Spring is in the air and with it County Championship cricket returns to Hove as Warwickshire journey down to the south coast in good stead following a run-fest of a draw with Surrey in their opening match of the campaign.
But for Paul Farbrace's Sussex their season opener couldn't have gone much better: a thunderous 222-run victory in Leicestershire that saw contributions from just about every player. Tom Clark's century in the opening innings was utterly crucial, before Henry Crocombe took not only career best innings figures of 5-33, but also career best match figures (9-69).
Mix it all together and you've got a Sussex side eclipsing their points deduction total at the earliest opportunity, as we sit on 10 points following the opening gameweek ahead of this forthcoming home opener.
Team News
Farbrace has confirmed a 15-player squad for Sussex's hosting of Warwickshire, with it almost entirely unchanged from last weekend's win at Leicestershire barring the inclusion of 20-year old bowler, Nantes Oosthuizen.
Seamers Sean Hunt and Dom Goodman continue to miss out through injury.
Squad: Carson, Clark, Coles, Crocombe, Haines, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Ibrahim, Lamb, Leaning, Oosthuizen, Price, Robinson (c), Simpson, Tear
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The Opposition
A colossal 1,319 runs were scored in Warwickshire's first fixture of the campaign at Edgbaston, with the hosts only batting once as they posted 544 ao. Dan Mousley (144) and Sam Hain (94) were the pick of the batters in the opening four sessions of the match, before skittling Surrey out fairly cheaply (328 ao) to give the hosts hope.
Yet Surrey dug in and centuries from Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence ensured the draw. Beau Webster, Warwickshire's overseas signing for the first half of the season, batted well, too. There were starts for two of the three new additions Ian Westwood made in the winter, with bowlers Nathan Gilchrist and Jordan Thompson both in the XI and both in the wickets.
Warwickshire finished 5th in Division One last season, level on points with Sussex but a place below.
Spectator Information
Gates will open for all four days at 9.30am, with the toss taking place at 10.30am and the first ball at 11am.
Before play begins on Friday, at 10.50am, we will take a moment to remember and celebrate the lives of three individuals who have made a lasting contribution to Sussex Cricket: Tony Pigott, Norman Gifford and Arnold Long.
We will also take this opportunity to remember all Vice Presidents and Members of the Club who have sadly passed away, and whose contribution and support remain an important part of our history.
Free Entry to Day Three
On Sunday, we've continued our tradition of regularly opening our doors to the public by making entry to the third day of the match completely free of charge to all spectators.
Join us for a day of the finest County Cricket in the Sussex sunshine. All you need to do is claim a free ticket online, in advance, to gain entry into Hove.
North East Gate
As a reminder, the North East Gate will be closed for Days 3 and 4 of all our home County Championship games this season. Entry to Hove will only be available via the Main Entrance, situated on Eaton Road, on these days.
How to Watch
As always, you can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. You can find information on how to register here.