Over 7,000 players take part in inaugural 1st Central Sussex Cricket League

Over 7,000 players took part in the inaugural edition of the 1st Central Sussex Cricket League this summer.

Over the course of the season, which ran from 27th April to 31st August, 2,846 matches were played, involving 335 teams across 34 divisions in what is the world’s largest adult cricket league.

A staggering 185,785 overs were bowled, 760,643 runs were scored and 37,286 wickets were taken.

Gary Stanley, Chairman of the 1st Central Sussex Cricket League said: "The inaugural season of The 1st Central Sussex Cricket League has been a tremendous success.

“We have seen thrilling cricket, with promotion and relegation in many of our 35 divisions going down to the wire. We also had an amazing T20 Finals day at Hove, with hundreds of fans cheering on their teams in three cup finals at the home of Sussex Cricket.

“But even more satisfying is that only 4% of all matches were conceded, a big improvement on previous years. This shows that the unrivalled level of consultation we did with clubs and players, and the reflection of that in the playing conditions, has paid off with more cricket being played than ever.

“Of course there will always be challenges, but recreational league cricket in Sussex is in great shape for the future"

At the end of the season, 1,300 league participants completed the 2019 Player Survey, with 92% of respondents declaring themselves either somewhat satisfied, satisfied or very satisfied with the cricket on offer in The 1st Central Sussex Cricket League.

Behind all the numbers were countless fantastic stories; like the Colemans Hatch bastman who smashed a record-breaking 313 in Division 8 Central, the 14-year-old who made a Premier League debut for Eastbourne CC alongside his 17-year-old brother and watched on by their famous cricketing relatives and the Hastings bowler whose performances in Division Two helped him to a first-class debut for Sussex.

Tom Acott, Head of Commercial at 1st Central, said: “It’s been a pleasure to support the inaugural season of the 1st Central Sussex Cricket League. Seeing so many success stories coming out of the progressive league has been great.

“Cricket is a major sport within our local community and a number of our employees play in the league - it’s important to get behind their passion for cricket.”

If you or someone you know would like to play in the 2020 1st Central Sussex Cricket League, email sussexcricketleague@sussexcricket.co.uk for details of your nearest club.