Women begin campaign this weekend, with Women’s County Cricket Day on Monday

Back in the top flight after winning the division two total last year, Sussex Women begin their quest for Royal London County One-Day Championship glory this weekend with two home games.

The team take on Warwickshire on Sunday and Nottinghamshire on Monday at the home of Sussex Women’s cricket, the Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy.

Monday’s game falls on Women’s County Cricket Day, a brand-new supporter-led initiative to encourage as many people as possible to come and watch their local county in action.

Sussex will have a number of its England stars on show, as well as some of the most promising young cricketers in the country, so this is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy top level cricket in relaxed surroundings with free entry and ample free parking.

The Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre is easy to get to by bike, train, bus or car. Directions are available here.

Sussex’s teams for the two matches will be announced on Saturday.

Ahead of the opening round of fixtures, we caught up with some of Sussex’s squad to get their views on the upcoming season.

Sussex are led by Georgia Adams, who was the sixth highest run-scorer in the country last year with 422 championship runs at an average of 32.5. That included a masterful 106 against Derbyshire, as well as two fifties.

Freya Davies was Sussex’s leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets at an average of 9.73 and an economy rate of 2.85 runs per over, stats that saw her called up for her senior England debut over the winter. Her figures of 6 for 10 against Derbyshire were the joint second best in Sussex history.

Davies is one of five current England internationals in the Sussex squad, alongside Georgia Elwiss, Linsey Smith, Sarah Taylor, Danni Wyatt. No other county has more.

There are two major changes to the playing regulations for this year’s Championship. In previous seasons, the title has been decided on average points, but the 2019 Champions will be the team with the most points. For the first time, each team may have a squad of 12 players for each match, with 11 able to bat or be on the field at any one time. There is no need to nominate which 11 players will bat, and players can be substituted when their team in fielding, with any player taking the field able to play a full part in the match.

Sussex’s full fixture list can be found here. Profiles of the squad can be viewed here.

A big thank you to the Aldridge Foundation for their continued support of Sussex Women.