The official Members Magazine for sussex cricket
Spring/Summer 2016
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LUKE WRIGHT
PLUS TAYLOR BRIGGS GOODWIN - AND MUCH MORE! YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE 2016 SUSSEX SEASON
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04
LUKE WRIGHT
The Sussex skipper is relishing a new challenge – and a hefty workload
08
ROSS TAYLOR
A Kiwi legend who can’t wait to start his first proper stint of county cricket
contents spring 2016
08 ROSS TAYLOR
10
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN
Find out more about the Bangladeshi taking the cricket world by storm – and who’s coming to Sussex
14
DANNY BRIGGS
Who doesn’t like to be beside the seaside? New boy Danny certainly does!
16
MURRAY GOODWIN
10
A Sussex legend is back to pass on some tips of the trade
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN
18
2016 SQUAD PICTURES 22
PLAYER PROFILES All you need to know about the 2016 Sussex squad
26
DIVISION TWO PREVIEW
14
Who’s new and what are the prospects of our Specsavers County Championship rivals?
DANNY BRIGGS
30
SUSSEX CRICKET FOUNDATION
What’s it all about? MD Tim Shutt explains more
32
GEORGIA ELWISS Sussex’s latest England star looking for home comforts this summer
32 GEORGIA ELWISS
printed by: L&S Print Editorial: Bruce Talbot. contributors: Adam Matthews, Steve Hollis Design: Alison Cooper 07762357670 Photography: SNAP, Telephoto Images, Getty Images Hove & Away April 2016 3
YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING Luke Wright is relishing leading Sussex on a full-time basis for the first time in 2016 – but what does he think his team can achieve and where can they get better? BY BRUCE TALBOT
4 April 2016 Hove & Away
luke wright
Hove & Away April 2016 5
You are one of the few county captains who will be in charge in all three formats. Are you braced for that challenge? I think my kids will break me before that does – or the players, they’re doing a good job of it at the moment! Look, I know it’s something I’ve got to manage but I try to move on quite quickly after each day and each game. I’ve never been a bat thrower or anything like that - you move on, there’s not much you can do once the game is finished, whatever the outcome. I’m pretty good at letting things go once I get home and I think that’s going to be important. I will have a nice glass of red and then start to think about the next one, but the challenge excites me. It doesn’t faze me at all.
And you are lucky to have a core of experienced players at Sussex to bounce ideas off I’m going to be learning on the job to a certain extent but I will definitely be leaning on their shoulders of guys like Joycey, Ross Taylor and Chris Nash at some stage during the season. But I’m a big believer in allowing your senior players to take the lead in their own decision making. For instance, I think bowlers should be setting their fields most of the time. If I’ve got to set them then it’s a bit of a worry.
I guess you have picked up tips from captains and coaches you have played under around the world? I think it’s nice to see how different coaches and captains do things. In the Big Bash with Melbourne Stars we had Dave Hussey who was a very relaxed skipper and had some interesting theories on the game.
“We’ve said to the guys Division Two is not going to be a cakewalk but if we get our attitude right and keep people fit we stand a chance of going up.” Was it a surprise when Danny became available?
In terms of coaches, Stephen Fleming was among the best I’ve ever worked with last winter. He was so relaxed but his man management and planning for games was very good.
Hampshire have (leg spinner) Mason Crane now and had been playing him a lot towards the end of last season so it wasn’t a huge surprise. To be fair to Danny, he’s given up a good contract to come here and play for less money. It shows his desire to improve because it would have been easy to just sit at Hampshire and play white ball cricket, but he’s wanted to learn, especially in four-day cricket.
In terms of strengthening the team, you must be pleased to have Danny Briggs here Danny is a great signing because, to be honest, he’s one of those players that I have found an absolute pain in the backside playing, especially in white-ball cricket. He’s like a 30-year-old bowler in a young man’s body because he just knows what to do, and makes you take tough options as a batsman. At Hove, batsmen target down the hill a lot and whoever has to bowl at the sea end here has a tough job, but he always managed to deal with that for Hampshire.
Just one team will be promoted in the Championship, how will that affect your planning?
Danny’s played in six T20 finals days in a row so he’s a bit of a good luck charm as well He’s been a huge part of their success and with him in the team, and Mustafizur Rahman coming over as well, that is potentially eight overs nailed on which is massive in T20. But Danny will play a lot of four-day cricket for us too. He won’t go for more than two runs an over and he can hold an end or attack for us and he will pick up wickets for us.
Luke with Chris Nash, left, and Tymal Mills – two important players in the NatWest T20 Blast this summer
I don’t think it’ll make that much difference to be honest. I’m more interested to see what difference the new law about the toss makes. The ECB obviously want the wickets to be better in Division Two but with only one team going up, counties aren’t just going to be preparing belters that will be guaranteed draws because teams will need to win games to be in contention for promotion. If anything it makes result wickets more likely. There are a lot of things which will be new to us. A lot of guys won’t have been at some of the grounds we’re playing it this so there are some new challenges for all of us.
Who are Sussex’s biggest Championship rivals this season? Worcestershire seem to be very good at going back up straight away and they have built a young squad who have played a lot of cricket together and are doing well. They will be right up there. Essex have signed some interesting players and I think they will improve. Kent haven’t been great at four-day cricket for a while but they have some good young players that should start performing consistently better soon. We’ve said to the guys it’s not going to be a cakewalk but if we get our attitude right and keep people fit we stand a chance of going up.
6 April 2016 Hove & Away
luke wright
On a personal level, what are your own priorities in the game now? The Sussex captaincy has come at a great time for me. The majority of my earlier career was spent hunting down an England place or preparing for the next tournament or the next series, and you’re always quite selfish when you’re doing that. When you are not involved with England for a few years you look for a different challenge and captaincy in the T20 last year was good for me and I loved it. I want to make a success of captaincy and I’m looking forward to playing more Big Bash T20 during the winter in Australia,
Does it help you having a new coach to work with and what’s your relationship like with Mark Davis? Davo and I have always been very close and luckily we have similar ideas about the game. It is probably easier for both of us that we take over after a relegation than if we had been right at the top of the tree. A lot of our players need to move forward in their careers and get better. So far they have been willing to listen and do the things we are putting in place. They all know the improvements we expect.
Can you be more specific? Fitness and physicality is important. Our fielding has been awful in the last few years and it’s hard to win things if that’s the case. Sometimes you are lucky to have a team where the majority are natural athletes but when that’s not the case it’s about making yourself as good as you can be. Steve Magoffin is not suddenly going to turn into the best fielder in the country, but everyone can get better. It’s not acceptable anymore to be a passenger. It won’t happen straightaway, but it’s a vision of Davo and I to make Sussex the best fielding side in the country. As a club we’ve always been focused massively on work ethic and making yourself the best you can be, going right back to the Peter Moores and Chris Adams era and I didn’t think we had done that for the last few years.
What’s your message for the younger, less experienced members of the squad? There will be opportunities, but they won’t just be given to you which is something Mark Davis and I felt has happened in the last couple of years. Certainly if we get injuries we will have to give youngsters a go because we haven’t got the finances just
“Youngsters moaning about not playing when they are averaging 30 in the second team will get short shrift and told to come back when they are averaging 80.” Cricket’s a serious game, but Luke has never had trouble switching off at the end of a day’s play
to go out and sign the best like the bigger counties. I’m happy to play youngsters as long as they’ve earned the right to play. Players moaning about not playing when they are averaging 30 in the second team will get short shrift and told to come back when they are averaging 80. I was brought up on the idea that you had to churn out runs or take lots of wickets to even get a look in. When I was young, if I’d knocked on on Chris Adams’ door averaging 30 he’d have laughed at me. At counties like Yorkshire you see their lads are banging out hundreds or taking five-fors in the second team and funnily enough they go on and bang out hundreds and take five-fors when they get to the first team too. It’s a habit and one our young players have to adopt.
You’re a nice guy Luke. Are you too nice to give out ROLLICKINGS to the team? I gave one out last year when I was T20 captain and because people didn’t expect it it probably added a bit more weight. I want us to have fun, I want us to have worked as hard as possible and if you do that and you don’t get results then that is the game isn’t it? But if I don’t feel people are trying as hard as they can, for themselves and for the team, then I will tell them.
Luke had another successful winter with Melbourne Stars and helped them to the Big Bash final. He learned from working with different captains and coaches there
Hove & Away April 2016 7
It’s been another busy winter for Sussex’s new overseas player Ross Taylor BY bruce talbot
Since November the 32-year-old has played in five Tests, scoring 290 against Australia in the Trans-Tasman series in Perth before two home Tests against Sri Lanka. A one-day series against the same opponents in New Zealand followed before Taylor travelled to India, where he helped New Zealand reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup before they lost to England. Such is the lot of the international cricketer. Play, practice, travel, rest. Taylor has been on the treadmill for a decade now and his record speaks for itself, with more than 13,000 international runs across three formats. During the last decade it can be argued that only Brendon McCullum, who succeeded him as captain of the Kiwis and who, of course, also had a spell with Sussex a few years ago, has contributed more to New Zealand cricket. But throughout the winter Taylor’s thoughts have never been too far away from the next challenge in his career. The elegant right-hander from Wellington has experienced most things in the game. He’s played in the Indian Premier League and its Caribbean equivalent, but apart from a brief spell at Durham during their 2010 T20 campaign he hasn’t played a lot of cricket in England, although he did start his career on the MCC groundstaff. “Ross has always been attracted to playing county cricket, but for the last few years his schedule hasn’t allowed him to do so,” explained Head Coach Mark Davis. “He could probably have played in the IPL and the CPL this summer so he’s not doing it for financial reward, it’s not about money. “He’s always been attracted to the idea of playing county cricket for a long period of time and we felt, when we signed him in December, that he would suit us in a lot of ways. He’s very experienced and he can contribute strongly in all three formats. “Getting overseas players to commit to a county for a long period of time is difficult these days but over recent years we have been lucky at Sussex. Murray Goodwin was here for nine seasons and Steve Magof-
8 April 2016 Hove & Away
fin did four before he got his UK passport earlier this year. “Who knows, that might happen with Ross too, we’ll have to see. He will come over for the first month on his own but then his family – he has two young boys - are joining him so he is looking at it not just from a cricket point of view but a lifestyle experience as well. “I have never met Ross but Luke Wright played with him for Pune in the IPL and has been in touch with him regularly during the winter and he can’t wait to get started.” Mike Yardy’s retirement has left a considerable hole in Sussex’s top six which Taylor, who has been earmarked to bat at No.4, is capable of filling. He has played 69 Test matches, scoring over 5,000 runs and averaging 45.99, 171 One-Day Internationals, making over 5,500 runs and has broken the 1,000 run barrier in
Ross Taylor batting for New Zealand during the recent T20 World Cup, when he helped the Black Caps reach the semi finals
T20 Internationals, having played 73 times. “I am delighted to be joining Sussex in 2016. I’ve heard nothing but positive words said about the set up at Hove and I look forward to contributing across all three forms,” he said. “Hopefully I can play my part in helping Sussex bounce straight back from the disappointment of relegation last season. I look forward to linking up with Luke Wright, who I have been speaking to regularly, Mark Davis and my new team mates in April.”
ROSS TAYLOR
Taylor made his highest Test score last November, when he scored 290 against Australia in Perth
“I am delighted to be joining Sussex in 2016. I’ve heard nothing but positive words said about the set up at Hove and I look forward to contributing across all three forms.”
Age: Born: International debut: Test runs: OD runs: T20 runs: Extras:
Factfile
32 Wellington, New Zealand ODI v West Indies, March 2006 5232 (13 hundreds) 5707 (15 hundreds) 1256 (5 fifties) Captained New Zealand in 13 Tests; has also played county cricket for Durham
Hove & Away April 2016 9
Factfile Age: Born: TESTS: ODIs: T20 internationals: did you know:
A MUST SEE Mustafizur Rahman is one of the rising stars of world cricket and he’s coming to Sussex
20 Satkhira, Bangladesh 2 9 13 In 2015, Mustafizur became only the second bowler to take five wickets in his first one-day international
10 April 2016 Hove & Away
BY BRUCE TALBOT
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN
Sussex supporters all enjoyed all-rounder Chris Jordan’s contributions to England’s surge to the final of the T20 World Cup, but they will have been impressed too by the performances of a young quick bowler from Bangladesh who, a year ago, it’s doubtful any of them had even heard of.
No one in the world game has made as big an impact on the world game in the past 12 months than 20-year-old Mustafizur Rahman – and the good news for Sussex supporters is that the looselimbed left-armer is heading to Hove. The county has signed Rahman for their T20 campaign and he will also play in four Royal London One-Day Cup matches when Ross Taylor returns to New Zealand. It’s quite a prospect when you consider the impact Rahman has made since making his international debut last April in a T20 international against Pakistan. Over the next 11 months he took four wickets in two Tests at 14.50, 26 at 12.34 from nine ODIs and six at 18.66 in five T20 internationals. But it wasn’t until Rahman started making established international batsmen look like novices in the recent World Cup that people really started to take notice. In three matches he took nine wickets, including 5 for 22 against New Zealand – a performance that had his new captain Luke Wright in raptures on Twitter: “Rahman is a serious talent – it’s hard enough picking his slower ball on TV!” Wright was referring to Rahman’s freakish ability to disguise not only his slower ball but also his stock-delivery too. His technique, which he first developed as a youngster in his home village of Tetulia, about 150 miles south of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, enables him to bowl a mixture of slower balls from the back and front of the hand together with off-cutters and quicker deliveries, which have regularly topped 90mph on the speed gun. Wright was spot on in his assessment that trying to pick his slower ball is fiendishly difficult, even with the benefit of split screen and slow-motion replays. Essentially, he
“What he can do with the ball, the way he can disguise what he’s going to bowl just with his wrist action, is incredible. It looks like he enjoys his cricket too, which is important. Cricketers like him, who are a bit unorthodox, are incredibly valuable and I can’t wait to see him bowl for Sussex.” Rahman has no experience of English conditions. Since capping his rapid rise from village cricket in Bangladesh to the national team he has been playing almost exclusively in the sub-continent but there is no doubt he is a star in the making. Sussex fans will love watching him bowl. Sussex batsmen will probably be relieved that they won’t have to face him!
LEFT: A smile is never far from Mustafizur’s face. “It looks like he enjoys his cricket,” said Sussex Head Coach Mark Davis.
RIGHT: Mustafizur Rahman’s rapid rise continued during the T20 World Cup when he took nine wickets – including 5 for 22 against New Zealand
snaps his wrist for both his stock ball and the cutter. To make it even worse for batsmen, who don’t have the benefit of slowmotion replays of course, Rahman also has a knack of being able to bowl his stock ball with a scrambled as well as upright seam. At 20, Rahman is still relatively inexperienced but during the World Cup he demonstrated his growing confidence, using the full width of the crease to change his angle of attack, particularly to left-armers. Rahman will arrive at Hove from a spell in the IPL with Hyderabad Rangers and Head Coach Mark Davis, like his captain, is relishing his arrival. “He is one of the rising stars of world cricket,” said Davis. “I have watched him a lot during the winter and he has made some very talented players look like mere mortals.
Hove & Away April 2016 11
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1ST CENTRAL TO SPONSOR COUNTY GROUND
In March, the club were delighted to announce that car insurance provider, 1ST CENTRAL, had become the club’s ground naming rights partner for the next three seasons. The ground’s new official name will be The 1st Central County Ground, Hove, with the sponsorship running until the end of the 2018 season. 1ST CENTRAL is rapidly making a name for itself in the car insurance industry, having sold over two million policies since its inception in 2008. The business has two offices in Haywards Heath, housing a workforce of approximately 500, and has recently announced plans for expansion with a new office in Manchester. Andy James, UK CEO, of 1ST CENTRAL said: “As a large employer in Sussex it is of huge importance to build relationships with the community, and also with a team that has a long and recognised history in cricket and strong community ties. This partnership is something which really excites us. We look forward to seeing some great cricket matches at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove.” Zac Toumazi, Chief Executive of Sussex Cricket said: “Our ongoing development as a club has proved a significant factor in being able to secure another major long-term naming rights partner and we are delighted to be able to welcome 1ST CENTRAL to Hove. “It is particularly pleasing to see an up and coming Sussex-based organisation like 1ST CENTRAL become a part of the Sussex Cricket Family and we look forward to working together for the benefit of both parties.”
PRIOR AWARDED MCC HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
NEWS
NEWS innings. He made further hundreds at the Home of Cricket against Sri Lanka and India. Matt Prior said: “I have some wonderful memories of playing at Lord’s, not least scoring a century on my debut there in 2007. That was an incredible feeling and I can still remember the reception I got when I walked back through the Pavilion. Lord’s is a very special place and I can’t wait to come back as an Honorary Life Member of MCC.”
DONATION TO SHOREHAM AIR SHOW FUND Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Club to former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior. The former Sussex and England wicketkeeper, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2015, played 79 Test matches in a seven-year career for England. He averaged 40.18 with the bat and was his country’s second most successful wicket-keeper of all time behind Alan Knott, having claimed 256 dismissals. His Test debut came at Lord’s against West Indies in 2007, and he wasted no time in etching his name onto the famous Honours Board, scoring 126 not out in the first
In February, it was announced that Sussex Cricket had made a donation of £5,000 to the Shoreham Air Show Fund, following the return of Fireworks Night to Hove last November. The Shoreham Air Show Fund is managed by Sussex Community Foundation, which raises funds for and gives grants to charities and community groups across Sussex. The public, companies and others across Sussex have already raised approximately £185,000 for the families affected by the Shoreham disaster. Despite desperately poor weather on the evening, Fireworks Night was still attended by over 4,500 people, who witnessed a fantastically enhanced pyrotechnic display from
Aurora Fireworks, and the crowds were also treated to music from former X-Factor finalists Rough Copy and solo artist Laura Comfort. Thanks to sponsorship from Parafix Tapes & Conversions, a local company based in Lancing, the club have been able to make the donation of £5,000, which was presented to Miranda Kemp of Sussex Community Foundation by Sussex’s Shoreham-born left-arm seamer Lewis Hatchett, and Michael Punter, Managing Director of Parafix. Michael said: “The Shoreham Air Show Fund is a well deserving charity and one very close to all of our hearts at Parafix. We hope the charity continues to attract support for those affected by last August’s tragic event.” Sussex’s Business Relationship Manager Tony Cottey added, “It is entirely appropriate that we were able to raise money for the Shoreham Air Show Fund and we are delighted that we were supported by Mike Punter and all at Parafix for this event.” Mike Punter (left), Managing Director of Parafix Tapes and Conversions, and Sussex bowler Lewis Hatchett hand over the donation of £5,000 to Miranda Kemp, Sussex Community Foundation’s Communications Manager
Hove & Away April 2016 13
HE DOES LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE BY bruce talbot
“I’ve never owned a boat in Cowes and I don’t sail but I must admit I do like living near the coast.”
14 April 2016 Hove & Away
danny briggs
Captain Luke Wright is happy to admit that Sussex signed Danny Briggs with the NatWest T20 Blast in mind. And why not. After all, Briggs is something of a lucky charm where T20 is concerned. He’s only 24, but the left-arm spinner played in the last six Final Days for Hampshire, a record of involvement that no other domestic player can match. But it’s in red-ball cricket that Briggs hopes to make as big an impact for his new county and he’s delighted that his winter move has also enabled him to stay close to the seaside. During his Hampshire days, Briggs would often take the afternoon ferry from his home in Cowes on the Isle of Wight to play in matches at the Ageas Bowl. “My new place is actually a couple of places inland from the beach in Brighton,” he said. “I’ve never owned a boat even though I come from Cowes and I don’t sail but I must admit I do like living near the sea.” What Sussex supporters are interested in, of course, is how Briggs does on dry land. In T20 he looks the ideal replacement for Mike Yardy, who retired at the end of last season six years after leading the Sharks to the T20 title in 2009. It was only as recently as 2014 that Briggs was playing in his sixth T20 for England, against Australia in Hobart, and he hopes a fresh start with Sussex can revive his international career. “Once you have played (for your country) you always want to get back there,” he added. “It is such an amazing feeling to play for England but it has also been good that in county cricket I have had time in the last couple of years to improve and become a better bowler. I know that if I can put a few good years in then hopefully I can stake my claim again and second time around it will be a lot more successful.” Wright regards Briggs as the ideal player in T20 to protect the short boundaries towards the sea end at Hove and knows from his own experience how crafty an opponent Briggs is from playing against him in recent years. “I enjoy bowling here,” said Briggs. “I am not sure what my record is but I always think the wickets have a bit in them for the spinner which is exciting. The boundary is a bit smaller down the slope but that is a challenge. It is about adapting.” Briggs was on England’s winter Performance Programme in Dubai where he was able to pick the brains of the best left-arm spinner of the past decade, New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori. They weren’t skills or techniques-based sessions because Briggs knows his own game pretty well now. “We mainly talked about planning your four overs properly,” he said. “You always need a plan B but if you stray too far you are going to be in trouble, you know things are going to go wrong.”
Danny Briggs has been regarded as a T20 specialist, but he is desperate to play a role for Sussex with the red ball as well
Sussex seems the ideal fit for Danny Briggs, who has always loved life by the sea As well as helping Sussex improve their white-ball cricket, Briggs is keen to make just as big an impact in the county’s challenge for promotion in the Specsavers County Championship. The emergence of Sussex-born leg-spinner Mason Crane meant he didn’t play a four-day game for Hampshire after July 6 last year. His record in first-class cricket – 193 wickets at 32.02 with an economy rate of 3.02 – is perfectly respectable for an English spinner in an era when the odds seem to be stacked against his kind of bowler with nearly half of the Championship programme completed in the early-season chill when the water table is high and pitches are hardly helpful to the twirly men. “It can be tough,” admitted Briggs. “It’s the way it is these days with the schedule.
As spinners we just have to get used to it and try and adapt, you have got to look at it positively. If spinners can do a good job and pick up a couple of wickets every innings in the first couple of months of the season and contribute that way then in the second half of the summer, when it’s hopefully a bit drier, you should come into it more.” Briggs just wants to play, whatever the format. At 24 he is some way off his peak and Sussex seem to have signed a player energised by a new challenge whose ability has never been in doubt. “The squad would say we have probably underachieved in the last few years,” he said. “But we have enough fire power with the bat and a skilful bowling attack so we should do well, whatever the format we’re playing.”
Hove & Away April 2016 15
GOODWIN A GOOD CHOICE Sussex’s new coach Murray Goodwin talks about the ‘batting battle’ and occupying the crease BY bruce talbot
16 April 2016 Hove & Away
With a new Director of Cricket, Head Coach and captain there’s no mistaking the fresh feel around Sussex cricket going into the 2016 season. And while the return of Murray Goodwin as batting coach evokes memories of the county’s successful past, his appointment could turn out to be as important going forward as those of Messrs. Greenfield, Davis and Wright. The brief from Davis when Goodwin was appointed in March was fairly simple. He wants the 43-year-old to pass on some of the tips that made him one of the most successful batsmen in Sussex’s history, more specifically how to bat for long periods of time. Goodwin was a master at it, of course. In 11 seasons he made eight double hundreds and the two biggest scores in Sussex’s history; 344 against Somerset in 2009 and 335 versus Leicestershire in 2003 (both not outs remember) have his name against them. Nothing motivated him more than grinding down the opposition and spending time at the crease. As a comparison, since he left Sussex in 2012, only three batsmen have scored double hundreds for the county: Wright, against
The long game: Murray Goodwin made eight double and three triple hundreds for Sussex.
murray goodwin
“In this day and age 1,000 runs a season is not enough,” “The guys just need to keep it simple. Don’t worry about the scoreboard – just worry about the next ball. Make sure you’re set up at the crease is balanced and play the next ball on its merits. If you can do that for long spells you will get your reward.” Davis confirms that Goodwin’s knowledge of how to play the long game was the factor in choosing him ahead of some equally credible candidates. “In the Championship, it’s normally the side who bats better who wins the game,” he said. “Our younger players, in particular, need to learn how to be patient and build an innings and for me Murray was one of the best of his era at doing that.” Goodwin, who will return to his home near Perth, Australia, at the end of June because of ongoing business commitments, is confident he will have made the right impression by then – and not just with Sussex’s callow batsmen.
ticularly in the first half of the season, was a big factor in relegation. Only Wright and Ben Brown scored more than 1,000 runs – a statistic Goodwin insists has to improve. “In this day and age 1,000 runs a season is not enough,” he said. “Ben Brown did it last year and he was keeping wicket every day as well so why can’t the specialist batsmen? 1,200 runs should be their minimum target.” The challenge has been set and if, by the end of the season, a few more of the county’s batsmen approach the job of accumulating runs in the same remorseless way as Goodwin, he might be on his way to making as big an impact as he did when he played for Sussex.
“The guys just need to keep it simple – don’t worry about the scoreboard – just worry about the next ball. Worcestershire last season, Ed Joyce and Luke Wells. That ability to concentrate for long periods, to resist when the bowlers are on top and then cash in when they tire or the pitch eases seems to have been lost in the T20 era, with a generation of young players fretting if they are not scoring off every delivery even in red-ball cricket. Goodwin agrees. “Look, I love seeing guys in the nets or in the middle expressing themselves and play shots that I couldn’t play,” he says. “But there is an art to batting in four-day cricket. I’m here to help our players, particularly the youngsters, find it; to learn how to stay in what I call the battle of batting – to be patient, trust their defence and know their technique is good enough to take advantage when it gets easier. “They are all good enough to do that technically, from the young lads in the Academy upwards.” So is it purely a mental barrier that needs to be overcome? “Possibly,” says Goodwin. “When I started playing professionally I wasn’t very good at switching off between balls but you do need that balance between being intense and focussed when the bowler is running in and staying relaxed when he’s not.
He has also been working with the senior players too, although in more of a mentoring rather than instructional role. “They all know their games so well but I can offer feedback and work with them on a few technical issues. Chris Nash and Luke Wells have both worked hard in the winter and I feel they have made a move technically, so it will be interesting to see how they do this season.” Sussex only passed 400 on six occasions in the Championship in 2015 and inconsistent batting, par-
Factfile MURRAY’S SUSSEX STATS • • • •
Played 190 first-class matches for Sussex and 296 one-day games Scored 14,472 first-class runs, averaging 49.24 Holds the county record for the highest innings - 344 not out against Somerset in 2009 Hit 12 one-day centuries, averaging 39.84 in List A competition and 29.33 in Twenty20 Hove & Away April 2016 17
SUSSEX CCC 2016
Back row left to right: Craig Cachopa, Phil Salt, Tymal Mills, Will Beer, Harry Finch, Matt Machan, Graham Irwin (2nd XI Scorer)
18 April 2016 Hove & Away
Middle row left to right: Jon Marrale (Physio), Paul Khoury (Head of Science and Medicine), Mike Charman (1st XI Scorer), Ajmal Shahzad, Danny Briggs, Luke Wells, Ollie Robinson, Lewis Hatchett, Stuart Whittingham, George Garton, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Nick Lee (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Robert Chave (Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach).
THE TEAMS
Front row left to right: Jason Swift (Team Analyst and Coach), Ed Joyce, Chris Nash, Zac Toumazi (Chief Executive), Mark Davis (Head Coach), Luke Wright (Captain), Ben Brown (Vice-Captain), Steve Magoffin, Jon Lewis (Assistant Head Coach), Murray Goodwin (Batting Coach).
Missing from the picture: Chris Jordan, Ross Taylor, Mustafizur Rahman
Hove & Away April 2016 19
25 CELEBRATING
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We look forward to sharing another electrifying season in 2016 as part of the Sussex County Cricket Club family.
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THE TEAMS
Sussex NatWest T20 Blast squad 2016
Sussex Royal London One-Day Cup squad 2016
Hove & Away April 2016 21
DANNY BRIGGS
Danny Briggs The 24-year-old England left-arm spinner joined the county last October on a three-year contract from Hampshire. Briggs has taken 191 first-class wickets in his 67 matches, with a best of 6 for 45 which he took for the England Lions in 2011. His wickets have come at an average of 32.14, with an economy rate of only slightly over 3 runs per over. He made his England ODI debut against Pakistan in Dubai in 2012, and has also played seven times for his country in T20 internationals. His 126 T20 wickets have come at an average of 20.26 whilst he has also claimed 71 List A scalps in 68 matches.
New Zealand international Ross Taylor is joining Sussex as overseas player for the first half of the 2016 season. He will be available from early April through to late July, and will feature across all three formats. Taylor, 32, has played in all three versions of the game for his country. He has played 68 Test matches, scoring over 5,000 runs and averaging 45.99. The former New Zealand skipper has also played 166 ODIs, making over 5,500 runs, and has broken the 1,000 run barrier in T20 internationals, having played 64 times
ross taylor
george carton
George Garton Garton, 19, is a left-arm seamer and the Brighton-born player has progressed through the Sussex’s Youth and Academy ranks. He featured for England Under-19’s during last summer against the touring Australians, and spent some of this winter on the Potential England Performance Programme (PEPP) in South Africa. He penned a new two–year contract extension in March and took a wicket with his first ball in first-class cricket, against Leeds/Bradford MCCU, becoming the first Sussex player since 1857 to do so.
stuart whittingham
Phil Salt Top-order batsman Salt has scored heavily for the 2nd XI and Development XI over the past two seasons, and the 19-year-old made his first-team debut in August 2015 when he opened the batting in the Royal London One-Day Cup against Essex. Salt also plays for Brighton & Hove CC in the Sussex Premier League.
Luke Wright Leading the team for the first time across all three formats in 2016, Wright was last year’s leading run-scorer for Sussex in the Specsavers County Championship, amassing 1,210 runs and smashed his highest first-class score, an unbeaten 226 against Worcestershire at New Road. He once again spent the winter playing for the Melbourne Stars in Australia’s Big Bash, hitting a superb century in front of a crowd of 80,000 against the Renegades at the MCG. His form last season earned him the Sussex Player of the Year Award, averaging 51 and 45 in the NatWest T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup respectively for the Sharks.
Stuart Whittingham The paceman, 22, is another player to have come up through the ranks in Sussex, and made his first-class bow at the beginning of 2015 for Loughborough MCCU when they played Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl. He also has experience with Scotland’s Under-19 side, having been in the squad for the 2014 World Cup.
luke wright
phil salt 22 April 2016 Hove & Away
Ross Taylor
player profiles ajmal shahzad
Ajmal Shahzad The 30 year-old seamer was plagued by injury problems last season but is aiming to hit the ground running in 2016, with injuries seemingly behind him. Despite his curtailed season, of all the bowlers to take over 20 wickets last season in the County Championship, he had the best strike rate (30.4) and starred in the early season win over Worcestershire at Hove, taking 5 for 46 in the second innings to seal a dramatic 61-run victory.
Ben Brown The Crawley-born wicketkeeper passed 1,000 runs for the first time in Championship cricket last season and was rewarded with a new three-year contract extension, seeing him remain at Hove until at least the end of 2018. He is now vice-captain of the side across all three formats and averaged 44.82 including four centuries in last year’s Championship. His best of 144 not out came in the victory over Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl in Sussex’s first outing of the season. He spent some of the winter working Gary Kirsten in South Africa.
ben brown
chris jordan
Chris Jordan The 27 year-old England seamer signed a new one-year contract extension in March, which ensures that he stays at Hove until at least the end of 2017. He toured again over the winter with England, featuring in both ODI and T20 cricket against South Africa, and helped them reach the ICC World T20 Final, becoming only the third Sussex player to feature in the final following Luke Wright and Michael Yardy in 2010. He currently has 110 scalps in Championship cricket for Sussex, from his 27 matches.
craig cachopa
Chris Nash The Cuckfield-born batsman put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension recently, which will see him in Sussex colours until at least the end of the 2018 season. He made 866 first-class runs for Sussex in 2015 and has now amassed over 9,000 runs in first-class cricket, his highest score of 184 coming against Leicestershire in 2010. The 32 year-old also spent time in South Africa during the winter, working with the Gary Kirsten Academy alongside Ben Brown.
The Irishman stood down from the Sussex captaincy at the end of 2015, following three seasons at the helm, leading the county to two successive third-place finishes in the Championship, the highest position in which Sussex have finished since winning the top division in 2007. Joyce notched 855 first-class runs last season and passed two significant landmarks for his country, Ireland. He scored 231 against the UAE in June, Ireland’s highest individual first-class score, as well as a career best, and in October, hit 205 against Namibia in their ICC Intercontinental Cup clash to become their first player to score two double-centuries.
The 24 year-old former New Zealand Under-19 skipper starred in the Sharks’ NatWest T20 Blast tournament in 2015, averaging 41.57 with the bat. The highlight came in Sussex’s impressive victory over Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl, as he put on 144 for the fourth wicket with Matt Machan, making an unbeaten 89. This was the second-highest ever partnership for the Sharks in T20 cricket. Signed a one-year contract extension which will see him stay at Hove until at least the end of 2017.
ed joyce
chris nash
Ed Joyce
Craig Cachopa
Hove & Away April 2016 23
fynn hudson-prentice
Fynn HudsonPrentice Hudson-Prentice will be spending his second season on the professional staff in 2016. The 20 year-old all-rounder, born in Haywards Heath, made his first-class debut in Sussex’s County Championship match with Hampshire at Hove in June, and spent much of the winter playing club cricket in Australia.
The Hastings-born all-rounder managed to force his way into the Sharks’ NatWest T20 Blast side, playing eight of the fourteen group matches. He came to the fore though in the early season University match against Leeds/ Bradford MCCU at Hove, hitting an unbeaten 135, the first time the 21 year-old had passed three figures in first-class cricket.
harry finch
lewis hatchett
Lewis Hatchett An injury-ridden 2015 season saw the left-arm seamer unable to feature in any first team matches, but 21 year-old Shoreham Hatchett did progress his rehabilitation towards the end of the campaign, and jetted off to Australia during the winter to continue his comeback. He played in Sussex’s University Match against Leeds/Bradford MCCU this season, his first appearance in first-class cricket since September 2014.
matt machan
Luke Wells The 25 year-old from Eastbourne scored 625 runs in first-class cricket in 2015, with his highest score of 108 coming against Durham at Arundel Castle. His progressive leg-spin impressed in the Championship, taking 23 wickets along with his best of 3 for 35 coming in the same match.
Mustafizur Rahman This 20 year-old left-arm starlet will become the first ever Bangladeshi international to play for Sussex, after signing for the whole of the Sharks’ NatWest T20 Blast campaign. He was recently included as 12th man in the ‘Team of the ICC World T20’ following his performances for Bangladesh, after his 5 for 22 rocked New Zealand. He has played for his country in all three formats and on his ODI bow against India, became only the tenth bowler in the history of the game to take a five-wicket haul on debut, having bowled his side to a famous victory.
Matt Machan The Scotland international scored 955 Championship runs in 2015, scoring three centuries in four-day cricket, making his career-best score of 192 against Somerset at Taunton. He also smashed a century on the opening day of the season at Hove, against Worcestershire, with his other ton coming against Nottinghamshire at Horsham. The Brighton-born left-hander also hit 377 runs in white-ball cricket and featured for Scotland in the ICC World T20 in India.
mustafizur rahman
luke wells 24 April 2016 Hove & Away
Harry Finch
player profiles ollie robinson
Ollie Robinson Robinson, who was named Sussex’s Young Player of the Year for the 2015 season, will remain at Hove until at the least the end of the 2018 season following a magical breakthrough year. The 21 year-old all-rounder burst onto the scene last April to score a century on his first-class debut and his first outing for Sussex. His tenth-wicket stand of 164 with Matt Hobden against Durham at the Emirates ICG broke a 107 year-old Sussex record, and he went on to take 46 wickets in his debut season, with a superb best of 6 for 33 coming in the win against Warwickshire at Hove.
will beer
The Crawley-born leg-spinner has been an integral part of Sussex’s white-ball campaigns in recent seasons and again was a mainstay of the Sharks’ side in both NatWest T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup campaigns. He claimed 3 for 23 in a Man to the Match T20 Blast performance against Somerset at Taunton and took 11 wickets in all during the shortest format in 2015. Beer has also been gaining experience away from Sussex, playing three matches for Oxfordshire in the Minor Counties Championship, thanks to the cricketing partnership between the two counties. He also worked with the England Lions squad during the winter in Dubai in a net-bowling capacity.
Despite injury restricting the left-arm paceman’s Championship appearances, Mills was a vital component of Sussex’s NatWest T20 Blast charge and was leading wicket-taker in the tournament for the Sharks with 19 scalps, and his best of 4 for 22 coming against Middlesex at Lord’s. Spent time in both South Africa and Dubai during the winter, with the England Performance Programme, and the Lions.
The tall seamer has recently had confirmation that his application for British citizenship has been accepted, meaning he will begin the 2016 season as a local player for Sussex, rather than being an overseas player as he has been for the past four campaigns. The 36 year-old has been one of Sussex’s standout seam bowlers in recent years, taking a mammoth 267 first-class wickets in 63 matches, across his four seasons at Hove. Magoffin weighed in with 69 four-day wickets in 2015 which took him to second in the leading wicket-taking list in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.
steve magoffin
tymal mills
Will Beer
Tymal Mills
Steve Magoffin
Hove & Away April 2016 25
NEWS on two
How are our eight rivals shaping up as the Specsavers County Championship gets underway? B
DERBYSHIRE
ESSEX
Wayne Madsen Coach: Graeme Welch
Ryan ten Doeschate Coach: Chris Silverwood It has been a winter of change at Chelmsford. The former England all-rounder Ronnie Irani, who is chairman of the cricket committee, has instigated the appointment of a new coach and four-day captain while Ravi Bopara will lead the one-day side. Six players have left, including Reece Topley and Brighton-born Mark Pettini, but there are new faces, the most interesting of whom is probably fast bowler Matt Quinn, a New Zealander with a UK passport, who joins fellow Kiwi Jesse Ryder. It is also a big season for stylish opening batsman Tom Westley, who has been made vice-captain in all three formats. The extra responsibility could bring out the best in a player whose off-spin is improving all the time. Essex haven’t been in Division One since 2010 and it will be fascinating to see if the changes enable them to shake off the tag of serial underachievers.
Captain:
Mark Footit’s decision to join Surrey has left a big hole in Derbyshire’s seam attack. The left-armer took 76 wickets last season and the onus to pick up the slack will be on Andy Carter and Tom Milnes, two bowlers with top-flight experience recruited from Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire respectively. New Zealander Neil Broom, who holds a UK passport, is an interesting addition to their batting. Broom played 32 ODIs but only managed one 50 and, at 32, his international career is probably behind him, but he arrives after a prolific domestic season in New Zealand when he was top scorer in the 50 over competition. Another Otago player, Hamish Rutherford, returns for the whole season while two young bowlers, Tom Taylor and Ben Cotton, are ones to watch.
KENT
Captain: Sam Northeast Coach: Jimmy Adams Kent have made arguably the best overseas signing in Division Two, capturing 20-year-old South African quick bowler Kagiso Rabada, who made such an impression during the Test series against England, for six weeks. New Zealand batsman Tom Latham has also joined with the club able to relax their policy, introduced for financial reasons, of not employing an overseas player last season. It suggests there is plenty of ambition at Canterbury to make the same strides Kent have taken in one-day cricket in the Championship under Sam Northeast. It shouldn’t be hard to improve on seventh place last season, especially if 6ft 5in quick bowler Matt Hunn and young batsman Sean Dickson continue to progress. Sam Billings’ likely absence for part of the season on England duty is a blow but the experienced Rob Key, Darren Stevens and James Tredwell offer reliability.
26 April 2016 Hove & Away
GLAMORGAN
Captain:
Captain: Jacques Rudolph Coach: Robert Croft
Fourth place last season represented an improvement in fortunes for Glamorgan, but the county cannot be accused of resting on its laurels. Robert Croft, a pillar of Glamorgan cricket for three decades, has taken over from former Sussex batsman Toby Radford as coach and although the squad still looks heavily reliant on the runs of skipper Jacques Rudolph and the wickets of Australian Mick Hogan, Croft is determined to give youth a chance, particularly Welsh youngsters. That policy might take a while to come to fruition but in the meantime there are three interesting recruits. Fast bowler Harry Podmore, starved of regular opportunities at Middlesex, has joined on loan, Nick Selman is a 20-year-old Australian who played for Tunbridge Wells last year and Timm van der Gugten a Dutch international fast bowler. Podmore and van der Gugten will offer support to Hogan while all-rounder Craig Meschede has joined permanently after a productive 2015 on loan from Somerset.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE Captain: Ian Cockbain Coach: Richard Dawson
South African Kagiso Rabada was wanted by several counties after a successful Test series against England, but chose Kent
Having won the Royal London One-Day Cup last season, Gloucestershire are keen to remain competitive in one-day cricket and their winter recruitment seems to have been done with that in mind. The prolific Michael Klinger does not arrive until late May so Cameron Bancroft, the 23-yearold wicketkeeper-batsman, will deputise until then while another Western Australia player, Andrew Tye, has been recruited for the T20 campaign. Chris Liddle has joined after he was released by Sussex and the left-armer should
NEWS
Bruce Talbot finds out relish regular opportunities in four-day cricket. Liddle effectively replaces James Fuller, who has joined Middlesex, while coach Richard Dawson and his assistant Ian Harvey will be expecting Liam Norwell, Chris Dent, Craig Miles, Will Tavare and new four-day captain Gareth Roderick to show further improvement, although a promotion challenge looks unlikely.
LEICESTERSHIRE Captain:
Mark Cosgrove Coach: Andrew MacDonald Although they were unable to avoid the wooden spoon again in 2015, Leicestershire showed some green shoots of recovery by winning two Championship games and for the first time in a while it is the players they have recruited rather than those who have left who have been the story at Grace Road this winter. Paul Horton, Neil Dexter and Mark Pettini are a battle-hardened triumvirate who will bring experience and consistent runs and their arrival has led to a re-think in captaincy. The pugnacious Cosgrove will be in charge in the Championship while Pettini takes over in the white-ball formats. All-rounder Wayne White, who had a loan spell with the county in 2015, returns permanently after failing to make his mark at either Lancashire or Derbyshire while Aadil Ali, who showed glimpses of his potential with three half-centuries at the end of last season, will be expected to kick on. Leicestershire should improve, but a lack of bowling depth might hamper them.
in three years proving to be the highlight of the season. Money remains tight although 30-year-old Sri Lankan Seekkuge Prasanna, a legspinner and lower-order stroke maker, has been recruited for all formats. Monty Panesar’s potential return would at least will at least provide a high-quality spin option but the principal seamers, Rory Kleinveldt, who took 57 Championship wickets last season, Azharullah and Olly Stone, lack back-up and the batting will be heavily reliant on Wakely and the talented but inconsistent Ben Duckett, who at least showed towards the end of last season that he is finally ready to knuckle down.
WORCESTERSHIRE
Captain: Daryl Mitchell Coach: Steve Rhodes
Joe Clarke became the first teenager since Ian Bell to play for England, a sign of his growing reputation as a young batsman to watch
The bookies suggest the fight for the sole promotion spot is between Sussex and Worcestershire and they appear to be well placed to make an immediate return to the top flight. Their bowling attack looks particularly potent. Joe Leach took 59 top-flight scalps last season and Charlie Morris and left-armer Jack Shantry provide excellent support. The county has recruited shrewdly from abroad too with the New Zealander Matt Henry sharing overseas duties with fellow fast bowler Kyle Abbott. Joe Clarke – the first teenage batsman since Ian Bell to be picked for England Lions – needs to translate promise into consistent runs but there is a freshness about Worcestershire, with seven of the likely Championship team aged under 25, which bodes well for the future.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Captain: Alex Wakely Coach: David Ripley
Is it unfair to suggest that impoverished Northants are a county who are concentrating, in the short-term at least, solely on white ball cricket? Although their young side only lost three Championship games in 2015 they were never in the promotion shake-up, a second visit to T20 finals day
Hove & Away April 2016 27
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KEY TRIO COMMIT TO SUSSEX New Head Coach Mark Davis has been delighted to secure the futures of three of his senior players as the squad prepared for the 2016 season. In February Chris Nash signed a new three-year contract extension which will see him remain at Hove until at least the end of the 2018 season. Cuckfield-born Nash made his firstclass debut for Sussex in 2002 and has since gone on to play 150 firstclass matches for the club, scoring over 9,000 runs. His highest score of 184 came against Leicestershire in 2010 and he made 866 first-class runs for Sussex in 2015. Nash is also closing in on 3,000 runs in List A cricket for Sussex, and 2,500 runs for the Sharks in the T20 format. His off-spin has also brought him 151 wickets across all formats. The 32 year-old was in Cape Town during the winter with team-mate Ben Brown for five weeks to work at the Academy run by former South African opening batsman Gary Kirsten. Nash said: “This is my home club, I’ve played here since the age of seven and to commit now is a great thing for me. It’s an exciting time with Luke Wright taking over as captain. I’m looking forward to playing under him and hopefully over the next three years I can really hit my best form. “My aim is to score heavily in all forms and to win trophies. I still dream of playing for my country, and this, along with winning trophies for Sussex, is what drives me to keep improving.” Mark Davis said: “Aside from his immense ability, Chris is a senior player at the club and his influence and leadership in the dressing room is vital to our future success.” Steve Magoffin has signed a new contract which keeps him at Sussex
NEWS
NEWS until the end of the 2017 season. Earlier this year, Steve’s application for British citizenship was accepted which means he will begin 2016 as a local rather than the overseas player he has been for the past four campaigns. Since making his debut, the 36-year-old from Queensland has taken 267 first-class wickets in 63 matches for the county including 69 last season, when he was second highest wicket-taker in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship. Steve said: “I’ve had four really enjoyable years here. I’ve loved every minute of it. Hopefully this coming season we can put a good performance together as a group and move back up a division, as well as doing well in white-ball cricket.” Coach Mark Davis added: “Steve is not only a high-class performer, but a fantastic role model to all at the club, and will play a major role in leading the Sussex attack in 2016.” Another player to commit himself to Sussex until the end of 2017 is England all-rounder Chris Jordan. ‘CJ’ agreed his new deal shortly before joining England for the T20 World Cup and is about to start his fourth season at Hove after joining us from Surrey in 2013. Jordan was capped by Sussex early in the 2014 season, shortly before he made the first of his eight Test appearances against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. He said: “I’m thrilled to be extending my contract to stay longer at a club that I have grown to love and one that now feels like home.” Mark Davis added: “CJ balances us in all formats of the game. His all-round ability as a fast bowler, destructive batsman and brilliant catcher makes him a key member of our team and I’m looking forward to him making vital contributions to winning games for the club.”
Steve Magoffin should go past 300 first-class wickets for Sussex this season
Hove & Away April 2016 29
Earlier this year, the Sussex Cricket Foundation was formed. It succeeds the Sussex Cricket Board and Sussex Cricket in the Community Trust as the charitable arm of Sussex cricket.
But what’s it all about? We put some questions to Managing Director Tim Shutt to find out more
In a nutshell, what is the Sussex Cricket Foundation?
Does it replace an old organisation or is it a new one?
The Sussex Cricket Foundation is the charitable arm of Sussex Cricket. In summary, the Charity develops and deliver programmes to achieve three goals: increase participation, inspire education and improve health.
The charity is completely new but it has taken on the roles previously undertaken by the Sussex Cricket Board and Sussex Cricket in the Community Trust.
“We’re reaching communities and harder to reach groups that cricket has never reached before.”
Why was it set up and how many staff does it employ? It was set up as part of the merger between Sussex County Cricket Club and Sussex Cricket Board. Whilst the mission has been accomplished in terms of having the governance of all cricket, whether professional or recreational, under the same roof overseen by the same Board, much of the activity has a charitable outcome and is funded through charitable sources. Therefore the structure of Sussex Cricket needs to reflect that. The Foundation currently employs 14 permanent staff and around 50 casual staff.
www.sussexcricketfoundation.co.uk 30 April 2016 Hove & Away
cricket foundation Is the Foundation’s main aim to get more people playing cricket and if so, how can this be achieved?
What are the main aims and ambitions of the sussex cricket foundation? The vision of the charity is “Building better futures and stronger communities through the power of cricket.” We do this by developing programmes in three areas: Participation, Education & Employability and Health. We will increase participation in both structured and more accessible forms of the game, use the power of sport to deliver educational and health programmes and support communities and charities in Sussex through our outreach activities.
Disability Day returns to Hove on May 16. It’s one of the biggest massparticipation sporting events for disabled people in the south-east.
Increased involvement in cricket is certainly a key aim, whether it be playing, watching, following or volunteering. The Foundation, through its innovative projects, is reaching communities and harder to reach groups that cricket as a sport has never reached before.
What are the biggest challenges facing the recreational game in Sussex at the moment and what can the Foundation do to help? At an adult level we live in a fast-paced society, and whilst a vast army of passionate cricket players still make the time to enjoy the longer format there is an increasing appetite to consume the shorter format, such as T20. The Foundation will provide these opportunities as well as supporting the more traditional forms of the game. At a younger level, cricket must fight harder to “regain the school playground.” We will do so this by increasing our investment in the delivery of innovative cricket programmes in the 5-10 year-old age range and engaging the professional players more to help us achieve this.
d e v l nvo
What events are planned as part of the fundraising for the Foundation which will take place in 2016? The Launch Lunch on the 29th April will kick us off and that is followed by a series of fundraisers including golf days, lunches, bike rides and many more, in many parts of Sussex. See the Foundation website for more.
i t e G
We are seeking partners at all levels to develop new programmes and are also very keen to hear from volunteers who would like to be involved in a variety of roles.
www.sussexcricketfoundation.co.uk Hove & Away April 2016 31
BY GEORGIA Sussex all-rounder is looking ahead after a tough winter with England steve hollis
32 April 2016 Hove & Away
georgia elwiss
Georgia Elwiss is hoping to nail down a regular England place this season but knows she must score heavily in the Super League and for Sussex
Georgia Elwiss is looking to the future rather than dwelling on the past. The Sussex all-rounder admits that things did not go how she had hoped with England at the World Twenty during the winter. Elwiss played just one game in India and then watched as her team-mates crashed out to Australia in the semi-finals despite being in a commanding position. Fortunately, the hectic life of an international cricketer meant that the 24-year-old did not have much time to wallow in her disappointment. A few weeks after arriving home she was helping promote the new Women’s Cricket Super League which starts this summer. There is also a home series against Pakistan to look forward to as England bid to qualify for the 50-over World Cup which will be staged in their own backyard next year. And then there is helping Sussex build on a successful 2015 where the county lifted the NatWest Women’s Twenty20 title and came third in the Royal London Women’s One-Day Cup. Elwiss said: “Going to India was a great experience but things didn’t pan out quite how I would have liked. Australia were the one team we didn’t want to lose to and to be in the position we were in and then almost hand it to them made it even harder to take. “We were cruising but in Twenty20 the
England expects There is a home series against Pakistan to look forward to this summer.
game can change so quickly so you have got to be at your best all the way through. We all felt quite sore for a while afterwards but we have to learn from it and use it as motivation to improve so that next time we are in that position we come out on top. “On a personal front I was disappointed not to play more but I have only myself to blame. I didn’t score enough runs in the warm-up games so didn’t have a leg to stand on really. It’s just made me even more determined to develop my game so that in the future I can cement my place in the team. Runs and wickets speak for themselves so I have got to improve my batting and bowling to ensure that the coach can’t leave me out next time around.” That coach is former Sussex chief Mark Robinson who Elwiss believes is the right man to take England back to the top of the world game. “The World Twenty20 taught us that you need to be braver and trust your skills a bit more,” she added. “We were perhaps guilty of being a bit reserved and that is the message Robbo is trying to get across to have that belief in ourselves. He has only just come in so it will take a little while to see the impact he has but I am sure we are entering an exciting new chapter.” Elwiss believes the WCSL will also help improve the standard of women’s cricket in England by attracting some of the best
players from around the world. “We have needed something like it for a long time,” added Elwiss, who will play for Loughborough Lightning in between county and international commitments. “It will help bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket which is far too big at the moment. “Without a doubt it will help the England team and that is one of the main reasons behind it. We’ll have the best players in the world coming over and hopefully it will inspire more girls to get into the sport.” Elwiss may not be available on a regular basis for Sussex this season but she is optimistic about their prospects of success. England team-mate Danni Wyatt joined during the winter to help fill the gap left by the retirement of the experienced Alexia Walker. “Danni is a massive signing,” added Elwiss. “She will really strengthen our batting and bowling and will raise the standard in the field too. We’ve got really good depth in our squad and there are some exciting girls coming through too so we’ll be looking to challenge for honours on two fronts.”
sussex fixtures
May Sun 1
RL Warwickshire
Edgbaston Foundation
11am
Mon 2
RL Kent
Eastbourne
11am
Sun 15
RL Somerset
Bath
11am
Mon 30
RL Middlesex
Billingshurst
11am
Sun 12
RL Surrey
Sheffield Park
11am
Sun 26
T20 Middlesex
Radlett
10.30am
Sun 26
T20 Yorkshire
Radlett
1.30pm
T20 Kent
Arundel Castle
1.30pm 1.30pm
June
July Sun 3 Sun 17
T20 Lancashire
Edgbaston Foundation
Sun 17
T20 Warwickshire
Edgbaston Foundation
Sun 24
T20 Nottinghamshire Hove
10.30am
Sun 24
T20 Berkshire
4.30pm
Hove
4.30pm
August Sun 28
RL Staffordshire
East Grinstead
11am
Mon 29
RL Berkshire
North Maidenhead
11am
RL: Royal London Cup T20:ECB Women’s T20
Hove & Away April 2016 33
1st xi fixtures
1st xi Fixtures date APRIL Sun 10th - Wed 13th Sun 17th - Wed 20th MAY Sun 1st - Wed 4th Sun 8th - Wed 18th Sun 15th - Wed 18th Fri 20th Sat 28th - Tue 31th JUNE Wed 1st Fri 3rd Mon 6th Wed 8th Fri 10th Sun 12th Tue 14th Thu 16th Fri 17th Wed 22nd - Sat 25th Sun 26th Thurs 30th JULY Fri 1st Sat 2nd - Tue 5th Thu 7th Fri 8th - Sun 10th Fri 15th Sun 17th - Wed 20th Thu 21st Fri 22nd Sun 24th Wed 27th Thu 28th Sat 30th AUGUST Tue 2nd Thu 4th - Sun 7th Mon 8th - Thu 11th Sat 13th - Tue 16th Wed 17th - Thu 18th Sat 20th Tue 23rd - Fri 26th Sun 28th - Mon 29th Wed 31st - Sat 3rd SEPTEMBER Tue 6th -Fri 9th Mon 12th - Thu 15th Sat 17th Tue 20th - Fri 23rd
type
opposition
h/a
venue
County Championship County Championship
Northamptonshire Essex
Away Home
Northampton Hove
County Championship County Championship County Championship Natwest T20 Blast County Championship
Leicestershire Derbyshire Worcestershire Gloucestershire Derbyshire
Home Away Away Away Home
Hove Derby New Road Bristol (FL) Hove
Natwest T20 Blast Natwest T20 Blast RLODC RLODC Natwest T20 Blast RLODC RLODC Natwest T20 Blast Natwest T20 Blast County Championship Natwest T20 Blast Natwest T20 Blast
Somerset Surrey Essex Glamorgon Kent Middlesex Surrey Middlesex Hampshire Northamptonshire Gloucestershire Kent
Home Home Home Away Home Away Away Away Away Home Home Away
Hove (FL) Hove (FL) Hove (FL) SWALEC Stadium (FL) Hove (FL) Hove Guildford Lord’s (FL) Ageas Bowl (FL) Arundel Castle Arundel Castle Canterbury (FL)
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For the latest Fixture updates and times please visit www.sussexcricket.co.uk 34 April 2016 Hove & Away Fixtures page.indd 1
12/04/2016 10:46
NEWS
NEWS ANYON BOWS OUT A few days before the start of the season came the sad news that fast bowler James Anyon has retired from first-class cricket at the age of 32. After missing much of the 2014 season, and the whole of 2015 because of ankle and knee injuries, Anyon has decided to call time on his career. The 32-year-old seamer joined Sussex from Warwickshire in 2010 and took 199 first-class wickets in 63 matches. He also made over 1,000 runs and in 2013 finished seventh in the list of Championship wicket-takers with a haul of 50 Division One scalps. Jimmy said: “It’s been a frustrating 18 months having failed to recover from a knee injury. On the advice of the club’s medical staff I have decided not to pursue my first-class cricketing career. “I have had a fantastic time at the club since I joined in 2010 and I would like to thank everyone who has made me and my family so welcome here at Hove. I’m very fortunate to have played my best cricket at Sussex, and I’m very proud that I got to represent the county as often as I did. “I’d like to say a special thank you to the medical staff and the PCA for all their help over the past twelve months, and I wish the club success going forward, as we have a lot of good people who are working hard to make the club successful both on and off the pitch. “Over the winter, I’ve enjoyed coaching some of the promising young players from the Sussex age group squads and I hope to be able to continue to contribute to the club in the future.” Head Coach Mark Davis admits Anyon’s retirement is a big loss for the county. “Jimmy was not only a top class cricketer, who at times could be super quick with the ball in hand, but was a great man to be around and an integral part of the dressing room,” said Mark. “A big strong man who could bowl all day and get anybody out, he kept running in and would never shy away from hard work when conditions were tough. His batting was solid, with a good technique and consistent method, and he played a number of very valuable innings when the team needed him most. “With a strong work ethic Jimmy, will be successful at whatever he decides to do in the future. We wish Jimmy, his wife Anna and their impending baby all the best for the future.”
Bowing out Jimmy Anyon has retired after six great seasons with Sussex
BALL BY BALL IS BACK!
For the fourth season in a row, BBC Sussex will be providing commentary from every Sussex first class match during the 2016 season. Commentator Adrian Harms will be wherever the county are in action, whatever the format, to bring ball by ball coverage online as well as regular half-hourly bulletins into Radio Sussex programme. The BBC’s Head of Sport for English Regions, Charles Runcie, said: “We’re proud to deliver every ball from every first class county cricket match for the fourth year in a row. Getting audiences to the heart of the sporting action is a vital service that the BBC’s local radio network continues to provide to cricket fans across the counties.” You’ll also be able to stay up to date with all of the latest Sussex news via the BBC Sport website (bbc.co.uk/cricket), which will continue to provide live text commentaries and reports from all of the competitions. The BBC Sussex social media accounts will also be bringing you the latest breaking news and some of the best clips from Sussex games @BBCSussexSport
The first of many chats BBC Sussex’s Adrian Harms will have with Luke Wright this summer
Hove & Away April 2016 35
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