Picture Special: Sussex play out thriller with Duke of Richmond's XI at Priory Park

Sussex returned to Chichester on Saturday for their first match in the city since 1950. The fixture was held to part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of the 7th Duke of Richmond’s gift of Priory Park to the people of Chichester. Richard Geffen, chairman of Goodwood Cricket Club, reports on a fantastic occassion...

Duke of Richmond’s’ XI 240-8 (20) beat Sussex (239-6) by 2 wickets

What a glorious afternoon in Priory Park on Saturday as part of the PP100 celebrations. Our wonderful park, in the heart of our city welcomed around 1,500 people who basked in the September sunshine and were ‘royally’ entertained by the international, county cricketers from Sussex County Cricket Club and a team of willing amateurs from Chichester and Goodwood. To misquote Roy Salvadori “Give me Priory Park on a sunny autumn day, and you can keep the rest.”

The crowd set a wonderful scene around the ground, young and old, friends and families and old acquaintances meeting up. Sussex’s mascot, Sid the Shark helped entertain along with the Sussex Cricket Foundation coaches who provided games for the young and young at heart! There was a real community feel.

It is not often that one gets the opportunity to see international and county players for free in such an historic setting. The 7th Duke of Richmond and Gordon gave the Priory Park to the City in 1918 as a memorial to those who died in WW1 and for public recreation and everyone certainly took this to heart.

The previous week’s appalling weather might have damped the explosive power of the Sealed Knot but all was made up for with an explosion of sixes, thirty-eight in all, and one wonders if the Guildhall, Mound and Priory Lane had ever been under such attack before. Two stand out, Chris Jordan powering one on and over the Mound and David Wiese smashing one into Priory Lane.

To the strains of our county anthem, ‘Good Old Sussex by the Sea’ the two captains Charlie March and Ben Brown accompanied by umpires Brayan Tomalin and Simon Oakley walked to the square.

Sussex won the toss and elected to bat. Luke Wells and Phil Salt opened up and showed little respect to their coach, the former Australian fast bowler Jason (aka Dizzy) Gillespie. The first two balls were respected and then it was 6, 4, 4, ,4 and the crowd were into the action immediately and a gentleman spectator from behind the mid-off boundary took a superb onehanded catch.

This was the start of some mayhem, as the bowlers all suffered bar one. Wells went on to score 43 off 18 balls and Harry Finch continued the salvos with 57 off 29. The crowd were forever watchful and some attempted catches including Chichester Priory Park’s head cricket coach, Sean Dobbs, who split his trousers in his forlorn effort on the path by the marquees.

The Duke’s side worked well in the field and the eagle-eyed spectators may have noticed 12 men fielding during parts of the Sussex innings. These were not underhand tactics but the scholarly work of the Duke’s captain, an ardent and conscientious historian (as this writer knows only too well) who knew that one of the rules of 1727 stated that the rules didn’t apply to the Duke of Richmond!

Bowlers could only watch their efforts disappearing to the boundary and the most expensive of the day was 23 off David Wiese’s second over. At the end of the 20th over Sussex had made a superb 239-6. This was going to be quite a challenge for the Duke’s team.

Georgia Adams and Luke Wright cautiously opened for the home side, but soon enough the fireworks started. The Duke’s response centred around a superb 85 in 27 balls from Luke Wright the whole crowd wished for a 100 but it was not to be. Chris Jordan followed with 40 off 19 balls and David Wiese 50 off 20.

It is every amateurs dream to play with first-class players in front of a large appreciative audience and the players from Chichester and Goodwood had a wonderful day and certainly did themselves proud:- John Edwards (CPP) stumped Michael Burgess off Barney Trafford (Goodwood staff captain), who had the best bowling figures of the day 2 overs 1 for 11, Matt Geffen (CPP capt) had Phil Salt caught on the boundary (where else) by Chris Jordan, Andy Barnes (CPP, Sussex and England seniors) made 26 off 24 balls, Charlie March (Goodwood, welcomed onto the pitch with the BBC Formula One theme music) 16 off 15 and joined in with the six hitting, depositing a ball from Will Beer over midwicket into the marquee, whilst James Mayne captured the wicket of Harry Finch caught in the deep by Matt Geffen.

As it came to the last over the drama increased. Ben Brown was bowling but as time goes by and age wearies us and the mind plays tricks it will probably be told that this last over was bowled by Tymal Mills or Jason Gillespie, at full speed! Brown had Jofra Archer out first ball and then Gillespie out to the penultimate ball of the match. So, with a firm foot and total confidence out stepped Goodwood CC’s captain James Mayne. He may have taken 66 wickets for Chichester and Goodwood this season but with a Goodwood batting average of 8 the spectators ‘in the know’ might have been a bit fearful. James is of course the extremely dedicated junior cricket manager for Chichester and he was certainly going to prove a point to all the youngsters watching.

Brown bowled a ball of full length, Mayne was swiftly on the front foot with loopy extra cover drive. The ball avoided the cover fielder, mid-off fumbled, David Wiese ‘bolted’ out of the blocks, one run was scored they came back for the second, the throw was to the keeper, Mayne dived, Finch missed, and the Duke’s team were home. A script writer couldn’t have done it better. A stupendous afternoon’s cricket had come down to the Dukes’ team winning off the last ball.

The Sussex team (players and staff) were supportive to the last of their amateur partners and the gathered crowds.  Autographs were freely given, shirts signed some even given away. They were superb ambassadors for their club and for cricket. Youngsters were inspired, more senior adults reflected on their own careers and what might have been and hopefully those new to cricket young and old and those who have lapsed their involvement will be stimulated to play in 2019 or indeed let the train take the strain(!) with visits to Hove to watch our Sussex cricket team. Chichester and/or Goodwood CCs are also there to welcome you.

Thanks, must go to Sussex Cricket, Allan Green and Richard Plowman of the PP100 committee for inviting Sussex to play in the Park, to the Duke of Richmond and his team at Goodwood who helped make this wonderful event happen, to Ian Sanger the CPP scorer for scoring in this match and to Mick Page and the outfield team - Sussex commented on the excellent pitch and the outfield looked a picture.