Hove & Away - Spring/Summer 2017 by Sussex Cricket

SPRING/SUMMER 2017

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CONTENTS | SPRINg/SUMMER 2017 04 LUKE WRIGHT The captain can’t wait for the new season

07 Stiaan Van Zyl South African has come here to win trophies

08 NEW SIGNINGS

YOUR CAPTAIN

Mark Davis on the new additions to the squad

10 NEWS ON TWO Our Specsavers County Championship rivals rated

13 NEWS What’s happening at the 1st Central County Ground

OUT OF AFRICA

GOOD EVANS

23 Your Sussex Chris Nash tells us about his team-mates

28 WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

We catch up with former Sussex fast bowler Lewis Hatchett

30 End of an era 30

FAREWELL TO JIM

Jim May looks back on 20 eventful years at Hove

PRINTED BY: L&S PRINT EDITORIAL: BRUCE TALBOT (mbpsportsmedia.co.uk) CONTRIBUTORS: ADAM MATTHEWS DESIGN: PLEECE & CO PHOTOGRAPHY: SOUTHERN NEWS & PICTURES, GETTY IMAGES

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The Wright stuff

Careful recruitment and a production line of talented youngsters has given the Sussex captain reasons for optimism ahead of the new season It seems an age ago that Luke Wright first burst onto the Hove scene as a precocious all-rounder picked up from Leicestershire in 2004 after former Sussex coach Peter Moores had spotted his potential in the same game when the county clinched their first Championship title in 2003. 4

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Since then he’s played more than 100 times for his country, become a global star in the T20 era and last season embarked on his first season as Sussex captain. For a variety of reasons, not least his own personal battles to stay fit, it didn’t go according to plan. Instead of

mounting a challenge for an immediate return to Division One of the Specsavers County Championship Sussex finished fourth and never really threatened to fill the one promotion place. And the less said about the Sharks’ one-day form the better. They ought to have reached the knockout stages of the NatWest

LUKE WRIGHT

Luke Wright is approaching his 14th season with Sussex with the same boyish enthusiasm as his first. T20 Blast but came up short in a couple of tight games and there was no improvement in their form in the Royal London One-Day Cup either as they again propped up the South Group. Cricketers – and especially captains – are naturally optimistic at this time of the year. You haven’t lost a game, you’ve (hopefully) got a fully-fit squad to choose from and the disappointments of last season have long since been consigned to history. But if Wright seemed more excited than normal when he previewed 2017 it was not surprising. On a personal front the back and wrist injuries which dogged him last year have gone. “Actually, this is the fittest I have felt for six or seven years,” he said. Team-mate Chris Nash noticed last year how Wright’s absence visibly lifted the opposition so to have Wright, with all his experience across three formats, fit again is a massive lift on a personal level and for the team. The skipper’s other cause for optimism is the careful recruitment which has taken place in the winter. While Wright was enhancing his popularity with more stellar performances for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash, back at home Head Coach Mark Davis and Director of Cricket Keith Greenfield were adding Stiaan van Zyl, David Wiese, Vernon Philander, Ross Taylor and Laurie Evans to the squad. The focus has been on giving the team Wright leads out, whatever the format, more balance. For much of last season, and mainly because of injuries, Sussex picked what Davis called an ‘old fashioned’ team with six batsmen and four bowlers. Wright still has his go-to bowler in Steve Magoffin but now has other options galore. In particular, van Zyl and Wiese could be classed as allrounders, particularly in one-day cricket, and as well as being among the world’s top ten fast bowlers Philander is good enough to bat at No.8 for South Africa. Ideally, Wright would like to build his side in each of the competitions

around seven or eight regular players and sprinkle in some of the young talent that has blossomed in the last 12 months into the mix. Jofra Archer, George Garton and Stuart Whittingham all emerged in 2016 and Delray Rawlins and Abi Sakande have since come off the production line. With all that in mind, Wright’s excitement ahead of the new season seems based on more than just the natural optimism everyone has before a ball is bowled. “Look, we’re totally aware that there is a lot we need to improve on,” he said. “In the Championship, our batting often wasn’t consistent enough which was the main reason why we didn’t get promoted. “We should have definitely reached the quarter-finals of the T20 and when the Royal London One-Day Cup started we were really struggling for form and with injuries. All in all, it was disappointing but we reviewed what went wrong, where we needed to get better and Davo and Grubby (Greenfield) have done a great job identifying the areas we needed to improve and recruiting accordingly. It’s definitely a stronger squad than last year and I’m really excited about how we are going to do.” Sussex’s two full-time South African recruits, van Zyl and Wiese, both have extensive international experience but it’s their ability as “all format players” which Wright is most interested to monitor. “They are both quality cricketers and they are going to help give the team the balance we lacked last year,” he added. “Also, they are great guys. They have fitted into our dressing room right away. It’s interesting that they are both from Cape Town and used to living by the ocean. I think being with a seaside club is definitely an attraction and they have settled in quickly. I’m excited about what they can do for us, and the same goes for Vernon – who is a quality performer on the world stage – and Ross Taylor, who did so well for us in T20 last year.”

Three of Sussex’s young guns – Archer, Garton, Whittingham – played regularly last year and the word from Hove is that Delray Rawlins, the Bermudan all-rounder who was still playing schools cricket a year ago, could be the real deal. He is certainly on England’s radar after starring for the under-19s in India this winter. Wright admits that circumstances meant some of his youngsters played in 2016 when they might have benefitted from a rest. He hopes to keep them fresh and use them more selectively this year but, as always, places will bew decided on form, not age or reputation. “I really like the look of the squad overall,” he said. “We’ve got some experience in there with the likes of myself, Chris Nash, Ben Brown, Ajmal Shahzad and the South African boys. There is also a group of players like Harry Finch, Luke Wells, Ollie Robinson and Phil Salt who are looking to really push on and then there are the youngsters who have emerged in the last year. Competition for places is really strong in all formats but that’s fine. The harder it is for me to pick the team for each game the more I will know that we are making progress.”

Wright will call upon the experience of team-mates like Chris Nash again this season HOVE & AWAY SPRING/SUMMER 2017

1ST XI FIXTURES DATE

TYPE

OPPOSITION

VENUE

County Championship County Championship RLODC RLODC

Kent Nottinghamshire Middlesex Somerset

Hove Trent Bridge Lord’s Hove

RLODC RLODC RLODC RLODC RLODC RLODC Tour Match County Championship County Championship

Glamorgan Kent Surrey Essex Gloucestershire Hampshire South Africa Durham Kent

Hove Canterbury Hove Chelmsford (FL) Eastbourne Ageas Bowl (FL) Hove (FL) Hove Tunbridge Wells

County Championship County Championship RLODC TOUR RLODC County Championship

Worcestershire Leicestershire Quarter-Finals South Africa ‘A’ Semi-Finals Gloucestershire

Hove Grace Road TBC Arundel Castle TBC Hove (FL)

RLODC County Championship NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast

Final Leicestershire Glamorgan Hampshire Gloucestershire Hampshire Glamorgan Kent Spitfires Middlesex Somerset

Lord’s Arundel Castle Arundel Castle Hove (FL) Cheltenham Ageas Bowl (FL) SSE SWALEC (FL) Hove Hove (FL) Taunton

NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast County Championship NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast NatWest T20 Blast County Championship

Surrey Kent Spitfires Worcestershire Middlesex Gloucestershire Surrey Essex Eagles Quarter-Finals Glamorgan

Hove (FL) Canterbury (FL) New Road Lord’s (FL) Hove (FL) Kia Oval Hove (FL) TBC Colwyn Bay

NatWest T20 Blast County Championship County Championship County Championship County Championship

Finals Day Northamptonshire Derbyshire Durham Nottinghamshire

Edgbaston (FL) Northampton Hove Emirates Riverside Hove

APRIL Fri 14th - Mon 17th Fri 21st - Mon 24th Thu 27th Sun 30th

MAY Tue 2nd Fri 5th Sun 7th Wed 10th Sun 14th Wed 17th Fri 19th Sun 21st - Wed 24th Fri 26th - Mon 29th

JUNE Fri 2nd - Mon 5th Fri 9th - Mon 12th Tue 13th Wed 14th - Sat 17th Fri 16th - Sat 17th Mon 26th - Thu 29th

JULY Sat 1st Wed 5th - Sat 8th Sun 9th Wed 12th Sun 16th Thu 20th Fri 21st Sun 23rd Fri 28th Sun 30th

AUGUST Thu 3rd Fri 4th Sun 6th - Wed 9th Thu 10th Fri 11th Sun 13th Fri 18th Tue 22nd - Fri 25th Mon 28th - Thu 31st

SEPTEMBER Sat 2nd Tue 5th - Fri 8th Tue 12th - Fri 15th Tue 19th - Fri 22nd Mon 25th - Thu 28th

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Stiaan van Zyl

Stiaan here for the long haul Stiaan van Zyl is only just starting to get used to life at Sussex but he is already planning for a long future with the club. The 29-year-old was playing in his 12th Test match for South Africa as recently as August 2016 but four months later he gave up his international career to take up a three-year contract with Sussex as a Kolpak registration. He isn’t alone. Five more of his compatriots, including David Wiese, have turned their backs on South Africa to forge careers in England. “The decision (to become a Kolpak) wasn’t easy,” said van Zyl. “Although I played Test cricket I wasn’t established in the set-up and one of my goals was to play county cricket and this opportunity has come at the right time for in terms of my career and my future. “I’ve signed a three-year contract and I want to do well during that time and then commit myself after that and play for this club for a long time. “It is a tough time for South African cricket because of the number of players who have signed Kolpak deals with counties but we have to look after our own futures and we are all here for the right reasons. I have got friends all over England now and hopefully when I play against the other guys I will come out on top.” No one could accuse Sussex of going down the

Kolpak route as a desperate measure. A fine crop of young bowlers is coming through at Hove and it’s not as if Head Coach Mark Davis and Keith Greenfield did not try and add more domestic signings as well as Laurie Evans. Not being in Division One is a handicap and Davis admits Sussex can’t compete with the financial clout of counties based at international grounds. Van Zyl, 29, ticks all the boxes for Sussex. He will bring vast experience to their top four. Chris Nash, who has seen him many times in South African domestic action, likens him to another left-hander Ed Joyce and if van Zyl goes on to have the same career for the county as the Irishman no one will be complaining. He also helps balance the side, particularly in one-day cricket, by bowling canny medium pace. When Davis flew to Cape Town to meet van Zyl last December he wasn’t the only one asking the questions. “I didn’t know much about Sussex so I was quizzing Mark about the other guys and the set-up. I’ve been very impressed since I arrived. The other guys have been very welcoming and the facilities are great. I can’t wait to get going.” Van Zyl will spend the first few weeks sharing a flat

with Wiese before finding a place of his own. Vernon Philander will also be around until June and van Zyl is just grateful he won’t be facing him on early-season English pitches. “The club needs to be back in Division One and having Vernon is a great boost for that,” he said. “He is a world-class bowler and he will be a handful in the early weeks of the season. If he gets his tail up he is capable of running through a team. I also expect him to help the young bowlers by passing on his experience.” That mentoring role is also one van Zyl would like to take on too but his priority is to do what he’s come here for:

score runs and take wickets. “If I look after my game then the club will do well,” he said. “I am aiming for 1,000 runs plus in four-day cricket and if I can keep the runs down with the ball and take the odd wicket too then great. In one-day cricket I’m looking to be consistent and construct match-winning innings for the side.” He feels being happy off the pitch will help him progress on it. “Hove is almost like Cape Town, where I’m from, except it doesn’t have a mountain and it’s a bit colder! But I like living by the seaside and definitely it already feels like home.”

Best of friends: Stiaan van Zyl with South African compatriot David Wiese. They will be joined by Vernon Philander before the start of the Specsavers County Championship

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Due South Two new faces and a familiar returnee have strengthened Sussex’s long-standing links with South African cricket

Different challenge: Stiaan van Zyl has ended his South Africa career to forge a new one at Hove

Sussex’s connections with South Africa go back a long way. It is more than 50 years since Mike Buss, one of several Sussex pros who worked in South Africa during the off season, alerted the county to the 6ft 6in blonde colossus who was developing under his tutelage at Queenstown College. Within a year of arriving on trial 8

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in 1965 Tony Greig was scoring 156 on Championship debut against Lancashire. He went on to captain the county and his country. Many others have followed in the trail which Greig blazed and this year Head Coach Mark Davis – South African

himself of course - has based his recruitment on the cricket scene he knows intimately. There will be three South Africans – Vernon Philander, Stiaan van Zyl and David Wiese – with Sussex in 2017 and they will certainly add something potent

PLAYER NEW SIGNINGS FEATURE to the Sussex mix. Philander, who arrives for the start of the season fresh from helping South Africa clinch a Test series win in New Zealand, needs little introduction. The 31-year-old is currently ranked ninth in the ICC fast bowler standings, having taken 161 Test wickets at an average of 21.90. His pedigree is obvious. He swings the ball both ways, is always attacking the batsmen and he is no mug with the bat either, as a first-class average of 24.88 attests. With stints at four other counties behind him, he won’t lack experience of English conditions either and will warm up for this summer’s Test series against England with his stint at Hove. David Wiese is as familiar to Sussex supporters after his spell here last year. Wiese ended up playing in all formats, having initially been recruited for the NatWest T20 Blast, and impressed with his ability on the field and affability off it. At 31 he has ended his international career to join Sussex under the Kolpak ruling. Less well known perhaps is our third

International pedigree: Vernon Philander has played in 42 Tests and is among the top-ten ranked fast bowlers in the world

South African Stiaan van Zyl. Like Wiese, the 29-year-old has signed a three-year deal as a Kolpak registration but he might end up having the biggest impact of all. The man from Boland, who made his first-class debut at 19, is a left-hander with a cover drive to drool over and is earmarked to bat in the top four in all three formats and a more-than-useful medium pacer in one-day cricket. Davis believes he will help balance the side, something which Sussex lacked last season. “We were lacking in certain skill sets and we think with our recruitment we have addressed that,” Davis said. “We wanted players who can play in all formats. We can’t go out and bring in specialists for different formats but in Stiaan and David we have two allrounders who can balance our team, especially in one-day cricket. “Last year we often picked what I’d call an old-fashioned team of six batsmen, four bowlers and a keeper. It didn’t feel like we were moving with the times through no fault of our own but we are

making headway now.” The Head Coach makes no excuse for going down the Kolpak route. “Ultimately, we want to get good cricketers to the club,” he added. “We have got some outstanding home-grown players so no one can accuse us of neglecting that area. I did loads of due diligence with my contacts in South Africa and I went out to Cape Town to see Stiaan and David. I wanted to understand what Stiaan was like as a person. He’s very motivated to do well for us.” With Ross Taylor due to arrive later in the summer to join the Sharks’ NatWest T20 Blast campaign there is an eclectic feel to Sussex’s overseas contingent this summer. Who knows what the next few months will bring but Davis is quietly confident that all his recruits can have the desired impact on the pitch and, with their experience of playing cricket around the world, help the younger players who came through last year to continue their development as well.

Who, what and when

Vernon Philander Available for first 6 Championship matches and the Royal London One-Day Cup

Stiaan van Zyl Available all season

David Wiese Available all season

Ross Taylor Signed for the NatWest T20 Blast

HOVE & AWAY SPRING/SUMMER 2017

NEWS ON TWO Bruce Talbot assesses how our rivals for promotion in the Specsavers County Championship are shaping up for the 2017 season DERBYSHIRE Ins: Gary Wilson (Surrey), Luis Reece (Lancashire), Daryn Smit, Hardus Viljoen. Outs: Neil Broom, Chesney Hughes, Wes Durston, Harry White (all released), Callum Parkinson (Leicestershire). Captain: Billy Godleman Overseas players: Imran Tahir, Javeen Mendis Position in 2016: Ninth Promotion odds: 33/1 The only way is up for Derbyshire, who went through a Championship campaign without a win for the first time since 1924 last year. Club president Kim Barnett was tasked with reviewing their coaching structure and has appointed John Wright as the first specialist T20 coach in the county game while giving more power to captain Billy Godleman, who will make the final call on selection, in the Championship. The squad looks stronger with the addition of two South African Kolpaks: Daryn Smit captained the Dolphins franchise, bats and bowls leg spin while Viljoen will strengthen a pace attack boosted by the return to full fitness of Tom Taylor. Godleman will also have the ear of Gary Wilson, who was a popular captain of Surrey before being released at the end of last season.

Did you know? Ed Joyce’s 250 at Derby last year is the highest score by a Sussex batsman against the county

DURHAM Ins: Cameron Steel (Middlesex) Outs: Scott Borthwick, Mark Stoneman (both Surrey), Asher Hart (Hampshire), Phil Mustard (Gloucestershire), Callum McLeod, Jamie Harrison, Gurman Randhawa (all released), Gordon Muchall (retired). Captain: Paul Collingwood Coach: Jon Lewis Overseas players: Stephen Cook (South Africa), Tom Latham (New Zealand) Position in 2016: 4th in Division One Promotion odds: 28/1

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It’s hard to be optimistic about Durham’s chances of an immediate return to the top flight. The debate as to whether they deserved to be relegated because of their financial problems has run all winter but the upshot is they start the season with a 48-point penalty and two fewer games in which to play catch up. But the bulk of the side which won the title four years ago remains, although they will miss the runs of Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick, who have both joined Surrey, and Keaton Jennings if he keeps his England place. They look to have recruited two good overseas players in South African batsman Stephen Cook, whose father Jimmy made a shedload of runs for Somerset back in the 1990s, and New Zealander Tom Latham. Durham will doubtless dip into their prolific Academy again while the evergreen Paul Collingwood, 41, won’t be able to retire happily until Durham are back in Division One.

Did you know? Durham are the only county Sussex haven’t scored a double hundred against.

GLAMORGAN Ins: None Outs: James Kettleborough, Dewi Penrhyn Jones (both released). Captain: Jacques Rudolph (South Africa) Coach: Robert Croft Overseas player: Jacques Rudolph Position in 2016: 8th Promotion odds: 20/1 Without the financial resources of some of their rivals, Glamorgan have concentrated on developing their own in recent years and the signs are this policy is bearing fruit. Kiran Carlson, who became the youngest Glamorgan player to score a first-class hundred, Aneurin Donald, who smashed 234 against Derbyshire, and left-arm spinner Owen Morgan all made significant breakthroughs in 2016 while Lukas Carey, a fast bowler from Carmarthen, took 13 wickets in three end-of-season appearances. They ought to push on while it will be a major surprise if Jacques Rudolph does not improve on a lean 2016 with the bat. Chris Cooke and Colin Ingram’s return to full fitness are further reasons for optimism.

Did you know? Sussex make their first return to Colwyn Bay this year since 2000, when Steve James made 309* against them

GLOUCESTERSHIRE In: Phil Mustard (Gloucestershire) Outs: Tom Hampton, Hamish Marshall (both released). Captain: Gareth Roderick Coach: Richard Dawson Overseas players: Michael Klinger, Cameron Bancroft, Andrew Tye (all Australia) Position in 2016: 6th Promotion odds: 14/1 Even at 36, the powers of the prolific Michael Klinger show no signs of waning and Gloucestershire could be this year’s dark horses. Chris Dent, who scored 1,243 Championship runs, Graeme van Burren, new four-day captain Gareth Roderick and teenager George Hankins, who was with England under-19s during the winter, all made significant strides in their development while the permanent recruitment of Phil Mustard will compensate for the retirement of Hamish Marshall. Their seam attack looks underpowered, however, and Gloucestershire’s main chance of success is likely to be in the one-day competitions.

Did you know? Sussex made the highest fourth-innings total in their history, 455-8, when they beat Gloucestershire at Hove in 1999.

KENT In: Will Gidman (Nottinghamshire), James Harris (Middlesex, loan), Joe Weatherley (Hampshire, loan) Outs: David Griffiths, Sam Weller (both released). Captain: Sam Northeast Coach: Matt Walker Overseas players: TBC Position in 2016: 2nd Promotion odds: 9/2 It wasn’t just Kent supporters who felt they should have benefitted from Durham’s demise after finishing runners-up in the only year since the two-

NEWS ON TWO divisional split when just one promotion place was available. The injustice should help fuel another promotion push under their shrewd and underrated captain Sam Northeast. While Allan Donald waits for visa issues to be cleared up, Jason Gillespie will add his knowledge of winning titles with Yorkshire to a new-look coaching structure headed by Matt Walker. The experience of Darren Stevens, who will be 41 this month, and beneficiary James Tredwell will again be crucial but it’s to the likes of Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly, Will Gidman – who has joined permanently after a successful loan spell in 2016 – and Matt Coles that Kent will lean on if they are to challenge for the top two.

Did you know: The three lowest scores against Sussex in their first-class history have all been made by Kent: 18 (1867) and 23 (1828 & 1859).

LEICESTERSHIRE Ins: Colin Ackerman (Kolpak), James Burke (Surrey on loan), Gavin Griffiths (Lancashire), Richard Jones (Warwickshire), Callum Parkinson (Derbyshire). Outs: Michael Burgess, Ollie Freckingham, Jigar Naik, Niall O’Brien, Atif Sheikh, Rob Taylor (all released). Captain: Mark Cosgrove Coach: Pierre de Bruyn Overseas player: Clint Mackay (Australia) Position in 2016: 7th Promotion odds: 16/1

After doubling their number of Championship wins in 2016 compared to the previous year new coach Pierre de Bruyn has been busy with recruitment while showing the door to several players who he perceived as coasting. Colin Ackerman, the leading scorer in South Africa’s domestic four-day competition during the winter, looks a useful acquisition and will play on a Dutch passport. Feisty captain Mark Cosgrove is now registered on a UK passport and with the experienced trio of Neil Dexter, Mark Pettini and Paul Horton bedded in after joining last year the batting looks stronger. Richard Jones, now 30 but yet to fulfil the potential he showed earlier in his career, will offer principal support to Clint McKay, but their bowling resources look a little thin and they start with a 16-point penalty for disiplinary offences..

Did you know: The highest total by Sussex and conceded by them against Leicestershire were both in the same match in 1900.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Ins: Nathan Buck (Lancashire), Max Holden (Middlesex, loan) Outs: Olly Stone (Warwickshire) Captain: Alex Wakely Coach: David Ripley Overseas player: Rory Kleinveldt (South Africa) Position in 2016: 5th Promotion odds: 16/1 Northants have concentrated their resources on one-day cricket in recent years and two T20 titles since 2013 have shown the way for other smaller counties. It’s unlikely they will push for promotion this year either but their policy of giving players who lost their way at other clubs an opportunity has paid off in recent years and Nathan Buck, after two injury-plagued seasons with Lancashire, could be the latest to benefit. Similarly, Max Holden will relish the opportunity to open the batting with Ben Duckett which wasn’t open to him at Middlesex. Duckett made his Test debut in the winter and it will be fascinating to see if he can reproduce the prolific form in 2016 that earned him his place at the top table.

Did you know? Chris Adams completed hundreds against all other 17 first-class counties when he scored 200 against Northants in 2004.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Ins: None Outs: Will Gidman (Gloucestershire), Sam Wood (released) Captain: Chris Read Coach: Peter Moores Overseas player: TBC Position in 2016: 9th, Division One Promotion odds: 7/4 Notts are as short as 7/4 for an immediate return to the top flight and it’s hard to disagree with the bookies’ assessment. With Peter Moores leading the coaching team, their seam attack is the strongest in the section and should be strengthened by Stuart Broad’s regular availability in the first half of the summer. Jake Ball, who took 49 wickets in his first season, can be sure of his place leaving Luke Fletcher, Luke Wood and Harry Gurney to fight for two spots. An embarrassment of riches indeed. The batting looks a little less secure but the likes of Jake Libby, Brendan Taylor and Steven Mulaney should prosper against second division attacks while Alex Hales ought to revel in a move down the order to No.4. Two players looking to make a breakthrough are Moores’ son Tom, who learnt the game on the outfield at Hove, and Joe Root’s elder brother Billy, who made 66 in the final four-day game of last season.

Did you know: Sussex made their lowest first-class score against Notts – 19 in 1873

WORCESTERSHIRE Ins: None Outs: Chris Russell (released) Captain: Joe Leach Coach: Steve Rhodes Overseas player: John Hastings (Australia) Position in 2016: 3rd Promotion odds: 7-1 Under new captain Joe Leach, who has replaced Daryl Mitchell after he led the side for six years, the Pears will surely be in the promotion mix again. Frees of captaincy worries should invigorate Mitchell the opening batsmen while Joe Clarke, who is close to full England recognition, and Tom Fell ought to make big contributions with the bat after showing consistent form last year. Aussie John Hastings, who has plenty of experience of English conditions from his time with Durham, is a shrewd overseas addition and it will be interesting to see if fast bowler Charlie Morris can rediscover his potency with the ball now he has remodelled his action.

Did you know: Worcestershire’s 491 at New Road last season was their highest Championship score against Sussex

Joe Clarke will hope another consistent season with Worcestershire can enhance his England claims HOVE & AWAY SPRING/SUMMER 2017

LIVE

NEWS

NEWS New recruits: Tom Clark and William Collard

Tom and Will added to Academy Two more players have been added to the Sussex Academy intake for 2017. Thomas Clark and William Collard have both been included after they impressed on the Academy Tour of South Africa in December. Clark is an all-rounder who captained Sussex Under-15s to win the ECB Royal London County Cup last year. He has progressed through the County Age Group squads and the Ardingly College student, who is a left-handed batsman and bowls right-arm seam, has also played for Sussex’s Development XI in the Sussex Premier League. Collard, who studies at Hurstpierpoint College, has also progressed through the same route. The 17-year-old is a leg spinner and has also featured for Sussex’s Development XI. The Academy is a combined programme between the ECB and Sussex Cricket, and the initial intake of players was announced last October. Academy Director Carl Hopkinson said: “The tour of Cape Town was a key part

of the Academy players’ development as it gave the youngsters good experience of playing in different conditions. “Tom and Will both progressed well on the tour and we have decided to add them fully to the Academy programme to maximise their development.” Joe Billings, Tom Gordon, Tom Haines, Nick Oxley, Nick Smith, Ben Twine and Harrison Ward are also in the 2017 Academy. Joe is a 17-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Haywards Heath who made his debut in the 2nd XI last season after making a record 210 score for the under-16s in 2015 against Surrey. Batsman Gordon was part of the Sussex Under-15s side that won the ECB County Cup in 2016 while Haines, 18, became Sussex’s youngest first-class debutant for 46 years when he played against Kent last September. He won the Academy Player of the Year Award for the second year running in 2016. Batsman Oxley, who also bowls left-arm Chinaman, made his 2nd XI bow in 2016 while Smith and Twine are primarily right-arm seam bowlers. Smith, who hails from Chichester, made his

2nd XI debut last September, and Twine, from Eastbourne, has been playing for Sussex’s Development XI. Ward is part of the Academy thanks to Sussex’s link-up with Oxfordshire. The 17 yearold batsman has combined playing for the Minor Counties side with Sussex 2nd XI. He is the youngest player to have scored a century for Oxfordshire in Minor Counties cricket.

We’re going places Sussex have agreed a new partnership with Sharks Travel, who have become the club’s Official Fan Travel Provider. Sharks Travel, which will be operated by Event Travel Hub, will run a return coach travel service from over 30 pick-up locations across Sussex, to all of the Sharks’ home NatWest T20 Blast fixtures in 2017 including the match at Arundel Castle against Glamorgan on July 9. Coaches will arrive at the 1st Central County Ground, or indeed Arundel, approximately 45 minutes before the start and depart 20 minutes after play. The pick-up locations will

span across a number of towns and villages across the county, and Sussex’s members will also be able to benefit from reductions in prices on the cost of coaches to the matches. Darren Gallis, Director of Event Travel Hub said: “This partnership is the perfect opportunity to showcase our supporter coach travel service. “Having successfully implemented our Seagull Travel brand with Brighton and Hove Albion FC, we believe we have the ability to deliver a travel solution which will enhance the Sussex Cricket matchday by providing a tailored travel service from over 30 pick-up locations.” Supporters can view prices, pick up times and locations together with purchasing travel seats online via www.sharkstravel.co.uk or by calling 0845 9011 442. Alternatively, email info@sharkstravel.co.uk Supporters have the option of purchasing a NatWest T20 Blast travel season ticket(s) to cover the seven home South Group fixtures, or travel on a match-by-match basis. However, please note that match by match coach seats are subject to availability.

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Best of enemies They were club and county team-mates – now Ben Brown and Tom Smith are set for a reunion at Eastbourne Sussex are returning to Eastbourne this season to play top-class cricket for the first time since 2000, and whilst the excitement is building for the fixture in the east of the county for two players it will mark a very special return to a ground that was the catalyst for their careers. Sharks’ vice-captain Ben Brown and Gloucestershire’s Tom Smith look set to go head-to-head at the Saffrons on Sunday 14th May, when Sussex welcome the west country outfit for their penultimate match in the Royal London One-Day Cup South Group campaign. Wicketkeeper-batsman Brown played for Eastbourne in the Sussex Premier League between 2004 and 2014 and is relishing the chance to play at the ground again in this season’s 50-over tournament. He said, “I think everyone connected with Eastbourne cricket is hugely excited by the thought of top-level domestic action returning to the Saffrons and I’m no different. “There’s a good history of first-class cricket in Eastbourne and the whole club is excited by its return. I know that many people at the club, including Ian Fletcher-Price, have worked so hard to get this fixture in the calendar.” Brown was part of a team 14

full of players that went on to make plenty of first-class representation. “I had some really special years at the club and formed some great friendships. We really enjoyed our cricket in that period and had a very competitive side,” he said. “Guys like Ollie Rayner and Tom Smith have gone on to have excellent careers and of course we had Mark Tomsett, Ragheb Aga and Stuart Collier all playing for Sussex too. James Kirtley, a Sussex and Eastbourne legend who played occasionally, made it a pretty competitive side and it was hugely enjoyable to play in.” Smith was born in Eastbourne and grew up watching Sussex’s players during Festival Week at the Saffrons. He progressed through the Sussex Youth and Academy system, like Brown, before moving to Middlesex in 2009 and then on to Gloucestershire in 2013. He said: “When I first heard that a Royal London One-Day Cup match was coming to Eastbourne, I really hoped that Gloucestershire would be Sussex’s opponents. It’s always my favourite fixture of the season to play Sussex and to play them on my home ground makes the fixture even more special. “Going to county week at the Saffrons as a young boy with my Dad will always be a really fond memory for me

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Ben celebrates the dismissal of Tom with Ollie Robinson during a T20 against Gloucestershire in 2015. The former Eastbourne team-mates hope to be facing each other at the Saffrons in May when county cricket returns to the town

and to hopefully be involved in one is amazing.” Despite the pair being great friends off the pitch, they are both looking forward to facing each other in front of what will hopefully be a huge crowd at the Saffrons. Gloucestershire won the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2015 and will no doubt prove a tough test for Sussex. Brown said: “I suppose it’s pretty ironic that the game has worked out being against Tom. What are the chances of that? It will be a very unique experience for us both. We’ve formed so many great memories alongside each other in an Eastbourne shirt and to go from that to be playing professionally against each other at the Saffrons will be amazing. “I’m hoping the home crowd will be supporting me if I end up facing Tom but who knows, perhaps there will be

a few split loyalties there! Tom and I are still very close friends but I’m sure we’ll both be desperate to win the battle.” Smith is equally looking forward to the mouthwatering prospect of facing Brown at the Saffrons, “It will also be strange lining up against Brownie as for many years I’ve been use to him being behind the stumps when I bowl rather than in front of them with the bat! “He is one of my closest friends and to take each other on where it all began will be fantastic. My Eastbourne cricketing days were some of my fondest days in cricket and we all owe Eastbourne Cricket Club a lot for their huge part in our careers. “I’d like to thank everyone at Eastbourne and Sussex who have helped make this fixture happen.”

NEWS

NEWS Anyon to coach Sussex women Former Sussex fast bowler Jimmy Anyon has been appointed Head Coach to the Sussex Women’s team. He has succeeded Charlotte Burton, who stepped down in December, after being at the helm since 2010. The 33-year-old retired from professional cricket shortly before the start of last season. He assisted Charlotte in 2016 and coached at Brighton College. He has worked as a specialist fast bowling coach with Jon Lewis’s bowling group and has also recently been appointed as Cricket Professional at Hurstpierpoint College. Jimmy, who took 199 firstclass wickets before injury cut short his career, is thrilled with the new challenge. He said: “I’m looking forward to starting my new role. This is a great opportunity to continue working with Sussex and hopefully we can build on the past successes that the team have achieved. “The women’s game is a fast-growing sport and I am looking forward to bringing

my own experiences from professional cricket and hopefully using them to help the girls moving forward. “We have an exciting squad and some talented young players coming through and we’re hoping to build a team in a successful environment for many seasons to come.” Sussex have now also confirmed their coaches for the 2017 season for the Women and Girls age group squads. Anyon will head up both the senior team and the Under-19s/21s whilst varying specialist coaches such as batting coach Mike Yardy and former Sussex and England fast bowlers James Kirtley will have input in coaching the senior team. Alexia Walker, Sussex’s most capped women’s player, is Head Coach of the Under17s and will take on roles in the Senior and Under-19/21 teams too. Kia Super League finals day will be staged at the 1st Central County Ground on Friday, September 1. More than 15,000 fans enjoy watched the 15 group stage T20 matches in its inaugural season in 2016 and this year six teams will take part in a round-robin competition across 13

James Anyon is sure to bring the same fully committed approach to coaching as he did during his playing career

different venues between August 10-26. The competition will once again climax in a showcase finals day involving the top three teams at Hove. In a further boost to the Kia Super League, this season’s tournament will be broadcast live on television and radio. Southern Vipers will get their Kia Super League title defence underway live on Sky Sports and BBC Radio when they take on Western Storm at the Ageas Bowl on August 10. The Vipers will also play a group game in Sussex this year, when they take on Yorkshire Diamonds at Arundel Castle on Saturday 26th August.

Stay tuned

For the fourth year in a row, BBC Sussex will be providing commentary from every Sussex match this summer. Regular commentator Adrian Harms will bring ball-by-ball coverage home and away and even if you can’t listen in you’ll also be able to stay up to date with all the latest 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.

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.”

President Abbott John Abbott, CBE QPM, became Sussex’s new President at last month’s AGM. A former chairman and captain of Lewes-based St Michaels CC, John was a board director of the Club between 2006 and 2012 and is currently a trustee on the Sussex Cricket Foundation. He is currently chairman of the International Cricket Council. He is a former Assistant Chief Constable for Sussex and was Director General of UK National Criminal Intelligence Service.

John Abbott, CBE QPM

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FINALS DAY IS COMING TO HOVE 1st September 2017 Tickets - £10 Family, £5 Adults & £1 Kids 1st Central County Ground sussexcricket.co.uk/tickets Watch the world’s best women’s T20 cricketers at Hove this summer!

NEWS

NEWS Aerotron on board

Sussex are flying high ahead of the Specsavers County Championship season after agreeing a shirt sponsorship deal with Gatwick-based company Aerotron. Aerotron is one of the world’s leading suppliers to the aviation industry specialising in component support solutions to both the Civil and Military markets. They have been supporters and partners of Sussex Cricket for many years, and became sponsors of the Indoor School at The 1st Central County Ground in 2015. Tony Westley, Chairman of Aerotron, said: Aerotron is delighted to expand our existing sponsorship of the Indoor School and individual matches at Hove with a new sponsorship for the 2017 Specsavers County Championship. “The Indoor School involvement was intended to encourage talented youngsters to improve their skills with expert coaching, and now the shirt sponsorship is to encourage those same youngsters to achieve excellence, through the application of those skills, in a truly English game.”

Jason robinson

Jason Robinson has been co-opted on to the Sussex Cricket Board as a Director. Jason is currently the Chief Risk Officer at Fidelity Information Services (FIS), one of the world’s largest Fintech businesses, and he has extensive experience across the global financial services sector. Previously a wicketkeeper on the Warwickshire staff, he also represented Worcestershire and Somerset Second XIs and various Minor Counties. After playing in the Birmingham League for over 30 years he now lives in Brighton and coaches the Academy and Junior teams at Preston Nomads Cricket Club.

Sharks stick with Parafix Parafix Tapes & Conversions are to sponsor the Sussex Sharks shirt in this season’s Royal London One-Day Cup. Parafix is Europe’s leading converter of adhesive and flexible materials, supplying custom components into healthcare, automotive, electronics and industrial

markets. Mike Punter, Managing Director of Parafix, said: “We play an active role in supporting our communities, including our local sports teams. We are delighted to sponsor the Sussex Royal London OneDay Cup shirt for 2017 and have high hopes of enjoying a great day at Lord’s on July 1. Sussex start their South Group campaign against Middlesex at Lord’s on April 27 before facing Somerset at Hove in their first home game three days later.

In the black Sussex Cricket Ltd made an operating profit of £1k in the year to 31 October 2016. This was its first year as a new integrated organisation responsible for both professional cricket and the recreational game. These consolidated figures include the charitable subsidiary, Sussex Cricket Foundation, and are an improvement of the comparative figure of an operating loss of £139k recorded in the previous year. The combined turnover of £6.5m showed a decline in match income but a strong performance in commercial revenue. Since The 1st Central County Ground was redeveloped in 2011, net revenues for catering, events and rental income has increased by some £500k

per annum. After making a full allowance for depreciation, Sussex Cricket recorded a deficit after tax of £488k. The balance sheet remains strong with total equity of £10.3m and there is no external debt.

Signed and sealed Several Sussex players agreed new contracts ahead of the 2017 season. Chris Jordan, who joined the county from Surrey in 2010, has signed a one-year extension to his contract which will keep him at the club until the end of the 2018 season. Fellow Barbadian Jofra Archer, who only signed his first professional deal last August, has agreed a twoyear extension until the end of the 2019 season.

Jofra Archer

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SUSSEX CCC 2017

BACK ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

MIDDLE ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

Laurie Evans, Matt Machan, Will Beer, Harry Finch, Phil Salt, Stuart Whittingham.

Mike Charman (1st Team Scorer), Jon Marrale (Physiotherapist), Paul Khoury (Head of Science and Medicine), Brent Andrew (Physiotherapist), Ollie Robinson, Stiaan van Zyl, Abi Sakande, Danny Briggs, Jofra Archer, Ajmal Shahzad, Delray Rawlins, George Garton, Connor Browne (Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach), Rob Chave (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Graham Irwin (2nd Team Scorer).

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SUSSEX CCC 2017

FRONT ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

MISSING FROM THE PICTURE:

Michael Yardy (Batting Coach), Jason Swift (Team Analyst and Coach), David Wiese, Steve Magoffin, Ben Brown, Keith Greenfield (Director of Cricket), Rob Andrew (Chief Executive), Mark Davis (Head Coach), Luke Wright, Chris Nash, Luke Wells, Carl Hopkinson (Academy Director), Jon Lewis (Assistant Head Coach).

Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and Vernon Philander

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BACK ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

MIDDLE ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

FRONT ROW:

SUSSEX ROYAL LONDON ONE-DAY cup SQUAD 2017

Laurie Evans, Matt Machan, Will Beer, Harry Finch, Phil Salt, Stuart Whittingham.

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Laurie Evans Hove & Away caught up with Laurie Evans as he prepares for a new challenge with Sussex Even though you still had a year left on your Warwickshire contract, it seems your move here suited everyone involved.

You didn’t start playing cricket until you were 15 and you’re 29 now. Do you think the best years of your career are still ahead of you?

It’s a great move for me in a lot of ways and it seemed to be a good fit for Sussex too. They were looking for someone with experience to bat in the middle order and I was looking to get a bit more out of my cricket than I was at Warwickshire. I had a great seven years there and it’s a fantastic club, but I felt I’d been pigeonholed as a one-day player and I think I have a lot to offer in four-day cricket as well. I wanted to play more of a major role in a team. It’s funny, everyone wants to play less cricket these days but I want to play more and as well as making contributions with the bat I want to have more of a senior player’s role in the side and hopefully pass on my experience.

Yes. I was a bit of a latecomer but it’s only now really that I understand my game. I enjoy the challenge of getting better, improving everything I do as a professional cricketer and maybe now is the time when you will see me at my best here at Sussex. I enjoy the challenges of the county season because of the different scenarios you are faced with every day, particularly batting in the middle order. I feel as though I am ready to kick on and make some match-winning contributions for Sussex.

How have you settled in?

One of our main goals is to get promoted to Division One and I feel we have a squad that can do that, if we avoid injuries. There are some good sides in Division Two but ever since I started playing Sussex have always been a Division One team and more often than not they have been contending for trophies. They have had a couple of lean years and we have lost some key players but now’s the time to do something about it. We have good some great youngsters here and together with the top-quality additions we have brought in I’m sure we can do well in four-day cricket.

Luke and the boys are a great bunch and have been extremely welcoming. There were some familiar faces from playing against them and it has been a nice transition. I was a bit disappointed we weren’t involved in the first round of Championship matches because we’re just ready to go. Hopefully we can hit the ground running against Kent and kick on from there.

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What can Sussex achieve this year, starting in the Championship?

And in one-day cricket? In many ways, it’s a fresh start for us. In the Royal London One-Day Cup there is almost no expectation because we haven’t done well in 50 overs cricket for the last couple of years. But with the players we have we will be a dangerous opponent, especially with the games being played in a block at the start of the season which means we have been able to prepare properly which, from speaking to the other lads, is something we have struggled with in the last couple of years when it’s been played mid-season. The same goes for T20. I remember when Warwickshire won the title in 2014. No one expected us to even get out of the group. Sussex have always been competitive in T20 and I’m sure we’ll be so again. Any side with the likes of Tymal Mills, Ross Taylor and Chris Jordan has got a lot going for it.

Laurie on the attack during the pre-season game against Somerset. The 29-year-old is determined to make an impression in all three formats for Sussex

PLAYER PROFILES

MATT MACHAN

LUKE WRIGHT

DELRAY RAWLINS

HARRY FINCH

AJMAL SHAHZAD

There are some new and some familiar faces in the dressing room this season so we asked Chris Nash to tell us about his team-mates

Ajmal Shahzad You know Aj is here before he comes into the room, he’s that loud. He’s very proud of his facial and body hair but we love him because his Mum bakes lovely sweet treats for the boys. He’s become a Dad in the winter which has given him a nice perspective. He’s ready to go and I think we’ll see the best of him this season.

Harry Finch He’s got the worst dress sense of any young player I’ve known – dreadful! He gets a lot of abuse in our WhatsApp group because his banter is so bad. I might be opening the batting with him this season and I think he’s got the technique and temperament for the job. He looks like a batsman, he’s got bags of potential.

Delray Rawlins He had an amazing winter with the England under-19s and has looked in great form in pre-season and he’s got a bit of arrogance and self-belief which I think you need as a young player. I think he’s going to do really well this season.

Luke Wright A legend and we missed him so much on and off the field last year. To have him fit for all three formats this year is massive for us. We feed off each other in the changing room. If he retired I think I’d have to as well! I love winding him up about the football team he supports. Last season it was Leicester, this year Brighton. He floats between successful teams but actually claims he’s a Newcastle fan!

Matt Machan The Meatball. He lives life at 100mph and it’s a shame he’s struggling with his wrist injury at the moment because on his day he is a match-winner. In all formats, he is a destructive batsman and a great fielder. I really hope he can get back to full fitness.

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Another one of the exciting young players who have come through. At 22 he’s a bit of a late developer but he’s got a lot of talent. It will be interesting to see how he progresses this season but he’s definitely one for the future.

ABE SAKANDE

Abi Sakande

Will Beer

He’s been bowling really well in pre-season. I have been playing against him for seven years and he’s always been a banker in one-day cricket, his record is outstanding. He had a good winter in Australia and I think we’re going to see him really kick on in four-day cricket this season. A solid guy to build your team around.

Another Horsham legend. You watch him play and wish the game was as easy for you as it seems to be for him. He’s got so much going for him – he’s got a languid action then he bowls 85mph thunderbolts, he can bat properly and he’s a gun fielder. He can be all he wants in the game, let’s just let him grow and develop.

The only player who blow dries his hair before training, he’s very vain! He is seriously talented, a three-format player who, if he can keep himself fit, will be a real asset for us this year.

Either the happiest or grumpiest man around. He’s a really punchy character behind the stumps and with the bat, because of his ability to adapt to the situation. I don’t think there have been any better keeper-batsmen in the country for the last two years. We don’t talk him up enough – he is a really important part of our team.

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BEN BROWN

Ben Brown

OLLIE ROBINSON

Ollie Robinson

JOFRA ARCHER

Jofra Archer

DANNY BRIGGS

Danny Briggs

WILL BEER

Probably the fourth best cricketer to come from Horsham after me, Robin MartinJenkins and my brother Mark. I’ve known him since he was 12 when his Dad was my captain. He lifts everyone on and off the field. He works really hard at his game and I know he’s keen to play more four-day cricket this season.

GEORGE GARTON

PLAYER PROFILES

George Garton A perfectionist, he can be a bit of a grump as well. I get stuck to him but he gives as good as he gets. I’d say don’t expect too much of him, let him develop at his pace. There are down periods for any young cricketer and it’s important when they happen that they are managed properly, but he is a serious talent.

STIAAN VAN ZYL

STEVE MAGOFFIN

LAURIE EVANS

LUKE WELLS

PHIL SALT

Phil Salt Came back from Australia with one of the worst beards I have ever seen! We saw in the Royal London One-Day Cup against Middlesex last year the talent he possesses. Like all youngsters, he is still getting to know how his own game and once he does that I think he’s talented enough to build a great career here.

Luke Wells ‘Dave’ has come back with a new hair-do – I think it’s something to do with having a girlfriend. He’s finally paying some attention to his appearance! He’s been consistent for us in the Championship and he is capable of getting 1300 runs plus this season. A Sussex man through and through.

Laurie Evans I used to play second team cricket against him when he was at Surrey so I’ve known him for a while. A very trusting individual. He loaned the keys of his car to a total stranger just after he signed for us and let them drive away, with his kit in the boot! A proper southerner, I can’t work out why he’s got more hair now than when I first knew him. He’s a bit vain and likes to walk around with not much on!

Steve Magoffin Old Man River. Comes back, bowls his first ball of the season and it hits the top of off stump. A pleasure to play with and the rock of our bowling attack. An amazing servant to this club, he’s looking to lead us back into Division One this season.

Stiaan van Zyl I have known Stiaan for a while having been in Cape Town in recent winters. Batting-wise he reminds me of Ed Joyce, he just looks a class act. He’s going to be fantastic for us and comes to Sussex at the ideal age. He has already fitted in well and is desperate to win trophies with us.

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He loves coming back to Sussex. He’s totally brought into the ethos of the club and when he’s here he gives his all. A really good man.

Now he’s an IPL millionaire he gets his butler to transfer the entry fee when we run a sweepstake or something! He has become extremely popular with all the lads since the auction. He has taken a life-changing event in his stride and deserves credit for that. He sees Hove as his home now and is looking forward to playing T20 for us.

I don’t know much about Vernon but he’s a great signing. Like Stiaan, he’s from Cape Town so he’ll enjoy the beach vibe around Brighton and Hove. His record speaks for itself and I think he’ll make a massive impact in his time with us. He could easily pick up 20-30 Championship wickets.

Possesses the worst trousers I’ve ever seen – a pair of cut-off jeans which come up to just above his skinny calves which he pairs with a pair of flip-flops! Not nice. Seriously, a player to build your team around. He is a three-format all-rounder who knows the club now and I can see him making a big impression this year.

DAVID WIESE

David Wiese

VERNON PHILANDER

Vernon Philander

TYMAL MILLS

Tymal Mills

CHRIS JORDAN

Chris Jordan

Chris Nash

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CHRIS NASH

I had another productive winter in South Africa. Working with Gary Kirsten in 2016 helped me a lot last season and hopefully there will be a repeat this year. I’m at the stage of my career where my sole focus is on helping Sussex win trophies. I like to think I’ve got another five years left minimum and I want to help get us back to where we were – competing for honours, playing in Division One and going to Lord’s finals. We’re not far away – I think we’ve got a really good squad this season with some great additions.

@SussexCricketFd Sussex Cricket Foundation

CREATING BETTER FUTURES FOR ALL

CRICKET FOR ALL

EDUCATION & EMPLOYABILITY

HEALTH

Provide enjoyable, structured and competitive playing opportunities within recreational cricket.

Inclusive and accessible opportunities for people to learn across Sussex irrespective of ability, age, gender, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

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For more information, please visit our website: sussexcricketfoundation.co.uk

Where are they now? Lewis made light of his disability Hove and Away caught up with Lewis Hatchett, who retired at the end of last season after six seasons when he defied disability to play for Sussex.

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Where are they now

Former Sussex seamer Lewis Hatchett is forging a new career as a motivational speaker, inspiring others with the remarkable story of how he overcame a disability to become a professional cricketer. Lewis was born with Poland Syndrome, a rare condition which appears in only one in 100,000 births and which affects one side of the body in different ways. In Lewis’s case, he is missing his right pectoral muscle and the two ribs that would have been behind it, which means his chest is visibly sunken on that part of his body, also leaving complications that he has to deal with on a day to day basis. His right shoulder muscles overcompensated for the missing pectoral, causing these muscles to be over-used and they become fatigued quickly, resulting in aches, burning sensations and headaches along with his right chest offering little protection to his right lung. Although he was advised as a youngster not to play contact sports, Lewis’s determination helped him to overcome his condition and he enjoyed six years as a pro with Sussex, taking 102 wickets in 53 first-team matches before he was advised to retire at the end of last season because of a lower back complaint. Lewis is still adjusting to life outside the Sussex dressing room but he has kept busy by helping his brother Bradley in his networking business, which is based at professional sports clubs, and working as a personal trainer – a course he took with the help of PCA funding while he

was playing. He is also developing his career as a popular motivational speaker. “I am pushing the speaking because the message is something that I am very passionate about. The more I have spoken about my condition and my path into the game, the more I have realised how rare this story is,” Lewis said. “I am doing some corporate speaking, I have done work in schools and I have got some charity stuff lined up. “It’s not just relevant to people with disabilities. A lot of the people who have heard me speak don’t have a disability, but tell me that, having heard my story, they realise that they don’t have a reason to complain about things that they think are wrong in their own lives. “I believe that there are so many messages in my story that are transferable to all aspects of life and I am really enjoying telling it. Each time I speak I get better and the feedback is brilliant.” Lewis was not always so comfortable in discussing his condition and for a long time he hid it so that it could not be used as an excuse to not select him. “I protected it because I didn’t want to give anyone the chance to use it against me, to not pick me or to drop me. I could accept not being selected for my cricket, but not my body, that wasn’t an option in my eyes,” he said. “I worked incredibly hard to make myself the fittest player in the team so no one could use my body against me. I knew if I didn’t put all that hard work in then I would never have stood a chance of realising my dream. Unfortunately, I ended up having to retire because of an injury to my body, but I have no regrets as I know I did everything possible to play professional cricket and probably went further than I ever should have.

“My family never made it a big deal. I have a younger brother who is fully able-bodied. We competed against each for years and I didn’t see myself as any different from him.” Lewis’s condition meant that he had to work hard to develop his leading right arm for bowling and catching. The vulnerability of his right chest meant that, if struck, the consequences could have been fatal and so he had a specially-designed vest made out of Kevlar to protect the right side of his chest while batting. “The chest guard was something I had built in my second year of being a pro because I realised that chest guards that you get off-the-shelf weren’t going to cut the mustard with bowlers bowling up to 90mph,” Lewis said. “The Kevlar chest guard is literally bulletproof, so when I was batting I could always say to bowlers, I’m bulletproof!”

Lewis appeals for the wicket of Australia captain Steve Smith during the 2013 Tour match at Hove. “I did everything possible to play professional cricket and probably went further than I ever should have” HOVE & AWAY SPRING/SUMMER 2017

‘Revolution’ screamed the headline in the Brighton Evening Argus on March 20,1997. Sitting next to former Sussex captain Robin Marlar in the picture underneath were two men whose sober attire suggested exactly what they were – a couple of banking professionals. One of them, Jim May, glances at the back page. “I must admit, we don’t exactly look like revolutionaries, do we?” Not in the conventional sense perhaps, but a revolution was born that night. In the two decades since Sussex have won trophies galore including three County Championships. Hove is recognised as the best non-Test match ground in the country and Sussex were one of the first counties to integrate their professional and recreational cricket under the same governing body. Marlar carried out his vow to step down as chairman just a year after he, May and Tony Pigott overthrew a discredited regime and ushered in a new era at Sussex. Pigott, who went from secondteam coach at Surrey to the club’s first Chief Executive, is still a regular visitor to Hove but in his role as one of the ECB’s match managers. May, though, has been around for all the intervening 20 years, the last eight of them as chairman. 30

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But a few days after the 20th anniversary in March – he says there are tentative plans for a reunion of revolutionaries this summer – the 68-year-old stepped down. “I have been around rather a long time and it’s been great fun to see how Sussex cricket has grown,” he says. “But the club has been going since 1839 so I am very aware that I’m just one of the ships that passes in the night.” Back in 1997 the good ship Sussex was listing badly and heading for the rocks. At the end of the 1996 season a host of capped players, disillusioned by the club’s chronic lack of ambition, moved to other counties and captain Alan Wells was sacked and joined Kent. May, a Sussex member for 20 years, was reluctant to get involved until he watched a TV interview in which Marlar lived up to

“I’ve had my reward. Sussex are in a better place than 20 years ago and will continue to grow.” Jim May. his occasionally fiery reputation and let the club have it with both barrels. With Pigott soon on board and a publicity bandwagon rolling the momentum for change quickly became irresistible. “Robin and Tony were great

JIM MAY

Lording it. Jim was chairman during Sussex’s most successful era, including their T20 Trophy win in 2009 with the press and the club didn’t seem to be doing much to counter it, they were on the back foot,” remembers May. The discredited chairman Alan Caffyn sensed the mood and resigned and his successor Ken Hopkins, a committee man for 13 years, had only been in the job for a month by the time 1,000 Sussex members gathered for the AGM, an event which usually attracted around 100, on March 19, 1997. They expected Marlar or Pigott to fire the starting pistol, Instead, May stood up to propose that the annual report be rejected and was loudly cheered as he labelled the committee ‘aloof and arrogant.’ When one of the old guard, Frank Horan, stormed out after calling the members ‘rabble rousers’ May and co. knew the battle had been won. May compared it to the fall of the Iron Curtain. It took less than an hour to bring an unloved, autocratic regime down.

Robin Marlar was great with the press. “When he spoke the club was on the back foot.”

For anyone in the Grand Hotel’s Empress ballroom that night the memories are as vivid as those which accompanied the on-field successes that Sussex subsequently enjoyed. “We judged the mood of the members and acted,” said May. “The atmosphere was mutinous which took everyone by surprise but I’m not sure what would have happened if we hadn’t done anything because the county had lost its soul in many ways. It had stagnated. We helped to bring it back to life.” When he, Marlar and Pigott arrived at the County Ground the following morning they discovered that the club offices were in a portable building facing the flats at the sea end. These days there are few finer places in the country to watch cricket than Hove, a well-appointed ground which still retains the special charm of cricket by the seaside. Two decades ago it effectively closed for six months of the year. Now it generates income all-year round. The practice facilities are the envy of much bigger counties, Sussex have their own Academy ground, a stand-alone women’s academy and since 2015 May has headed Sussex Cricket Limited, an integrated body which brought the strands of professional, community and recreational cricket in the county together. As he acknowledges, when May and his band of brothers swept away years of inertia the landscape of county cricket was quite different. T20 was six years away and it was Marlar’s successor, Don Trangmar, who led the fight to have the best players centrally contracted, which acted as the catalyst for the success the England team have consistently enjoyed since.

“Being a part of the story while we have won trophies and seen our players get into the England team has been great fun, but I think the biggest achievement in my 20 years is the culture change we’ve brought about,” says May. “County clubs are relatively small businesses but they have a massive profile in this country and are worth preserving, but it is very challenging and always has been. We’ve had to move with the times and the game itself is radically different now – and better for it. “When I started all I wanted was to help Sussex compete with the other counties. I remember going to a meeting where Alan Caffyn said we’d never win anything because we were too small. But we showed that a relatively small club can be successful if it’s well run and the right people are in place. For instance, Tony Pigott saw something in Peter Moores, who was still playing in 1997, as a potential coach. And he was also crucial in getting Chris Adams to the club.” Those two pushed things along but it was May who got the ball rolling. “I’ve had my reward. Sussex are in a better place and I think it will continue to grow. I’m looking forward to watching that, but from a deckchair instead of the boardroom.” Bob Warren has been appointed as Jim May’s successor as chairman.

This article appeared in the March issue of The Cricketer and is reproduced with their permission. To subscribe go to www.thecricketer.com

HOVE & AWAY SPRING/SUMMER 2017

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