes in the Gillette Cup and also won the majority of his 46 England caps. From memory, the genial smile only drained away in 1968. Then, stung by ailing health and poor form, he quit the Sussex captaincy in the middle of the season.

Worse was to follow. “My career with Sussex ended, rather sadly, in 1972,” he told me during a chat at his Worthing home. After a fine season he was offered only appearance money for 1973. “I felt insulted. I signed for Somerset and had a most enjoyable end to my career. But I’m delighted to say I never fell out with Sussex, just with [cricket committee chairman] Eddie Harrison. I was delighted to return as the club’s marketing manager.”

Then, as Sussex president, he carried champagne to the middle on a silver salver to celebrate the club’s first County Championship in 2003, a fitting final flourish for one of the county’s finest and favourite cricketers.

JIM, SEATED LEFT, WITH THE SUSSEX TEAM BEFORE A GAME AT HOVE IN 1970. TWO YEARS LATER HIS PLAYING CAREER WITH THE COUNTY CAME TO A SAD END.

ANDREW FRANK

Andrew Frank from Horsham passed away on 3 March 2022 aged 70.

He was a kind and gentle person who had a great love of sport and who was a lifelong Sussex and Surrey Cricket supporter and Crystal Palace football fan. He attended all the home and away games he could when not working as an accountant.

His favourite place to sit at the County Ground at Hove was in the area above the pavilion. He loved to complete the scorebooks for the matches he watched and was often seen queueing to see the players to get their latest book autographed. He will always be in friends’ and family thoughts.

DAVID HOLLINGDALE

The son of Sussex all-rounder Reg Hollingdale (1925-1930) died on 31 August 2022. David was a life member of Sussex Cricket and a generous patron of the Sussex Cricket Museum, making a substantial donation for the recent restoration of historic paintings of C. Aubrey Smith and Arthur Hide.

David was born in 1936 after his father had moved to Edinburgh following his Sussex career. Educated at Fettes College, he was a prominent member of the Edinburgh Sports Club where he had served as chairman.

TIMOTHY J M c CANN

The author of the unrivalled Sussex Cricket In The Eighteenth Century (2004), and a professional archivist, who died on 26 June 2022 aged 78. Educated at Westminster School, Tim joined the West Sussex Record Office at Chichester in 1967 where he was well placed to record early cricket references.

He made many invaluable contributions to the Journal of the Cricket Society and more than 20 papers to the Sussex Archaeological Collections.

He worked with the late Duke of Richmond in staging commemorative cricket matches at Goodwood and in 2019 advised the organisers of the Hurstpierpoint v Henfield tercentenary match played at Danny Park on the playing conditions for an early 18th century re-enactment.

AND GIRLS HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Sussex continue to provide cricket to a huge array of opportunities through school, club and county cricket for women and girls in the county. Along with the professionalisation of the game through regional and franchise cricket it is easy to say that there has never been a better time to be playing the game.

2023 sees an increase in the number of professional contracts at a regional level as well as increases in salaries. Southern Vipers continue to dominate the regional circuit with Sussex captain, Georgia Adams, leading them to two finals again last year.

Freya Kemp made her Vipers and England debut last year while she still had a year left at school. The increase in professional opportunities through The Hundred competition, the IPL and the Big Bash means that the journey from primary school to the biggest arenas in the world is now pretty seamless.

Sussex continue to be a hugely important part of the development process with 13 players

representing England or regional teams, and another ten representing the Regional Academy and Elite Player Pathway squads. The pathway continues to be one of the biggest in the country with over 160 girls included in the winter and summer programme based at the Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre at BACA.

This season, Sussex Women will look to retain their T20 title in April and May with Finals Day at Hove on May 14. They will also compete in the South-Central Cricket Cup with the counties who form the Southern Vipers region and the London Championship with Middlesex, Surrey, Kent and Essex.

It’s a hugely exciting year for all Sussex players with a bumper fixture list while 2023 marks the 20th anniversary since Sussex Women won their inaugural County Championship just two months before Sussex Men achieved the same feat.

Alexia Walker

WOMEN’S

Every year seems to be ‘ground-breaking’ for women’s cricket and 2023 will be no different.

2022 WAS A BREAKTHROUGH YEAR FOR SUSSEX ALL-ROUNDER FREYA KEMP, WHO MADE HER ENGLAND DEBUT AND REPRESENTED SOUTHERN BRAVE IN THE HUNDRED.

‘HE TOOK T20 BY STORM’

Paul Weaver pays tribute to Luke Wright, who retired after 19 seasons with Sussex.

He will be remembered best for his wideshouldered hitting and his bustling bowling, but Sussex also lost one of their most popular and wholehearted cricketers when Luke Wright announced his retirement last year.

He did so to take up a key role as England Men’s Selector, working across all squads, including the Lions and Young Lions. For a cricketer who never played Test cricket the appointment was a measure of the deep respect with which he is held within the game.

He first played for Leicestershire in 2003 and was in their side when Sussex clinched their first Championship. He moved to Sussex the following year, but he was not overawed and soon proved himself to be an important all-rounder in the Championship and the one-day game.

His strength and commitment soon made him a favourite, and he was a difficult player to leave out. He made more than 100 appearances for England, at ODI or T20 level, and was a vital member of the team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2010. He became an international favourite at T20 level and appeared in the Big Bash – he was very popular with Melbourne Stars - the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League.

It is mostly forgotten now that Luke went close to playing Test cricket after Andrew Flintoff retired at the end of the 2009 Ashes series. Chairman of selectors Geoff Miller said at the time: “Andrew’s retirement has created a vacancy for an all-rounder and we believe that Luke can make an impact at Test Level.” He was picked for the tour of South Africa and was expected to play in the first Test

LUKE WRIGHT AS SUSSEX FANS WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM. A BELLIGERENT BATTER WHO PLAYED WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE – AND COULD HIT THE BALL HARD IN UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS!

before England chose, instead, to play six specialist batsmen. But it is as a vigorous one-day player that he will be best remembered.

As he said goodbye to Hove, Wright said: “I will always be a Sussex fan.” Luke did not have the swansong he deserved at Sussex last season, neither at a team nor at a personal level. “The overall feeling at the club was one of frustration,” he said, describing the failures of the side in the Vitality Blast, who had their worst campaign for a decade. “We had too many comings and goings through the season. We never really had a settled team and we struggled to put games together.”

On a personal level, Luke’s prospects were hit when he injured his heel in a fall trying to put a cover on an outdoor heater. “I had three injuries in one foot. I tried to play because I hadn’t had the best of campaigns but it was like batting with both hands tied behind my back.”

Sussex coach and former team-mate James Kirtley led the tributes: “I feel very lucky to have played with Luke and also worked with him in a coaching capacity. But, most importantly, I can call

him a friend and I am sure he will do great things in his new role. I was there at the start as a player when he was an exciting young talent and one that you couldn’t help but want to support and nurture. He took the T20 game by storm. He had a great mind-set and was a model on how to play T20 cricket. He deserves all the plaudits for a fantastic career.”

Sussex gave him the T20 captaincy in 2015, and was leader in all formats the following year. A personal favourite innings was his unbeaten 153 off 66 balls, with 11 sixes, to stun Essex as Sussex pulled off a record run chase with nine balls remaining. But there were plenty of thunderous cameos in his final seasons too, when he opened the batting so memorably with Phil Salt.

A personal regret is that he didn’t continue to play for the Championship side. With a first-class average of 38 he was a proper middle order batsman in the red-ball game and his younger colleagues would have learned so much from him. But he will leave the stage with few regrets.

MARCHING TO OUR FUTURE

10 YEARS IN THE MAKING...

At 1st Central we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Sussex Cricket. Our partnership at The 1st Central County Ground invests in the future of Sussex Cricket and its facilities, ensuring future generations enjoy fantastic cricket in our county while safeguarding the commercial integrity of the world’s oldest professional sports club.

We’re committed to promoting inclusivity and accessibility in sport and thrilled to extend support for the Sussex D40 and Visually Impaired squads as they compete at the highest level, and Sussex Cricket Foundation’s DIScoverABILITY Day.

With a new head coach and a talented young team, we’re excited for a fantastic year of cricket at The 1st Central County Ground. Good luck to all the Sussex squads!

1st Central is one of the UK’s top-selling car insurance brands, highly rated on Trustpilot, and one of the biggest local employers headquartered in Haywards Heath.

#GOSBTS

PATHWAYS AND PARTNERSHIPS DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE

Senior Talent Manager). Producing high quality people is crucial to our club, and our existing workforce are hugely committed to their work and developing young cricketers.

Our partnership with Oxfordshire Cricket is again working well and is a critically important extra element to our Performance Pathway. It is firmly embedded into our system and doubles our pool of potential players. We now have two professional players in our ranks thanks to this partnership, with further players in our Academy and many now being developed by us within the Oxfordshire Academy and EPP pathway programmes. In the year ahead I will be providing further resource to this to produce more quality cricketers.

Archie Lenham, Dan Ibrahim, Charlie Tear, James Coles and the most recent addition from our Academy to our professional playing staff, Bertie Foreman, all represented England during the winter.

We should be incredibly proud of this and added to the other 11 home grown players in our squad shows how important the Academy, EPP and player pathway is to health of the club. Former Academy players Tom Haines and Jack Carson went on the England Lions winter tour so the future is bright.

The girls’ pathway also continues to develop players into the newly formed Southern Vipers Academy programme based at BACA, and on into the Southern Vipers senior team and then international recognition. Freya Kemp continued her emergence into the women’s game and was rewarded with her first England central contract.

It is not only players we continue to develop but also sought-after people, the two programmes mentioned have coaches leading the programmes who came through Sussex’s system in Michael Yardy (England Lions) and Ian Cox (Southern Vipers

Our partnership with BACA continues to grow and gain momentum with a number of players now enjoying the quality cricket provision and opportunities within a state school, supported by our coaches. Former Sussex and Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat is working closely with Matt Parsons on the Crawley Urban Plan so that cricketers from Crawley can gain access to the BACA opportunity, while Frankie Cripps is the second Academy player to come out of the BACA programme and we look forward to more from him in the year ahead.

Looking ahead we still need to be able to get the maximum amount of contact time between our best coaches and our better young players to continue to develop the quality of players that feeds into the professional squad.

Here’s to a bright summer of cricket for the club.

Keith Greenfield, Director of Pathways and Cricket Partnerships

As 2023 began and the days started to lengthen the thought of the summer ahead grows stronger.

BERTIE FOREMAN PLAYED FOR ENGLAND UNDER-19S AND WAS AWARDED HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT BY SUSSEX.

SUSSEX CRICKET SOCIETY PART OF THE FAMILY

Make the season last all year – join the Sussex Cricket Society and meet fellow supporters in convivial surroundings throughout the off-season.

From October to March, the Society arranges a programme of lunchtime and afternoon meetings for members and their friends to hear talks by well-known cricketing personalities past and present.

During the past year we have been wonderfully entertained by Sir Rod Aldridge, Bill Athey, John Barclay, Annie Chave, Paul Farbrace, Jon Filby, Ian Gould and Bruce Talbot, Roger Knight, Andy Mackay, Derek Pringle, Martin Richards, Fred Rumsey and Stephen Chalke and Alexia Walker. All meetings are held at the 1st Central County Ground.

Members also receive a monthly newsletter, which provides regular news, as well as news and comment on both County and League Cricket in Sussex and more broadly. This is also available to non-members on the Society’s website.

The Society also provides financial support to the Sussex Youth Cricket Development programmes, both girls and boys, to assist youngsters in their cricket development and training, such as its donations to the very important

Champions Fund – which is often known as the Hardship Fund.

Additionally, the Society makes an Annual Award to its Sussex Cricketer of The Year, voted by Society members (in 2022, this was Ali Orr) and gives two £100 awards each year for the best batting and the best bowling performances during the season in The Sussex Cricket League.

Do please join a thriving organisation, which is an important part of the Sussex Cricket Family and provides fascinating insights into the lives of the individual speakers. We can promise that you will enjoy socialising with fellow cricket supporters and have great fun!

To join, please contact Chris Scovell at 2 Herons Rye, Pulborough, RH20 2DL; 01798 875597; or chrisscovell@live.co.uk.

David Bowden MBE Chair

STRONG FOUNDATIONS

2022 was another fantastic year for the Sussex Cricket Foundation and 2023 is shaping up to be just as exciting.

There were many highlights during 2022: record numbers at DIScoverABILITY Day; becoming the first county to host a disability cricket fixture; significant investment into facilities in Crawley; and increased engagement with our communities to improve accessibility to The 1st Central County Ground and provide playing opportunities for people of all ages, genders, and abilities.

With participation and interest continuing to rise across all levels of the game, we need to continue this momentum and make cricket the game of choice for all.

This year is shaping up to be another exciting one for the foundation with many new initiatives, whilst we will continue to deliver our contractual obligations with the ECB, Chance to Shine and Lord’s Taverners.

In March we welcomed famous football manager Sam Allardyce as our guest speaker at our annual ‘Where Cricket Meets’ lunch. This is the foundation’s main fundraiser and raises significant funds to

support our initiatives to grow the game and make it accessible to all.

This summer will see the launch of the Sussex Women’s Premier League and newly created Division One. With women’s and girls’ cricket continuing to grow at pace in Sussex, it was important for us to put a structure and pathway in place to help improve the quality of cricket and provide more opportunities to access the game.

The 1st Central Sussex Cricket League continues to grow and having listened to the views of our clubs a small restructure has taken place at the lower end of the pyramid to help ease the pressure on player availability at clubs. We are delighted to be hosting a Regional League T20 Finals Day featuring teams from Surrey, Kent and Hampshire in August and once again our League T20 Finals Day will be held in September at the 1st Central County Ground.

We continue to use the 1st Central County Ground to host events and provide opportunities for all to access the ground. DIScoverABILITY

Day, Junior Champions League, Schools Days and events to reward and recognise volunteers will all run again this summer.

On Sunday June 18, our D40 Disability Team will again take to the field at the 1st Central County Ground to play Middlesex. The fixture against Surrey last year was an historic and memorable occasion and showed our commitment to make all our disability participants feel part of Sussex Cricket.

Supporting our communities continues to be important and we are excited to implement our Urban Cricket Plans in Brighton and Crawley. Significant investment has been allocated into Crawley to help improve facilities and get all our clubs playing back within the town during this summer.

Our Sporting Memories and Walking Cricket programmes continue to grow and help support the older generation and we will once again be running our ‘In the Bag’ initiative to support families in need across Brighton & Hove, in conjunction with the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership. Our Mental

Health and Wellbeing Hub continues to provide a tool that can be accessed by anyone who needs to find support and guidance, an initiative extremely important to Sussex Cricket.

Finally, we continue to grow as a team, and we have recently recruited more community coaches to support our delivery programmes. My team deserve enormous credit for their hard work, passion, and commitment to helping grow the game and deliver against our objectives. I am lucky to have an extremely talented and passionate group that constantly go above and beyond to achieve success. They should be as proud of themselves as I am of them.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the foundation, volunteering on any of our programmes of donating towards our initiatives, then please contact foundation@sussexcricket.co.uk

Thank you for all your support and I look forward to seeing you for what is shaping up to be an exciting summer on and off the pitch.

Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Cricket Director

DISCOVERABILITY DAY ATTRACTED A RECORD NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AND RETURNS TO THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND THIS SUMMER.

CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW OF THE 2022 SEASON

LV COUNTY

ANOTHER TOUGH SUMMER

Three wins in three seasons of Championship cricket tells its own story and although Sussex had the minor satisfaction of lifting themselves off the bottom place they had occupied in 2021 it was the flimsiest of consolations.

It was hard not to sympathise with coach Ian Salisbury, who left his position at the end of the season, the club having admitted that the experiment of red and white-ball coaches had not worked. Salisbury was never able to name his strongest bowling attack and while the absences of Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer were to be expected (Robinson played three games, Archer none as he recovered from a stress fracture in his back), Jack Carson, Steve Finn and George Garton spent large parts of 2022 on the treatment table as well, robbing Sussex of new-ball nous and a spin threat.

That left Sussex too often with an underpowered

bowling attack and this during a summer when the sun shone, pitches were relatively benign, and batters made hay. No bowler took more than 20 wickets (only five bowlers took more than ten) and it was only in the last game that the ever-willing Sean Hunt overtook Robinson to finish leading-wicket taker with 18.

Sussex were often out of contention after their opponents’ first innings, conceding ten totals of more than 400 including five scores of 500-plus. Robinson claimed two of the meagre total of four five-wicket hauls with one of four bowlers signed on loan from other counties - Jack Brooks of Somerset - claiming another to help set up the solitary success against Derbyshire, the first in front of supporters at Hove for nearly three years.

As well as Brooks, Sussex brought in Aaron Beard from Essex, Hampshire’s Mason Crane and Grant Stewart from Kent in the opening weeks of

Sussex batted better in 2022, but an underpowered attack meant another disappointing summer in four-day cricket.

CHARLIE TEAR IN ACTION AGAINST GLAMORGAN.

the season with mixed results. With Cheteshwar Pujara and Mohamed Rizwan contracted for the first part of the summer Sussex didn’t have the option to recruit a bowler from overseas until later on when Pakistan seamer Faheem Ashraf arrived for the final four games in September but made little impact. With that in mind, the decision to bring in a bowler to replace Rizwan in 2023 made sense. Sussex’s original choice was the West Indian Jayden Seales, but he pulled out with injury and in January the club recruited Nathan McAndrew, the Australian pace bowler who took 20 wickets in seven appearances for Warwickshire last year.

While Sussex didn’t bowl well enough consistently enough as a unit their batting was better. Pujara only played eight games but rattled off five hundreds and was a class act on and off the pitch. Tom Haines missed matches after breaking his hand and made 528 of his 941 runs in three innings. Ali Orr passed 1,000 runs and his brilliant 198 against Glamorgan in the final game at Hove was the innings of the season. Tom Clark improved too while Oli Carter contributed steadily in the middle order.

The solitary win in June against Derbyshire was unexpected, and more enjoyable because of that. Sussex chased 342 in 76 overs with 17 balls

to spare, Rizwan providing acceleration at the end. Such a scenario looked unlikely at tea on the third day when Derbyshire led by 214 after Sussex lost their last three first-innings wickets in four balls, but the Peakites elected to bat again and Brooks, in an excellent spell down the slope, stymied their pursuit of quick runs with five wickets. With 14 overs lost to drizzle on the final day, Derbyshire had no chance of batting Sussex out of the game and Sussex took control.

There were a lot of painful watches too, not least against Leicestershire at Hove. After Haines’ hand was broken Tom Alsop led the way with a chanceless, five-hour 150 in Sussex’s highest total for seven years before South African pair Colin Ackermann and Wiaan Mulder rewrote the record books with maiden double hundreds, although both were dropped. Their 477 was the highest fifth wicket stand in Championship history, while Sussex conceded the highest total in theirs (756-4). Leicestershire plundered 368 runs in two sessions before they declared with a lead of 168, but with no deterioration in the pitch Orr’s century eased any Sussex concerns.

Bruce Talbot

EVEN THE SEAGULLS ACKNOWLEDGE ANOTHER CENTURY FROM CHET PUJARA, ONE OF FIVE HE SCORED IN 2022.

Umpires: Rob Bailey & Martin Saggers

Toss: Nottinghamshire, who elected to field

Result: Nottinghamshire won by 10 wickets

SUSSEX V NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON 7, 8, 9, 10 APRIL 2022

Umpires: Paul Baldwin & Peter Hartley

Toss: Derbyshire, who elected to bat

Result: Match drawn

DERBYSHIRE V SUSSEX

AT THE INCORA COUNTY GROUND, DERBY - APRIL 14,15,16,17 2022

Umpires: Alex Wharf & James Middlebrook

Toss: Worcestershire, who elected to bat

Result: Worcestershire won by an innings & 34 runs.

WORCESTERSHIRE V SUSSEX

AT NEW ROAD, WORCESTER - APRIL 21,22,23 2022

Umpires: Ben Debenham & Ian Blackwell

Toss: Durham, who elected to bat

SUSSEX V DURHAM

Result: Match drawn

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE, 28, 29, 30 APRIL, 1 MAY 2022

Umpires: Ian Blackwell & Chris Watt

Toss: Sussex, who elected to bat

Result: Middlesex won by 7 wickets

SUSSEX V MIDDLESEX

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND,

MAY, 2022

Umpires: Hassan Adnan & Graham Lloyd

Toss: Derbyshire, who elected to bat

Result: Match drawn

LEICESTERSHIRE V SUSSEX

AT THE UPTON STEEL COUNTY GROUND,

12,13,14,15 MAY 2022

Umpires: Billy Taylor & Rob White

Toss: Glamorgan, who elected to field

Result: Glamorgan won by 5 wickets

GLAMORGAN V SUSSEX

AT CARDIFF, 12,13,14,15 JUNE 2022

Umpires: Paul Baldwin & Peter Hartley

Toss: Derbyshire, who elected to bat

Result: Sussex won by 5 wickets

SUSSEX V DERBYSHIRE

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND,

26, 27, 28, 29 JUNE 2022

Umpires: Ben Debenham & Neil Pratt

Toss: Sussex, who elected to bat

Result: Match drawn

SUSSEX V LEICESTERSHIRE

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE, 11,

13, 14 JULY 2022

Umpires: Rob White & Russell Warren

Toss: Middlesex, who elected to field

Result: Match drawn

MIDDLESEX V SUSSEX

AT LORD’S, JULY 19,20,21.22 2022

Umpires: Neil Bainton & Paul Baldwin

Toss: Sussex, who elected to field

Result: Nottinghamshire won by 256 runs

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE V SUSSEX

AT TRENT BRIDGE, JULY 26, 27, 28 2022

Umpires: Nigel Llong & Hassan Adnan

Toss: Sussex, who elected to bat

Result: Match drawn

SUSSEX V WORCESTERSHIRE

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE, 12, 13, 14, 15 SEPTEMBER 2022

Umpires: RNeil Mallender & Surendiran Shanmugans

Toss: Durham, who elected to field

DURHAM V SUSSEX

Result: Durham won by an innings & 140 runs

AT CHESTER-LE-STREET, SEPTEMBER 20, 21, 22, 23 2022

Umpires: Paul Baldwin & Tom Lungley

Toss: Glamorgan, who elected to bat

Result: Match drawn

SUSSEX V GLAMORGAN

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE, 26, 27, 28, 29 SEPTEMBER 2022

LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP AVERAGES

LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE

MOHAMMAD RIZWAN AND DANIEL IBRAHIM WALK OFF TO APPLAUSE FROM THE HOVE CROWD AFTER GUIDING SUSSEX TO VICTORY OVER DERBYSHIRE.

LV COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

NOTES ON THE SEASON

HIGHEST INNINGS TOTAL FOR SUSSEX

588-9 (142.5 overs)

554-8 (139 overs)

538 (153.5 overs)

v Leicestershire at Hove

v Glamorgan at Hove

v Durham at Hove

523 (162.5 overs) v Middlesex at Lord’s

(This is the highest Sussex total at Lord’s, beating the 522 v Middlesex in 2005)

513-3 (176.1 overs)

450 (126.3 overs)

AGAINST SUSSEX

v Derbyshire at Derby

v Leicestershire at Leicester

756-4 dec (177 overs) by Leicestershire at Hove

(This is the highest innings total against Sussex in first-class cricket, beating the 726 by Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1895. It is the highest total at Hove, beating the 703-9 dec by Cambridge University in 1890. It is also the highest total for Leicestershire in first-class cricket, beating the 701-4 dec against Worcestershire at Worcester in 1906).

551-8 dec (151 overs) by Derbyshire at Hove

534-9 dec (143 overs) by Nottinghamshire at Hove

533-9 dec (106.2 overs) by Glamorgan at Hove

505-8 dec (133 overs) by Derbyshire at Derby

494 (131.3 overs) by Glamorgan at Cardiff

491 (136.5 overs) by Worcestershire at Worcester

485 (124.5 overs) by Middlesex at Lord’s

459-7 dec (103 overs) by Durham at Chester-le-Street

458-5 dec (100 overs) by Worcestershire at Hove

LARGE MATCH AGGREGATES

1564 runs (14 wickets)

Sussex v Leicestershire at Hove

(This is the fourth largest aggregate in a match involving Sussex. Between start of play and lunch on the fourth day Leicestershire scored 227 runs in the session)

1465 runs (27 wickets)

1360 runs (30 wickets)

1345 runs (27 wickets)

1269 runs (35 wickets)

BATTERS’ MATCH

Sussex v Middlesex at Hove

Sussex v Derbyshire at Hove

Sussex v Glamorgan at Hove

Glamorgan v Sussex at Cardiff

The match against Leicestershire at Hove averaged 112 runs per wicket. This is the highest ever wicket average in a Sussex match, beating the previous record of 90 per wicket against Essex at Hove in 1993).

HUNDREDS

FOR SUSSEX (20)

243 (22x4, 491 balls)

231 (3x6, 21x4, 403 balls)

TJ Haines v Derbyshire at Derby

CA Pujara v Middlesex at Lord’s

(This is the highest score by a Sussex batsman at Lord’s, beating KS Ranjitsinhji’s 260 against MCC in 1897)

203 (24x4, 334 balls)

201* (22x4, 387 balls)

CA Pujara v Durham at Hove

CA Pujara v Derbyshire at Hove

(This is the highest score by a player making his first-class debut for Sussex)

198 (10x6, 8x4, 174 balls)

185 (4x6, 18x4, 289 balls)

177 (21x4, 257 balls)

170* (3x6, 22x4, 197 balls)

150 (16x4, 243 balls)

141 (6x6, 15x4, 203 balls)

138 (18x4, 262 balls)

137* (18x4, 228 balls)

135 (15x4, 277 balls)

130 (22x4, 227 balls)

113 (12x4, 179 balls)

109 (16x4, 206 balls)

108* (14x4, 169 balls)

106* (1x6, 18x4, 123 balls)

100* (1x6, 11x4, 194 balls)

100 (9x4, 187 balls)

HUNDREDS AGAINST SUSSEX (19)

277* (1x6, 41x4, 375 balls)

AGH Orr v Glamorgan at Hove

OJ Carter v Glamorgan at Cardiff

TJ Haines v Glamorgan at Hove

CA Pujara v Middlesex at Hove

TP Alsop v Leicestershire at Hove

AGH Orr v Derbyshire at Hove

TGR Clark v Leicestershire at Leicester

TP Alsop v Worcestershire at Hove

TP Alsop v Middlesex at Lord’s

M Rizwan v Derbyshire at Hove

TP Alsop v Middlesex at Hove

CA Pujara v Worcestershire at Worcester

TJ Haines v Glamorgan at Hove

AGH Orr v Leicestershire at Hove

D Ibrahim v Glamorgan at Hove

TGR Clark v Nottinghamshire at Hove

CN Ackermann for Leicestershire at Hove

(This is the highest score for Leicestershire against Sussex, beating the 232 by LG Berry at Leicester in 1930)

239 (24x4, 240 balls)

Shan Masood for Derbyshire at Derby

(This is the highest score for Derbyshire against Sussex, beating the 238 by TS Worthington at Derby in 1937)

235* (2x6, 32x4, 279 balls)

215 (1x6, 25x4, 294 balls)

PWA Mulder for Leicestershire at Hove

JD Libby for Worcestershire at Hove

(This is the highest score for Worcestershire against Sussex, beating the 186 by GA Hick at Hove in 1991)

(5x6, 15x4, 279 balls)

S Mullaney for Nottinghamshire at Hove

S Dickson for Durham at Hove 178 (26x4, 272 balls)

(1x6, 26x4. 290 balls)

CA Ingram for Glamorgan at Cardiff 176 (25x4, 311 balls)

176 (1x6, 19x4, 263 balls)

(1x6, 16x4, 333 balls)

(1x6, 16x4, 181 balls)

E Byrom for Glamorgan at Cardiff

W Madsen for Derbyshire at Hove

B D’Oliveira for Worcestershire at Worcester

S Robson for Middlesex at Hove

A Dal for Derbyshire at Hove 141 (2x6, 14x4, 165 balls)

(16x4, 280 balls)

CB Cooke for Glamorgan at Hove 119 (2x6, 16x4, 139 balls)

S Gill for Glamorgan at Hove 111 (8x4, 264 balls)

(2x6, 12x4, 182 balls)

(18x4, 225 balls)

(3x6, 11x4, 149 balls)

CENTURY IN EACH INNINGS OF A MATCH FOR SUSSEX

TJ Haines (108* & 177)

W Madsen for Derbyshire at Derby

J Evison for Nottinghamshire at Nottingham

A Lees for Durham at Hove

JA Simpson for Middlesex at Hove

LPJ Kimber for Leicestershire at Hove

v Glamorgan at Hove

(Haines became the 17th Sussex player to perform the feat which has now been achieved on 24 occasions. This is the first time against Glamorgan).

BATTING MEMORABILIA

CA Pujara achieved an average of 109.4, the highest by a Sussex batter in first-class cricket. The previous best was 87.57 by KS Ranjitsinhji in 1900 followed by CB Fry with 81.30 in 1903.

CA Pujara became the first batter to score a double century (201*) on his Sussex debut, in the second innings against Derbyshire at Derby, having scored 6 in the first innings.

CA Pujara scored three double centuries during the season for Sussex. Only KS Ranjitsinhji, with five in 1900, and CB Fry, who scored four in 1901, exceeded him. During his innings of 198 against Glamorgan at Hove, AGH Orr hit ten sixes. This equalled the Sussex record set in 1912 by HL Simms against Nottinghamshire at Hove. Two players were dismissed for 99: Leicestershire’s RK Patel at Hove and AGH Orr against Middlesex at Hove.

HIGH PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSSEX

351 for 3rd TJ Haines (243) and CA Pujara (201*)

v Derbyshire at Derby

(This is the eighth highest partnership for Sussex and the highest against Derbyshire for any wicket, beating the 310 by LWP Wells and EC Joyce at Derby in 2016).

328 for 1st AGH Orr (198) and TJ Haines (177)

v Glamorgan at Hove

(This is the highest partnership for Sussex against Glamorgan for any wicket, beating the 294 by LWP Wells and BC Brown for the fifth wicket at Hove in 2016).

219 for 3rd TP Alsop (135) and CA Pujara (231)

204 for 2nd AGH Orr (99) and TP Alsop (113)

191 for 4th CA Pujara (170*) and TGR Clark (77)

154 for 6th CA Pujara (203) and M Rizwan (79)

143 for 5th CA Pujara (203) and TGR Clark (50)

141* for 2nd AGH Orr (106*) and TP Alsop (60*)

140 for 4th CA Pujara (138) and OJ Carter (72)

138 for 3rd TP Alsop (66) and CA Pujara (170*)

121 for 3rd CA Pujara (109) and TGR Clark (44)

119 for 1st AGH Orr (68) and TJ Haines (59)

110 for 1st AGH Orr (28) and TJ Haines (243)

110 for 5th TP Alsop (137*) and OJ Carter (55)

109 for 5th OJ Carter (75) and DMW Rawlins (79)

107 for 2nd TP Alsop (150) and CA Pujara (46)

104 for 6th OJ Carter (83) and DMW Rawlins (57)

100 for 3rd TGR Clark (55) and OJ Carter (185)

HIGH PARTNERSHIPS AGAINST SUSSEX (OVER 200)

v Middlesex at Hove

v Middlesex at Hove

v Middlesex at Hove

v Durham at Hove

v Durham at Hove

v Leicestershire at Hove

v Leicestershire at Leicester

v Middlesex at Hove

v Worcestershire at Worcester

v Nottinghamshire at Hove

v Derbyshire at Derby

v Worcestershire at Hove

v Leicestershire at Hove

v Leicestershire at Hove

v Glamorgan at Cardiff

v Glamorgan at Cardiff

477 for 5th CN Ackermann (277*) and PWA Mulder (235*) f or Leicestershire at Hove

(This is the highest partnership for the fifth wicket in UK first-class cricket, beating the 401 by MB Loye and D Ripley for Northamptonshire against Glamorgan at Northampton in 1998; It is the highest partnership for any wicket against Sussex, beating the 428 for the sixth by WW Armstrong and MA Noble for the Australians at Hove in 1902; It is the highest for any Leicestershire wicket, beating the 436* for the third by DL Maddy and BS Hodge against Leicestershire UCCE at Leicester in 2003; It is the second-highest at Hove, beaten only by the 490 for the first wicket by EH Bowley and JG Langridge for Sussex against Middlesex in 1933).

328 for 2nd EJ Byrom (176) and CA Ingram (178) f or Glamorgan at Cardiff

(This is the highest second-wicket partnership for Glamorgan, beating the 291 by NJ Selman and M Labuschagne against Sussex at Hove in 2019).

318 for 1st A Lees (105) and S Dickson (186) for Durham at Hove

(This is the highest partnership for any Durham wicket against Sussex)

292 for 3rd S Masood (239) and W Madsen (111) or Derbyshire at Derby

(This is the highest partnership for any Derbyshire wicket against Sussex)

270 for 6th WL Madsen (176) and A Dal (146*) for Derbyshire at Hove

(This is the highest sixth-wicket partnership for Derbyshire, beating the 212 by GM Lee and TS Worthington against Essex at Chelmsford in 1932)

209 for 2nd S Robson (149) and P Handscomb (79) for Middlesex at Hove

SIXES BY SUSSEX BATTERS (62)

21: AGH Orr; 8: OJ Carter; 7: CA Pujara; 6: G Stewart; 5: DMW Rawlins; 4: JM Coles; 2: TP Alsop, TGR Clark, A Karvelas, M Rizwan; 1: SF Finn, F Hudson-Prentice, D Ibrahim.

64 sixes were hit off the Sussex bowling.

DUCKS AND PAIRS

19 Sussex players were dismissed for a duck on 31 occasions – 5: SF Hunt; 3: TP Alsop; 2: G Burrows, B Currie, SF Finn, TJ Haines, AGH Orr, AD Lenham; 1: JA Atkins, F Ashraf, OJ Carter, JJ Carson, TGR Clark, JM Coles, HT Crocombe, F Hudson-Prentice, D Ibrahim, M Rizwan, OE Robinson.

One player recorded a pair: SF Hunt v Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge

A total of 12 opposition players were dismissed without scoring.

BOWLING

SIX WICKETS OR MORE IN AN INNINGS FOR SUSSEX

6 for 93 B Currie v Middlesex at Lord’s

NOTEWORTHY BOWLING

H Kerr, for Derbyshire at Hove, took three wickets in four balls to finish the innings.

MOST RUNS CONCEDED IN AN INNINGS (OVER 125)

49-3-223-0 DMW Rawlins v Leicestershire at Hove

44-4-198-1 JM Coles v Leicestershire at Hove

29-1-131-3 HT Crocombe v Derbyshire at Derby

31-2-129-3 DMW Rawlins v Derbyshire at Hove

WICKETKEEPING

MOST DISMISSALS IN AN INNINGS

4: M Rizwan v Derbyshire at Derby; T Seifert v Glamorgan at Hove.

MOST DISMISSALS IN A MATCH –

7 (5 ct, 2st) T Seifert v Glamorgan at Cardiff;

6 (all ct) OJ Carter v Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge

MISCELLANEOUS

DEBUTS FOR SUSSEX IN FIRST-CLASS CRICKET

TP Alsop v Nottinghamshire at Hove; F Ashraf v Worcestershire at Hove; AP Beard v Durham at Hove; JA Brooks v Glamorgan at Cardiff; GD Burrows v Worcestershire at Worcester; M Crane v Durham at Hove; BJ Currie v Middlesex at Lord’s; SF Finn v Nottinghamshire at Hove; A Karvelas v Middlesex at Lord’s; CA Pujara v Derbyshire at Derby; M Rizwan v Derbyshire at Derby; T Seifert v Glamorgan at Cardiff; G Stewart v Worcestershire at Worcester; CJ Tear v Durham at Chester-le-Street.

EXTRAS: In the Sussex total of 588 v Leicestershire at Hove there were 61 extras (8 byes, 11 leg byes, 42 no balls).

VITALITY BLAST SHARKS LOSE THEIR BITE

starts that had been a feature of his career. In his eight games he averaged 19.75 and failed to score at least one fifty. A few weeks later he announced his retirement to take up a role as national selector for the ECB.

Ravi Bopara led the side in his absence but there was seldom any consistency in selection. Only one other player – Delray Rawlins – played in all 14 games and it was hard to keep up with the comings and goings. Five overseas players were employed with mixed results. Tim Seifert scored a century in a losing cause against Hampshire and Obed McCoy took 14 wickets in five appearances, including a five-for in the win at Taunton, but Sussex seldom put good batting and bowling performances together in the same game.

Sussex had been one of the more consistent teams in the Vitality Blast with two appearances at Finals Day since 2018. But it all unravelled in 2022 as the Sharks struggled.

There could be no complaints about the weather, despite the early start in late May. In contrast to 2021, when five games were either abandoned or aborted, all 14 matches were played. But four wins was the worst performance for a decade.

There was a blow even before the tournament started when Luke Wright gave up the captaincy. He then suffered a freak foot injury putting away a garden heater and struggled to give Sussex the fast

The tournament took place over seven weeks so as to leave the stage free for The Hundred. Hove was around half-full for Sussex’s opening game against Glamorgan and overall attendances fell by a hefty 41%, not all of which could be attributed to Sussex’s poor performances. Staging finals day in mid-July rather than two months later made sense but it came at the expense of starting the tournament when the casual fan just wasn’t in cricket mode.

The campaign flatlined after Sussex lost eight wickets for 23 in 37 balls against Gloucestershire before a disbelieving Hove crowd. Tom Alsop, who didn’t play in the first four matches, still topped the averages with 318 runs but even Rashid Khan, who played six games and took eight wickets, lacked his usual effervescence.

There will be changes in 2023. The overseas slots will be filled by two experienced all-rounders – Australian Nathan McAndrew and Shadab Khan of Pakistan – while the likes of Fynn Hudson-Prentice and perhaps even Jack Carson will offer Paul Farbrace and James Kirtley more selection options.

Bruce Talbot

LUKE WRIGHT HITS OUT AGAINST GLAMORGAN IN ONE OF HIS LAST GAMES FOR SUSSEX

Umpires: Neil Bainton & Michael Burns

Toss: Glamorgan, who elected to field

Result: Glamorgan won by 7 wickets

SUSSEX SHARKS V GLAMORGAN

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON THURSDAY 26TH MAY 2022

Umpires: Alex Wharf & Tom Lungley

Toss: Sussex, who elected to field

Result: Gloucestershire won by 41 runs

GLOUCESTERSHIRE V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT BRISTOL, FRIDAY MAY 27, 2022

Umpires: Nick Cook & Peter Hartleys

Toss: Somerset, who elected to field

Result:

Sussex won by 47 runs

SOMERSET V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT

TAUNTON, WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2022

Umpires: Neil Bainton & Michael Burns

Toss: Kent, who elected to field

Result: Sussex Sharks won by 4 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V KENT SPITFIRES

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON SUNDAY 29TH MAY 2022

Umpires: Rob Bailey & Ben Debenham

Toss: Sussex Sharks, who elected to field

Result: Sussex Sharks won by 5 wickets (DLS)

SUSSEX SHARKS V MIDDLESEX

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON FRIDAY 3 JUNE 2022

Umpires: Ian Blackwell & Nigel Llong

Toss: Sussex, who elected to field

Result: Hampshire won by 22 runs

HAMPSHIRE HAWKS V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT AGEAS BOWL, SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2022

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough &

Steve O’Shaughnessy

Toss: Sussex Sharks who elected to field

Result: Gloucestershire won by 4 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V GLOUCESTERSHIRE

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2022

Umpires: Martin Saggers & Neil Pratt

Toss: Surrey, who elected to field

Result: Surrey won by 7 wickets

SURREY V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT THE KIA OVAL, WEDNESDAY JUNE 8, 2022

Umpires: Paul Baldwin & Steve O’Shaughnessy

Toss: Sussex, who elected to field

Result: Essex won by 11 runs

ESSEX EAGLES V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT CHELMSFORD, FRIDAY JUNE 17, 2022

Umpires: Paul Baldwin & Russell Warren

Toss: Glamorgan, who elected to field

Result: Glamorgan won by 4 wickets

GLAMORGAN V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT CARDIFF, SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2022

Umpires: Nigel Llong & Mark Newell

Toss: Surrey, who elected to field

Result: Sussex Sharks won by 17 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V SURREY

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON THURSDAY 23RD JUNE 2022

Umpires: Chris Watts & Mark Newell

Toss: Kent, who elected to field

Result: Kent won by 6 wickets

KENT SPITFIRES V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT CANTERBURY, FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2022

Umpires: Hassan Adnan & Rob White

Toss: Sussex Sharks who elected to field

Result: Essex Eagles won by 28 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V ESSEX EAGLES

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON FRIDAY 1ST JULY 2022

Umpires: Michael Burns & Rob White

Toss: Hampshire Hawks, who elected to field

Result: Hampshire Hawks won by 5 wickets

SUSSEX SHARKS V HAMPSHIRE HAWKS

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON SUNDAY 3RD JULY 2022

VITALITY BLAST NOTES ON THE SEASON

HIGHEST INNINGS TOTAL FOR SUSSEX

(20 overs)

HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES FOR SUSSEX

100* (5x6, 9x4, 56 balls) T Seifert

82 (5x6, 8x4, 52 balls) TP Alsop

81* (3x6, 6x4, 60 balls) M Rizwan

AGAINST SUSSEX

v Hampshire at Southampton

v Gloucestershire at Hove

v Glamorgan at Hove

95 (5x6, 10x4, 50 balls) A Rossington for Essex at Hove

NOTEWORTHY SCORING FOR SUSSEX

J Phillipe (70, 43 balls)

M Rizwan (66, 32 balls)

RS Bopara (51, 26 balls)

SIXES SCORED BY SUSSEX PLAYERS (83)

v Somerset at Taunton

v Essex at Chelmsford

v Essex at Chelmsford

13: TP Alsop, DMW Rawlins; 11: M Rizwan; 8: H Ward; 6: RS Bopara, GHS Garton, AGH Orr, J Phillipe, T Seifert; 4: LJ Wright; 2: R Khan; 1: WRT Beer, TJ Haines. Opposition players scored 79 sixes against Sussex. NOTEWORTHY PARTNERSHIPS

NOTEWORTHY PARTNERSHIPS

FOR SUSSEX

85 for 3rd J Phillipe (70) and RS Bopara (48)

BOWLING

FOUR WICKETS IN AN INNINGS

v Somerset at Taunton

ECONOMICAL SUSSEX BOWLING

4-0-13-1 DMS Rawlins v

4-0-15-2 ST Finn v

MISCELLANEOUS

Catches: DMW Rawlins took three catches in the Middlesex innings at Hove Collapse: Sussex lost eight wickets for 23 against Gloucestershire at Hove and lost by four runs, going from 118-2 to 141 all out).

HOVE UNDER THE LIGHTS ALWAYS LOOKS SPECTACULAR. THIS WAS TAKEN DURING THE BLAST GAME AGAINST GLAMORGAN.

VITALITY BLAST AVERAGES

LONDON ONE-DAY CUP

AN AUGUST ODYSSEY

under their captain, Cheteshwar Pujara. Pujara led by example. And, more than that, he instilled a rare team spirit in his young side. It was Pujara’s attitude and approach, as much as his runs, that made Sussex determined to bring him back to Hove this year.

The Sharks lost their opening match, against Nottinghamshire and they lost their semi-final against a very experienced Lancashire side when they looked capable of going all the way.

But between those two disappointments they won six games out of seven in a strong group and often looked the best team in the land. It was as if the 50-over side operated in its very own microclimate. And the crowds flocked in on a consistent basis to cheer the Sharks on, dispelling the sense of disappointment and cynicism that could often be felt while the club floundered in other competitions. The Royal London Cup provided a late-summer consolation for supporters yearning for better times. That opening defeat was a bit of a worry. Sussex were beaten by 65 runs at Trent Bridge, despite a battling 75 by Tom Alsop, but how they turned matters round after that.

Paul Weaver reflects on an encouraging Royal London Cup campaign.

Sussex supporters have often looked to their one-day cricketers for salvation and it was the same story in 2022. In a desperately disappointing season their performances in the Royal London Cup side lifted the Stygian darkness, as if the floodlights had suddenly been turned on.

Sixty years ago, when Sussex won the original Gillette Cup, they were still 40 years away from their first Championship. Sussex also won the main oneday prize in 1964, 1978, 1986 and 2006, actually managing to win their second Championship in the same summer of that last triumph.

Last season, Sussex were 17th out of 18 in the Championship and there was no joy in the Vitality Blast either. In the Royal London Cup, however, Sussex not only played winning cricket but did so with style, and with a very obvious joie de vivre

Just three days later they beat Gloucestershire by 51 runs at Hove, on the back of a magnificent all-round performance by Delray Rawlins. Delray powered his way to 91 from 62 balls, his best score in List A cricket, as Sussex blitzed their way to a total of 335, with more cerebral contributions from Pujara (63) and Danial Ibrahim (50). Rawlins then took three wickets to snuff out a fighting effort by Gloucestershire.

Leicestershire were next up, and this time Sussex won by eight wickets in a match which lasted just 50.5 overs at the 1st Central County Ground. Leicestershire, who had won two out of two, were bowled out for just 120 in 32.4 overs, with Ari Karvelas – who was born in South Africa and played for Greece – bowling impressively on a green pitch. There was also another three wickets from Rawlins. Then Ali Orr and Tom Clark led the reply as Sussex knocked off the runs in just 18.1 overs.

There was a setback at Edgbaston, but what a thriller it was. Birmingham Bears scored a challenging 310-6, on the back of Rob Yates’ 114

ROYAL

ARI KARVELAS CELEBRATES A WICKET IN THE WIN OVER DURHAM

ORR-SOME: DELIGHT AT TAUNTON FOR ALI ORR AFTER HE SCORED THE FIRST LIST A DOUBLE HUNDRED IN SUSSEX’S HISTORY.

from 111 balls, but a brilliant century by Pujara took Sussex so close and they lost by just four runs.

Pujara’s century was not in vain when Sussex beat Surrey by the thumping margin of 216 runs in front of a full house at Hove, with Tom Clark also making a hundred, his first in one-day cricket. The Sharks were now on a roll and their confidence showed in a nail-biting four-wicket win at Durham, with Pujara once again showing the way home with an unbeaten 49 after Orr’s knock of 60.

There was another huge win at Taunton, this time by 201 runs, after the rampant Orr hit a violent 206 from 161 balls, with 11 sixes and 18 fours. It was the first List A double century by a Sussex player.

Alsop almost scored another, but had to be satisfied with an unbeaten 189, as the Sharks produced another big win, this time by 157 runs over Middlesex at Hove. Sussex scored 249 from their last 20 overs, with another great effort from Pujara (132). Their total of 400 was their highest in one-day cricket as they won themselves a home semi-final against Lancashire.

Sadly, that was it. They went down by 65 runs – just as they had in their first game in Nottingham. But what an August odyssey it was! They had cheered everyone up in a very troubled year.

Umpires: Mansoor Quershi & Rob Bailey

Toss: Toss won by - Nottinghamshire, who elected to bat

Result: Nottinghamshire won by 65 runs

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE V SUSSEX

AT TRENT BRIDGE ON TUESDAY 2ND AUGUST 2022

Umpires: Ian Blackwell & James Tredwell

Toss: Sussex Sharks, who elected to field

Result: Sussex Sharks won by 8 wickets

SUSSEX SHARKS V LEICESTERSHIRE FOXES

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE, SUNDAY 7 AUGUST 2022

Umpires: Tom Lungley & Billy Taylor

Toss: Toss won by - Gloucestershire who elected to field

Result: Sussex Sharks won by 51 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V GLOUCESTERSHIRE

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE, SUNDAY 7 AUGUST 2022

Umpires: Chris Watts & Simon Widdup

Toss: Toss won by - Warwickshire, who elected to bat

Result: Warwickshire won by 4 runs

WARWICKSHIRE V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT EDGBASTON ON FRIDAY AUGUST 12, 2022

Umpires: Rob Bailey & Ben Peverall

Toss: Surrey, who elected to field

Result: Sussex Sharks won by 216 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V SURREY

AT

THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 2022

Umpires: Russell Warren & Steve O’Shaughnessey

Toss: Toss won by - Durham, who elected to bat

Result: Sussex won by 4 wickets

DURHAM V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT CHESTER-LE-STREET ON WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST, 2022

Umpires: Naeem Ashraf & Nick Cook

Toss: Toss won by - Somerset, who elected to field

Result: Sussex won by 201 runs

SOMERSET V SUSSEX SHARKS

AT TAUNTON ON FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022

Umpires: Chris Watts & Surendiran Shanmugam

Toss: Middlesex, who elected to field

Result: Sussex Sharks won by 157 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V MIDDLESEX

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE, TUESDAY 23 AUGUST 2022

Umpires: Rob Bailey & Peter Hartley

Toss: Toss won by - Lancashire, who elected to bat

Result: Lancashire won by 65 runs

SUSSEX SHARKS V LANCASHIRE

AT THE 1ST CENTRAL COUNTY GROUND, HOVE ON TUESDAY 30 AUGUST, 2022

ROYAL LONDON ONE-DAY CUP

NOTES ON THE SEASON

HIGH INNINGS TOTALS

FOR SUSSEX

400-4 (50)

v Middlesex at Hove

(This is the highest Sussex total in a List A game, beating the 399-5 v Worcestershire (40 overs) at Horsham in 2011. It is also the highest List A total at Hove, beating Sussex’s 347-7 (50) against Glamorgan in 2019).

397-5 (50)

378-6 (50)

334-9 (50)

306-7 (50)

AGAINST SUSSEX

319-8 (50)

v Somerset at Taunton

v Surrey at Hove

v Gloucestershire at Hove

v Warwickshire at Edgbaston

by Lancashire at Hove

310-6 (50) by Warwickshire at Edgbaston

290-7 (50) by Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge

HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES (OVER 100)

FOR SUSSEX

206 (11x6, 18x4, 161 balls) AGH Orr

(This is the first double century in List A cricket for Sussex)

189* (5x6, 19x4, 155 balls) TP Alsop

174 (5x6, 20x4, 131 balls) CA Pujara

132 (2x6, 20x4, 90 balls) CA Pujara

107 (2x6, 7x4, 79 balls) CA Pujara

104 (13x4, 106 balls) TGR Clark

NOTABLE INDIVIDUAL SCORING

FOR SUSSEX

v Somerset at Taunton

v Middlesex at Hove

v Surrey at Hove

v Middlesex at Hove

v Warwickshire at Edgbaston

v Surrey at Hove

In his innings of 107 v Warwickshire, CA Pujara went from 50-100 off 22 balls

DMW Rawlins (54*) scored his runs off just 23 balls v Somerset at Taunton

Sixes scored by Sussex batsmen (50) – 22: AGH Orr; 11: CA Pujara; 9: DMW Rawlins; 7: TP Alsop; 2: TJ Haines, D Ibrahim, H Ward; 1: TGR Clark

NOTEWORTHY PARTNERSHIPS

FOR SUSSEX

240 for 3rd: TP Alsop (189*) and CA Pujara (132)

(This is the highest partnership for Sussex in List A matches)

205 for 3rd TGR Clark 104 and CA Pujara (174)

v Middlesex at Hove

v Surrey at Hove

(This is the highest partnership for Sussex against Surrey in List A matches)

140 for 3rd AGH Orr (206) and CA Pujara (66) v Somerset at Taunton

104 for 6th DMW Rawlins (91) and D Ibrahim (50) v Gloucestershire at Hove

BOWLING

FOUR OR MORE WICKETS IN AN INNINGS

At Blackstone, April 11-14. Kent won by 50 runs. Kent 296 & 312; Sussex 186 & 372.

Charlie Tear made 115 but Sussex fell short in their victory chase. Grant Stewart, who was to join Sussex on loan, took seven wickets for the visitors.

At Bristol, April 18-21. Gloucestershire won by 140 runs. Glamorgan 319 & 306-8 dec; Sussex 308 & 177. Sussex fell well short of their target of 317. Harrison Ward made 93 in the first innings and there were five wickets for Delray Rawlins.

At Billericay, June 20-23. Sussex 226 & 449; Essex 488/7 dec & 135/9 dec

After conceding a first-innings deficit of 262, Sussex fought back. Tom Clark made 127 and then Dan Ibrahim took 5-24 in six overs as Essex hung on in pursuit of a 188 target.

At LSE Sportsground, July 4-7. Sussex 443 & 261/9 dec; Surrey 269 & 322. Sussex won by 113 runs

In high-scoring conditions at the London School of Economics ground, Sussex came out on top.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice made a century before Daniel Ibrahim scored 61 and then took four wickets as Surrey fell short in their chase.

At Horsham, July 11-13. Middlesex 273 & 212; Sussex 393 & 96/3. Sussex won by 7 wickets.

Zach Lion-Cachet (80) and Fynn HudsonPrentice (83) helped give Sussex a substantial first-innings lead while George Barlow finished with seven wickets before George Garton’s 29-ball 52 guided Sussex to victory.

At Preston Nomads, August 30-September 1. Hampshire 219 & 161; Sussex 291 & 92/3. Sussex won by 7 wickets

A second successive win for Sussex. After Daniel Ibrahim had taken five wickets to help dismiss Hampshire cheaply, Charlie Tear (71) and Sean Hunt (57) gave them a decent first-innings lead. Sussex reached their target in 26 overs.

At Newport, September 5-8. Sussex 261 & 268; Glamorgan 415/9 dec & 111/5 dec

Glamorgan won by 5 wickets

Sussex were up against it after conceding a firstinnings deficit of 154. Fynn Hudson-Prentice made 112 in the second innings and there were fifties for

Archie Lenham, Tom Clark and Tom Haines while Jack Carson picked up five wickets.

At Blackstone, September 12-15. Sussex 300/6 dec. & innings forfeit; Northants innings forfeit & 301/6. Northants won by 4 wickets.

Tom Hinley made an unbeaten 107 and Henry Rogers 95 as a young Sussex team lost in a game reduced to one innings each because of rain.

2ND XI T20

At Blackstone, May 17. Sussex 144/5, Surrey 139/8. Luke Wright’s 63 set up Sussex for a narrow victory.

At Southampton, May 18. Hampshire 179/6; Sussex 180/5

A strong Sussex won with a ball to spare with Mohamed Rizwan’s 60 off 42 balls setting up the win.

At Beckenham, May 20. Kent v Sussex. No play due to rain.

At The Oval, May 23. Surrey v Sussex. No play due to rain.

At Horsham, May 24. Hampshire 163/9; Sussex 167/7 For the second time in a week Sussex won with a ball to spare. Once again Rizwan made 60, this time off 44 deliveries, to lead the way.

At Horsham, May 25. Sussex 155/7; Middlesex 156/5 Middlesex won with three balls to spare. Ali Orr (41) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice (40) top-scored for Sussex.

At Merchant Taylor’s School, May 30. Middlesex v Sussex. No play due to rain.

At Southend, May 31. Essex 218/4; Sussex 222/4 On a plumb pitch Sussex scored at 11 an over to win with an over to spare. Ali Orr blasted 80 off just 29 balls and Daniel Ibrahim (80 off 55) gave him great support.

At Hove, June 2. Sussex 189/4, Essex 175. Sussex won their final game but the loss of four matches to rain cost them a place at finals day, despite winning the group. Orr signed off in style with 124 off 66 balls before Sean Hunt took 4-33.

2ND XI CHAMPIONSHIP

BOWLING AVERAGES & TABLE

2ND XI T20

BOWLING AVERAGES & TABLE

SUSSEX RECORDS

FIRST-CLASS CRICKET

THE SIDES

TOTALS FOR AND AGAINST EACH COUNTY FOR

Lancashire 563 (Old Trafford) 1992

Leicestershire 686-8 (Leicester) 1900

dec (Hove) 1937

dec (Hove 2022)

1939

dec (Hove) 2021 Northamptonshire 670-9 dec (Hove) 1921

Middlesex 550-9 dec (Hove) 1980

Nottinghamshire 619-7 (Horsham) 2003

(Hove) 2004

(Trent Bridge) 1895

Somerset 742-5 (Taunton) 2009 584-8 dec (Eastbourne) 1948

Surrey 705-8 dec (Hastings) 1902

Warwickshire 601-6 dec (Edgbaston) 2015

Worcestershire 620-9 dec (Worcester) 2009

Yorkshire 599-8 dec (Hove) 2007

(The Oval) 1888

dec (Hove) 1996

(Worcester) 2016 & 2022

dec (Sheffield) 1897

all out

v Gloucestershire at Hove (Sussex won by 2 wickets)

v Kent at Hove (Match tied)

v Northamptonshire at Kettering (Sussex won by 5 wickets)

v Warwickshire at Hove (Sussex were set 504 to win)

BATTING

v Essex at Hove

v Kent at Hove

INDIVIDUAL INNINGS AGAINST AND FOR EACH OPPONENT

INDIVIDUAL INNINGS OF 200 OR MORE FOR SUSSEX

CJ Adams (2)

EH Bowley (4)

HP Chaplin

TE Cook (3)

G Cox, Jnr (4)

v Lancashire (Old Trafford)

v Northamptonshire (Hove)

v Northamptonshire (Hove)

v Gloucestershire (Hove)

v Gloucestershire (Hove)

v Middlesex (Hove)

v Nottinghamshire (Hove)

v Hampshire (Hove)

v Worcestershire (Eastbourne)

v Worcestershire (Worcester)

v Northamptonshire (Kettering)

234* v Indians (Hove)

212* v Yorkshire (Headingley)

v Glamorgan (Hove)

ER Dexter 203 v Kent (Hastings)

KS Duleepsinhji (3)

CB Fry (13)

v Essex (Leyton)

v Kent (Hastings)

v Northamptonshire (Hove)

v Surrey (Hove)

v Cambridge University (Hove)

v Oxford University (Eastbourne)

v Leicestershire (Leicester)

v Yorkshire (Hove)

v Yorkshire (Bradford)

v Surrey (Hove)

v

(Taunton)

v Yorkshire (Hove)

TJ Haines 243 v Derbyshire (Hove)

AW Greig 226 v Warwickshire (Hastings)

EC Joyce 204* v Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge)

v Derbyshire (Derby)

VWC Jupp 217* v Worcestershire (Worcester)

EH Killick 200 v Yorkshire (Hove)

John Langridge (8) 250* v Glamorgan (Hove)

232* v Northamptonshire (Peterborough)

227 v Northamptonshire (Northampton)

215 v Glamorgan (Eastbourne)

202 v Leicestershire (Hastings)

234* v Derbyshire (Ilkeston)

241 v Somerset (Worthing)

200 v Derbyshire (Derby)

NJ Lenham 222* v Kent (Hove)

FM Lucas 215* v Gloucestershire (Hove)

RSC Martin-Jenkins 205* v Somerset (Taunton)

GD Mendis (2) 204 v Northamptonshire (Eastbourne)

209* v Somerset (Hove)

WL Murdoch 226 v Cambridge University (Hove)

W Newham 201* v Somerset (Hove)

ASM Oakman 229* v Nottinghamshire (Shireoaks) 1961

CA Pujara (3) 231 v Middlesex (Lord’s) 2022 203 v Durham (Hove);

201* v Derbyshire (Derby)

HW Parks 200* v Essex (Chelmsford) 1931

JM Parks 205* v Somerset (Hove) 1955

MJ Prior 201* v Loughborough UCCE (Hove)

KS Ranjitsinhji (14) 260 v MCC (Lord’s)

222 v Somerset (Hove)

215* v Cambridge University (Fenner’s)

202 v Middlesex (Hove)

275 v Leicestershire (Leicester) 1900 220 v Kent (Hove)

285* v Somerset (Taunton)

NOTE: A total of 98 individual innings of 200 runs or more have been scored for Sussex

A CENTURY IN EACH INNINGS OF A MATCH FOR SUSSEX

G Brann 105 & 101 Kent (Hove)

GHG Doggart 140 & 105 Oxford University (The Parks)

& 106 MCC (Lord’s)

MW Goodwin (2) 115 & 203*

119 & 205* Surrey (Hove)

TJ Haines 108* & 177 Glamorgan (Hove)

W Lambert 105* & 157 Epsom (Lord’s)

John Langridge (2) 115 & 129

(Trent Bridge)

(Old Trafford)

146 & 146* Derbyshire (Worthing)

GD Mendis 103 & 100* Lancashire (Hastings)

HW Parks 114* & 105* Essex (Leyton)

JM Parks 101 & 100* Worcestershire (Worcester)

KS Ranjitsinhji 100 & 125 Yorkshire (Hove)

KG Suttle 112 & 120 Cambridge University (Horsham)

AP Wells 107 & 136 Kent (Hove)

MH Yardy 130 & 122 Yorkshire (Scarborough)

NOTE: KS Ranjitsinhji scored both his centuries on the same day - the only instance in First-Class cricket

1896

1971

1995

2011

THE FOLLOWING HAVE EACH SCORED ONE CENTURY FOR SUSSEX

N Arif, DR Briggs, MGK Burgess, OJ Carter; P Cartwright, PP Chawla, A Collins, JM Cotterill, LJ Evans, R Fillery, DJ Foreman, AHH Gilligan, HW Greenwood, FH Guttridge, HE Hammond, JRP Heath, SP Hoadley, C Howard, WA Humphreys, KJ Innes, WG Khan, DRC Law, MP Lucas, J Major, WJ Malden, HS Malik, JA North, G Osbaldeston, DMW Rawlins, OE Robinson, AEW Parsons, Nawab of Pataudi, C Payne, H Phillips, ACS Pigott, OP Rayner, DA Reeve, HE Roberts, M Rizwan, WGM Sarel, JGC Scott, KA Sellar, DJ Semmence, HL Simms, GA Stannard, GB Street, CG Taylor, JWA Taylor, LRPL Taylor, WA Tester, AH Trevor, CL St J Tudor, AC Watson, L Williams, RH Willson, AK Wilson, L Winslow, GN Wyatt, SAA Zaidi, B Zuiderent

NOTE: The last player to score 2,000 runs in a season for Sussex was:

18

Parks (2,000 x3)

17

John Langridge (2,000 x10); KG Suttle (2,000 x1)

15

Bowley (2,000 x4)

Parks (2,000 x1); J Vine 13

14

12

Cox, Jnr (2,000 x1)

JH Parks (2,000 x1)

10 times TE Cook (2,000 x1); MW Tate; EH Killick; AP Wells

9 times

8 times

6 times

5 times

4 times

3 times

twice

once

CB Fry (2,000 x4); ASM Oakman (2,000 x1), MW Goodwin

KS Ranjitsinhji (2,000 x4); AE Relf; DV Smith,

CJ Adams; LJ Lenham (2,000 x1); GD Mendis; PWG Parker; RR Relf; CM Wells

ER Dexter; KS Duleepsinhji (2,000 x2); GA Greenidge; C Oakes

HT Bartlett; MA Buss; HP Chaplin; PJ Graves; AW Greig; RJ Langridge; RR Montgomerie; CD Nash; HL Wilson

CWJ Athey; JRT Barclay; GC Cooper; AHH Gilligan; AM Green; VWC Jupp; EC Joyce; NJ Lenham; DS Sheppard (2,000 x1); DM Smith; MP Speight; AF Wensley

BC Brown, G Brann; JW Hall; RB Heygate; AJ Holmes; Imran Khan; A Melville; WL Murdoch; W Newham; RM

Prideaux; MJ Prior; LWP Wells; KC Wessels; MH Yardy

G Bean; MG Bevan; PA Cottey; G Cox, Snr; MJ Di Venuto; AIC Dodemaide; GHG Doggart; MJJ Faber; TJ Haines; PGH Fender; RDV Knight; G Leach; RSC Martin-Jenkins; Javed Miandad; AGH Orr; Nawab of Pataudi; J Oakes; CA Pujara; CLA Smith; NR Taylor; S van Zyl; IJ Ward, LJ Wright

LEADING WICKET PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSSEX

FOURTH WICKET: (250 RUNS OR MORE)

256 G Cox, Jnr and C Oakes v Northamptonshire (Northampton)

256 Imran Khan and CM Wells v Glamorgan (Swansea)

256 MJ Di Venuto and PA Cottey v Gloucestershire (Hove)

254 MW Goodwin and CJ Adams v Yorkshire (Arundel)

253* MW Goodwin and CJ Adams v Surrey (Hove)

FIFTH WICKET: (200 RUNS OR MORE)

297 JH Parks and HW Parks v Hampshire (Portsmouth)

294 LWP Wells and BC Brown v Glamorgan (Hove)

258* BC Brown and HZ Finch v Leeds/Bradford MCCU

251 DM Smith and P Moores v Essex (Southend)

246 A Collins and KS Ranjitsinhji v Kent (Hove)

232 EC Joyce & RJ Hamilton-Brown v Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge)

226* AJ Holmes and TER Cook v Leicestershire (Leicester)

216 KC Wessels and CM Wells v Middlesex (Hove)

215 James Langridge and HW Parks v Kent (Hastings)

207 KS Ranjitsinhji and J Vine v Middlesex (Lord’s)

(Colwyn Bay)

G Cox, Jnr and G Potter v Worcestershire (Worcester)

AP Wells and AIC Dodemaide v Glamorgan (Swansea)

Ranjitsinhji and AE Relf v Lancashire (Hove)

SEVENTH WICKET: (200 RUNS OR MORE)

KS Ranjitsinhji and W Newham v Essex (Leyton)

CJ Jordan and BC Brown v Northamptonshire (Northampton)

MJ Prior and LJ Wright v Loughborough UCCE (Hove)

228 MH Yardy and Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan v Middlesex (Lord’s)

225 MW Goodwin and RSC Martin-Jenkins v Derbyshire (Derby)

220 MGK Burgess and D Wiese v Cardiff MCCU (Hove)

EIGHTH WICKET: (175 RUNS OR MORE)

291 RSC Martin-Jenkins and MJG Davis v (Taunton)

(This is the second highest eighth wicket partnership in England)

229* CLA Smith

(This is the highest sixth wicket stand in England, and by Australians anywhere)

CENTURY PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE FIRST WICKET IN BOTH INNINGS FOR

NOTE: During the match against Oxford University (The Parks) in 1956, ASM Oakman shared in two century opening stands:

with DV Smith in the first innings and 100 with AAK Lawrence in the second

ALL-ROUND CRICKET

THE DOUBLE - 1,000 RUNS AND 100 WICKETS IN A SEASON FOR SUSSEX

Kent (Tunbridge Wells)

ER Dexter (27 and 94, 7-38 and 3-58) v Surrey (The Oval)

CB Fry (89 and 65, 5-81 and 5-66) v Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge) 1896 IA Greig (118*, 6-75 and 4-57) v Hampshire (Hove)

VWC Jupp (102 and 33*, 6-61 and 6-78) v Essex (Colchester)

Langridge (13 and 103, 7-58 and 4-66) v Glamorgan (Swansea)

AE Relf (103* and 8-41 and 7-36) v Leicestershire (Hove)

FD Stephenson (87* and 29, 4-78 and 7-29) v Worcs (Worcester) 1992

MW Tate (90 and 35, 5-48 and 6-42) v Oxford University (Hove) 1920

MW Tate (101, 6-52 and 4-43) v Hampshire (Portsmouth)

J Vine (86 and 54, 2-45 and 8-68) v Oxford University (Eastbourne)

BOWLING

FOUR WICKETS WITH CONSECUTIVE BALLS FOR SUSSEX

JB Hide v MCC and Ground (Lord’s)

1890

NOTES: This feat has been performed against Sussex on four occasions - in 1862 by J Wells for Kent; in 1924 by HA Peach for Surrey and in 1972 by PI Pocock for Surrey (Pocock went on to take five wickets in six balls and, in all, seven wickets in 11 balls) and in 2014 by AC Thomas for Somerset.

HAT-TRICKS FOR SUSSEX

AM Babington Gloucestershire (Bristol) 1986

W Blackman Surrey (Hove) 1881

A Buss (2)

Cambridge University (Fenner’s) 1965

Derbyshire (Hove) 1965

PAD Carey Glamorgan (Hove) 1947

CH Ellis Kent (Hove) 1862

AER Gilligan Surrey (The Oval) 1923

HE Hammond Warwickshire (Hove) 1946

WA Humphreys (3)

Australians (Hove) 1880

Australians (Hove) 1884

Hampshire (Southampton)

VWC

Imran

James

JD

GS

ASM

AE

DV

FW

AF Wensley Middlesex (Lord’s)

NOTES: James Langridge took four wickets in five balls against Somerset (Weston-Super-Mare) in 1948; Imran Khan took four wickets in five balls against Derbyshire (Eastbourne) in 1981. JD Lewry took five wickets in seven balls, six in ten balls and seven in 13 balls against Hampshire (Hove) in 2001. The feat of taking three wickets in four balls has been performed for Sussex on 36 occasions.

ALL TEN WICKETS IN AN INNINGS FOR SUSSEX

CHG Bland (25.2-0-48-10) v Kent (Tonbridge)

NI Thomson (34.2-19-49-10) v Warwickshire (Worthing)

NINE

EH

(Cardiff)

MW Tate 9-71 Middlesex (Lord’s)

FW Tate

9-73 Leicestershire (Leicester)

G Wells 9-105 Surrey (Hove)

NOTES: W Caffyn took nine wickets for 29 runs for Surrey & Sussex against England (The Oval) in 1857. The best bowling performance against Sussex is 9 for 11 by AP Freeman for Kent (Hove) in 1922. *No analysis preserved.

MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH FOR SUSSEX

17-106 G Cox, Snr Warwickshire (Horsham)

16-100

16-*

15-75

15-98

15-133

15-161

15-297

15-*

* NO ANALYSIS PRESERVED

Dwyer Middlesex (Hove)

Lillywhite Hants & Surrey (Bramshill)

Tate Middlesex (Lord’s)

Relf Leicestershire (Hove)

Thomson Warwickshire (Worthing)

Parris Gloucestershire (Bristol)

Marlar Lancashire (Hove)

Marlar Glamorgan (Swansea)

Vine Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge)

Humphreys Somerset (Taunton)

Ellis Surrey (Hove)

Wisden Kent (Hove)

MOST WICKETS IN A SEASON FOR SUSSEX

Tate (Av 13.47)

100 WICKETS IN A SEASON FOR SUSSEX

13 times

10 times AE Relf

5 times G Cox, Snr, FW Tate, AF Wensley

4 times James Langridge

3 times DL Bates, CHG Bland, A Buss

twice AER Gilligan, AE James, VWC Jupp, RG Marlar, Mushtaq Ahmed, JA Snow

once AB Hide, WA Humphreys, EH Killick, G Leach, JK Nye, JH Parks, J Vine, DJ Wood

FIELDING

MOST CATCHES IN AN INNINGS FOR SUSSEX

5 HZ Finch Worcestershire (Worcester)

5 GA Greenidge Glamorgan (Hove)

5 Javed Miandad Oxford University (Pagham)

5 John Langridge Somerset (Taunton)

5 ASM Oakman Glamorgan (Worthing)

5 ASM Oakman Lancashire (Hastings)

5 AF Wensley Warwickshire (Edgbaston)

5 AF Wensley Surrey (Horsham)

CHETESHWAR PUJARA MADE 174, OUR THIRD HIGHEST LIST A SCORE, IN THE WIN OVER MIDDLESEX.

SEAN HUNT TAKES OUT BROOKE GUEST’S MIDDLE STUMP DURING THE WIN AGAINST DERBYSHIRE IN 2022

LARGEST INNINGS WITHOUT BYES (SUSSEX BOWLING)

LIST A LIMITED OVERS CRICKET

HIGHEST SCORE AGAINST EACH COUNTY FOR SUSSEX

IN AN INNINGS AGAINST EACH COUNTY FOR SUSSEX

T20 RECORDS

FASTEST

(BY BALLS)

2ND XI FIXTURES

Sussex Cricket Limited

The 1st Central County Ground Eaton Road, Hove East Sussex, BN3 3AN

sussexcricket.co.uk