Sussex Cricket raise a staggering 26% of ‘Together Through This Test’ auction total

Sussex Cricket can proudly confirm that items donated by the club to the ‘Together Through This Test’ auction have raised £9,294 for the Sussex Cricket Foundation and local charities.  

Items such as a weekend of wine tasting in Barcelona, a limited-edition T20 jumper signed by Jofra Archer himself and the chance to play your own T20 at The 1st Central County Ground in 2021 raised an astounding 26.39% of the auction’s overall total (£35,217) – more than any other county, ECB, MCC and PCA.  

A host of other excellent lots were also donated by Sussex Cricket and our fantastic sponsors, supporters and friends of the club, including but not limited to, the chance to become a winemaker for the day with Ridgeview, Alex Carey’s match-worn Sharks shirt and an overnight stay at the luxury Bailliffscourt Hotel & Spa. 

The auction, which was launched by the ECB in partnership with all 18 first-class counties, the PCA and the MCC, was set-up to raise money for local charities across England and Wales and will contribute to each counties overall ‘Together Through This Test’ fund.  

The funds that have been raised from items donated by Sussex Cricket will go back into our local community, with supporters invited to nominate charities and local causes they believe would benefit from the ‘Together Through This Test’ fund.  

Now the auction has concluded, and the initial fund total announced, the nomination process is open. To nominate a charity or cause of your choice, please complete the form below. The nomination process will be open until 5pm on Tuesday 30th June.    

Approximately 20% of the money raised will also be retained by the Sussex Cricket Foundation, our charitable arm, who continue to actively change lives through cricket within the county of Sussex. The remaining funds will be distributed by the Sussex Cricket Foundation to other worthwhile charities and causes nominated by the people of Sussex. 

Interim Head of Community Cricket, Gary Wallis-Tayler said: “We are extremely grateful for the money received through this initiative, which we will be able to put into helping our recreational clubs and community projects further during this challenging time.  

“We have worked extremely hard to protect our network through this period and this will provide us with the opportunity to help further as we enter the prepare phase of our process, to get the county back up and running playing cricket again as soon as it's safe to do so." 

Commercial Director, Mark Judges added: “We would like to thank our fantastic sponsors, supporters and friends of the club for their generosity and kind donation of items. We are delighted that the incredible selection on offer appealed to a wide range of people, and a considerable amount of money has been raised to help various charities and causes across our county. 

“The global COVID-19 pandemic has put a great strain on so many, but it is truly humbling to see the cricket community pulling together to support their communities. 

“We hope the proceeds raised from our items will go some way to supporting the many great charities and causes across our wonderful county.” 

If you would still like to contribute to the ‘Together Through This Test’ fund, you can do so in two ways: 

• Purchased a ticket for the upcoming season? All individual tickets for the 2020 season are being refunded, but you can choose to waive your right to a refund or donate it to the ‘Together Through This Test’ fund.  

• Alternatively, you can join the ‘Send a Sid’ campaign, which asks fans to purchase a cuddly Sid the Shark toy for £15, with £5 from each purchase being added to Sussex’s ‘Together Through This Test’ fund.