By Paul Weaver at Hove, ECB Reporters network supported by Rothesay

A stunning partnership of 112 in 10 overs between Hilton Cartwright and Ben Mayes gave the Hampshire Hawks a winning finish to their Vitality Blast campaign after they had lost three of their previous four games.

Cartwright (70 off 31 balls, with seven sixes) and the gifted 18-year-old Mayes (55 off 36) hit the Sussex  Sharks bowlers to all corners of the County Ground but they still got home with only one ball to spare.

Hampshire had qualified for the quarter-finals with six straight wins before their form faltered. But Sussex finish with just three victories.

Hampshire, who had chosen to field, broke through in the second over when the in-form Harrison Ward pulled Sonny Baker – bowling with some pace down the hill and with the wind behind him - into the safe hands of Cartwright at long leg. Ward stood his ground for a while, appearing to suggest that the delivery had been above shoulder height.

Dan Hughes and George Thomas then added 65 for the second wicket in just seven overs, the best stand of the innings. At the end of the six-over power play Sussex had reached a very respectable 69 for one, Hughes leading the way with 42 of them.

The Australian left-hander, fresh from his century against Middlesex on Friday, had made 55 from 32 deliveries, with ten fours, when he slapped a ball from Delano Potgieter straight to extra-cover. And two overs later it was 104 for three when Thomas flicked a Scott Currie delivery to the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Jack Leaning lost his leg stump to Baker for 19 to leave Sussex 121 for four after 13 overs and with Liam Dawson putting a brake on the scoring it was a good passage of play for the Hawks.

But the Sussex innings was revived by a fifth wicket stand of 52 in 5.4 overs by Tom Alsop and Charlie Tear, who with sweet timing hit four leg-side sixes in an unbeaten 40 from 25 deliveries.

Hampshire made a hesitant start to their reply. Toby Albert skied a return catch to Tymal Mills in only the second over and captain James Vince had scored only nine when, attempting to hoist Tom Price over mid-on, he picked out the fielder instead.

At the end of the power Hampshire were 47 for two and in the next over they lost their third wicket when Dawson was caught by Thomas, sprinting in from the midwicket boundary.

But Hampshire were really up against it when they lost two wickets in the same Jack Carson over. Joe Weatherley, their leading scorer in the competition this season, trod on his stumps as he attempted to work the off-spinner off the back foot and Potgieter was caught behind two balls later.

But from 61 for five at the end of the eighth over Hampshire displayed the power of their middle-order as Cartwright and Mayes went on the attack.

Sussex Sharks take on Hampshire Hawks in their final Vitality T20 Blast match of the 2026 season this Sunday (12 July).

The Sharks returned to winning ways last time out as they defeated Middlesex at Merchant Taylors' School by 18 runs. 

Daniel Hughes scored a maiden T20 century, 108* from 52 balls, as he and Jack Leaning (65) hit a new Club record partnership of 169. With the ball, Tymal Mills and Danny Briggs ended with three wickets a piece to cap off a dominant performance in Hertfordshire.

Whilst the result comes a little too late to help the Sharks have any chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, they will be looking to end the T20 campaign with positive momentum to take into the Metro Bank One Day Cup which starts in around 10 days time.

Team News

Paul Farbrace has made two additions to the squad that travelled to Middlesex on Friday, with Henry Crocombe and Fynn Hudson-Prentice returning to make it a 15-player squad named for tomorrow's clash against Hampshire.

Squad: Alsop, Briggs, Carson, Crocombe, Goodman, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Hunt, Ibrahim, Leaning, Mills, Price, Tear, Thomas, Ward.

The Opposition

As ever in T20 cricket, Hampshire Hawks are a force to be reckoned with and they have qualified for the knockout stages of the competition, but they will be looking to ensure they play their Quarter Final at home. With the restructured Vitality Blast format this year, the three group winners and the best second-placed team will earn a home Quarter-Final and Hampshire are right in the mix of an intiguing battle.

They will need to win on Sunday at Hove and hope that either Surrey lose against Essex to clinch first place in the South Group, or that Gloucestershire lose against Glamorgan, for the Hawks to advance as the best second-placed team.

Disappointingly for Hampshire, they have lost their last two matches against Middlesex and Essex, which means that, as mentioned above, they need other results to go their way on Sunday.

Family Fun Day

This Sunday's final T20 match at Hove coincides with our Family Fun Day, featuring a host of entertainment and activities for all ages.

Alongside an exciting day of cricket, supporters can enjoy a range of family activities around the Ground before and during the match.

Find out more

How to Watch

You can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Centre (on our website). You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. 

The match starts at 2.30pm. 

Tickets

Tickets for this Sunday's Blast finale can be purchased here.

By Ben Kosky, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

Nearing the end of the Vitality Blast campaign for the Sharks, this penultimate fixture sees Paul Farbrace's side journey up to Merchant Taylors' School, playing guests to Middlesex on Friday.

It's a quick turnaround for the Sharks, having fought hard against Surrey at Kia Oval last night albeit in defeat. In a match with little to play for in terms of a quarter-final on offer for Sussex, changes were made to the XI with George Thomas keeping his place in the side, and looking good for it, too, as well as Tom Price returning to the team.

Thomas made 57 from 27 deliveries - a new T20 High Score - before a late James Coles cameo propped Sussex's total up to 176. Sean Hunt would go on to take the only two Sussex wickets as Jason Roy stole the spotlight with a magnificent 103*, scoring the winning runs at the same time as reaching his century to compound the Sharks to defeat.

Two games remain: Middlesex tomorrow before returning to Hove for the finale against Hampshire. There's still time, then, to finish this Vitality Blast campaign on a high.

Team News

James Coles was released from the England squad to feature in Wednesday's squad for the Oval, but he meets up with his England teammates again, and so is not available for selection.

Oli Carter, Henry Crocombe and John Simpson all miss out again from tomorrow's 13-player squad, with Ollie Robinson still recovering from injury. Danny Lamb, too, is a long-term absentee through injury.

Men's Squad: Alsop, Briggs, Carson, Goodman, Hughes, Hunt, Ibrahim, Leaning, Mills, Price, Tear, Thomas, Ward.

The Opposition 

It hasn't quite gone to plan for Middlesex in this competition, either, though they came away from the Utilita Bowl last night with a surprise victory as they look to similarly end the campaign on a positive.

It was their third win of the Blast, with the other two coming against the Sharks a few weeks ago, as well as victory over Essex prior to the Hampshire victory. It's two wins on the bounce for Middlesex, then, who have bowled exceptionally in both matches. Zafar Gohar and Luke Hollman bowled brilliantly at Hampshire last night, with the latter the club's joint-leading wicket-taker in the competition this year with 10. Tom Helm, too, also has 10 wickets to his name.

With big-scoring innings in short supply, the batting has restricted Middlesex to not progressing deeper into the tournament. Max Holden has registered the most runs for the side this year, with 221 runs scored and a High Score of 77.

How to Watch

You can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Centre (on our website). You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. 

The game gets underway at 5pm at Merchant Taylors' School.

Tickets

Tickets for this meeting with Middlesex are available to purchase here. 

Sussex Cricket Foundation’s annual Charity Golf Day has raised more than £2,000 to support the Foundation’s work in making cricket accessible for all across Sussex. 

Held on Monday 29th June at East Brighton Golf Club on a glorious sunny day, the event brought together teams, supporters and Sussex players for a memorable day on the course in aid of the Foundation. 

Chair of the Sussex Cricket Foundation, Dame Shelagh Legrave, said: “A huge thank you to everyone who took part in our fundraising golf day. It was fantastic to be joined by members of the Sussex men's first team and to see so much support for the Sussex Cricket Foundation.”

Each team was joined by a Sussex player, with Jack Leaning, Tom Alsop, Sean Hunt, Danny Briggs, John Simpson, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Henry Crocombe, Jack Carson, Charlie Tear, Harrison Ward, Dom Goodman, Tom Price and Freddie Price swapping bats for clubs for the day. 

Webtrends Optimize were crowned overall winners, with Begbies finishing as runners-up. Ralph Roberts took home the prize for Longest Drive, while Benn Challen from DentalBuild won the Nearest the Pin award.

Tom Alsop, who was part of the winning Webtrends Optimize team, said: “It was amazing to get over the line and win with Webtrends Optimize, it was a great day made even better by picking up the trophy.”

Dom Goodman added: “It was an awesome day at East Brighton Golf Club supporting the Sussex Cricket Foundation and meeting some of the Sussex Seniors.”

Sussex Cricket Foundation would like to thank everyone who supported the event, including Preston Insurance Brokers, Webtrends Optimize, Begbies, DentalBuild, Cricket District, Shepherd Neame, SJS Estates, Redstone Hub, Aramark, ACE Corporate Fitness, Sussex Seniors and Sussex Cricket.

Goody bag items were kindly donated by Shepherd Neame, Thatchers, Aramark and House of Boe, with the yellow Thatchers bucket hats proving a particular favourite among attendees. 

Anyone interested in getting involved in next year’s Charity Golf Day can email scfevents@sussexcricket.co.uk to be among the first to know when bookings go live. A photo album from the day can be viewed here.

On Saturday 4th July Sussex Sharks Visually Impaired XI welcomed Northamptonshire Steelbacks to the Blackstone Academy Ground for their BCEW National League Division 1 clash. Northants won the toss and asked the Sharks to have a bat.

The decision looked a good one after both openers had been dismissed with the score 3-2. This brought together Si Ledwith playing his 150th game for the Sharks and skipper Dan Field, together they put on a brutal 212 stand for the third wicket before Si was cruelly run out with his score on 95 from just 67 balls including 16 x fours. A straight drive from Dan was deflected by the bowler onto the stumps and Si's runner was out of his ground backing up. Dan then looked to push the score on and his innings closed on 125 not out from just 60 balls, 14 x fours and 3 x sixes underlining what a powerful hitting display it had been. The Sharks declared on 263-3 after just 21 overs to give them 39 to bowl Northants out in.

Northants innings was an incredible spectacle as England's David Howells carried his bat for an astounding 186 not out. At the other end, the Sharks chipped away with Dave Daniels 3-53 the pick of the bowlers. Asif Ali’s 27, was the only other double figure score for the Northants batters.

When the Sharks total was overhauled in the 29th over, Howells' innings of 186 not out had been compiled off just 96 balls including 24 x fours and 4 x sixes.

It was an incredible innings and leaves the BCEW National League - Division 1 table looking very tight with all four teams still having a realistic chance of winning the league or facing relegation. View the full scorecard from the match here.

Report courtesy of Ian 'Tiny' Morris (Club Secretary)

This Sunday's final T20 match at Hove coincides with our Family Fun Day, featuring a host of entertainment and activities for all ages.

Alongside an exciting day of cricket, supporters can enjoy a range of family activities around the Ground before and during the match.

Children can get creative in our Design a Shirt competition, with coloured pencils provided for them to create their very own Sussex Sharks shirt. The winning design will receive a Family Pass to Sussex Sharks' Metro Bank One Day Cup match against Hampshire on Sunday 9 August.

There will also be free face painting, courtesy of I Paint Faces, a live DJ providing entertainment throughout the day, and plenty of games to enjoy in the Sussex Cricket Foundation Fam Zone.

The Sussex Cricket Museum will also be launching a brand-new children's book, Score a Century. The book will available to purchase from the Club Shop for £3, with all proceeds supporting the Museum. After purchasing the book, families can take part in an interactive trail around the Ground. Follow the clues, find the checkpoints and collect points as you explore.

As with every Sussex Sharks fixture, the players will return to the field after the match is finished to sign autographs. You can use your Score A Century book for this, with dedicated autograph pages inside!

Once the cricket has finished, fans will have the chance to head onto the outfield at The County Ground, until 6:30pm, giving families the perfect opportunity to round off a fantastic day at Hove.

With so much happening on and off the field, it's the perfect day out for the whole family.

Book Tickets

Jason Roy’s fifth T20 century for Surrey kept them in the hunt for the knockout stages of the Vitality Blast as they eased to an eight-wicket win over Sussex at the Kia Oval.

Sixteen years after his first T20 hundred for the county, Roy – who is 36 later this month – showed his enduring class in this format with an unbeaten 103 off 58 balls and he passed 11,00 domestic T20 runs in the process.

Chasing 177, Roy and Josh Philippe broke the back of the chase with a second-wicket stand of 78 before Roy and Dan Lawrence reached the finishing line with 16 deliveries to spare after adding 73 off just 38 balls. 

One win from their final two games should secure second place in the south group because Surrey have a much better run rate than third-placed Essex, but they will be anxious to have the best record of the three teams finishing second to secure home advantage in the quarter-finals. 

Roy didn’t offer a chance, hitting eight sixes – three of them off the competition’s leading wicket-taker Danny Briggs – before driving Sean Hunt to the long off rope to secure victory with his sixth boundary.

Sussex, bottom of the south group with only two wins, were well placed at the halfway stage of their innings on 99 for 2 after being put in with George Thomas on his way to a career-best 57.

But once the former Somerset batter was caught on the cover boundary in the 11th over they lost their way. 

They were restricted to 42 between the 10th and 15th overs and in the 16th Charlie Tear, on his Sussex T20 debut, failed to score off the first five balls from Sean Abbott and was run out off the sixth.

James Coles, released from the England T20 squad, made an unbeaten 42 but despite coming in during the ninth over he only faced 29 deliveries and on a good pitch Sussex’s 176 for seven looked at least 20 short.

Thomas came in after Sussex’s leading run scorer Dan Hughes nibbled at Tom Lawes’ outswinger in the second over and went for his shots from the start to dominate a second-wicket stand of 75 from 42 balls with Harrison Ward (28).

Chris Jordan took 2 for 23 and bowled superbly in the second half of the innings with the wickets of Tom Alsop and Tom Price taking him to 450 in T20s. At least Sussex batted their 20 overs for only the fourth time in 10 games this season.

Hunt, one of four players facing their former club, had another – Laurie Evans – held on the mid-wicket boundary in the fourth over of the reply but when Hunt dropped Philippe at short fine leg with a single to his name it was to prove costly.

Hunt had revenge of sorts when Philippe (31) ended up giving Tear a catch behind off an attempted ramp but the second-wicket stand of 78 in eight overs gave Surrey a platform and the exemplary Roy made sure they didn’t squander it.

PR and content agency Press Box PR has announced a partnership with Sussex Cricket
focusing on media opportunities for the remainder of the 2026 season.

As part of the partnership, Press Box PR’s sports team will support Sussex Cricket with
proactive outreach for the club’s remaining fixtures, including Vitality T20 Blast and Metro Bank One
Day Cup matches, plus a potential challenge for the Rothesay County Championship
Division 1 title.

A key priority will be building awareness around the club and its squad, which includes the likes
of England’s Ollie Robinson, IPL star Jaydev Unadkat and promising young all-rounder James
Coles, who recently became the most expensive player in the inaugural Men's Hundred auction.

Press Box PR will also develop and support PR strategies for the County Ground venue - home
of Sussex Cricket since 1872 - and the Sussex Cricket Museum. This will leverage the club's
status as the world’s oldest professional sports club, while spotlighting its modern-day
developments and business opportunities.

Collaborating with the award-winning Sussex Cricket Foundation will allow Press Box PR to
highlight Sussex Cricket’s prominent role in the local community and promote its historic venue
as a welcoming, go-to place for a diverse range of people, encompassing all ages. And there
will be support for opportunities with partners, who include the likes of Shepherd Neame,
Thatchers and Roebuck Estates.

There will be support for Sussex Cricket Foundation initiatives and community programmes, as
well as for the Dean Wilson Sussex Cricket League, helping the sport remain healthy in the
region and nationally.

Press Box PR is an award-winning PR agency specialising in betting, gaming, sport, consumer
and technology. With offices in London and Manchester Press Box PR helps brands secure
high-impact earned media coverage across international trade, consumer and business
publications, while also increasing their visibility in AI-generated answers, citations and large
language model (LLM) recommendations

Alex Donohue, founder of Press Box PR, said: “Sussex has an important place in English
cricket and wider sports as the oldest professional sports club in the world, with foundations
dating back to 1839, and has much to offer audiences in 2026.
“We’re proud to have a role in promoting the club among cricket followers, as well as building its
profile among newer demographics, and helping deliver content for the media. Our established
and vastly experienced sports team is primed to help expand the club’s growth.”

Shaun Simmonds, Marketing Manager at Sussex Cricket, added: “This partnership with
Press Box PR will play a key role in Sussex Cricket’s ongoing marketing and communications
strategy. One of the club’s key challenges in recent years has been maintaining awareness and
relevance locally, with an over-emphasis on digital marketing. Our work with Press Box PR will enable
the many positive and inspirational stories coming out of the club and Sussex Cricket
Foundation to be told by local, regional and national media, strengthening our engagement with
communities throughout Sussex and acting as a catalyst to encourage commercial growth.
“Press Box PR has already played a huge role in securing national coverage for Sussex Cricket;
promoting our events, partnerships and our annual media day. I look forward to continuing to
work with the Press Box PR team to put Sussex Cricket firmly back on the map.”

A campaign that hasn't quite gone to plan, yet with three matches remaining there is still time for Sussex Sharks to finish on a high in Vitality Blast, starting with today's trip to Kia Oval.

Victory for Essex at a sold-out Hove on Friday night ensured the Sharks a fourth-straight defeat in the South Group, with Paul Farbrace's side now unable to qualify for a Quarter Final. 

But they've got the opportunity, now, to play with greater freedom, starting with today's short trip up to SE22 as the Sharks search for a first win in five matches against Surrey.

Team News

James Coles has been released from the England squad to feature in tonight's Sussex squad, with Dan Ibrahim also an addition from last Friday.

Oli Carter, Henry Crocombe and John Simpson all miss out from tonight's 14-player squad.

Men's Squad: Alsop, Briggs, Carson, Coles, Goodman, Hughes, Hunt, Ibrahim, Leaning, Mills, Price, Tear, Thomas, Ward.

The Opposition 

Despite losing four of their nine matches Surrey are in a strong position to qualify for next week's Vitality Blast Quarter Final as they sit in second, having played a game fewer than Essex below them.

Victorious in their recent meeting with the Sharks at Hove - as Surrey chased the target of 172 down with over four overs to spare - the tournament has remained an inconsistent one for the Kennington-based side, with a heavy defeat at Gloucestershire following a remarkable win at Essex in which 473 runs were scored across the two innings.

Dan Lawrence is the club's leading run-scorer in the competition this year, with 206 runs to his name. Ollie Pope (193) and Will Jacks (179) follow closely behind, and head into this fixture in fine fettle.

With the ball, former Shark, Reece Topley has been exceptional: 17 wickets at an average of 15.05 makes him the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the Blast this year.

How to Watch

This game has been selected by Sky Sports, and so a free live stream will not be available on our Match Centre.

You can keep up to date with statistics, replays and live scorecard via our Match Centre. You will need to register for a free account these features.

The game gets underway at 6.30pm. 

Tickets

Tickets for this clash at Kia Oval are available to purchase here. Alternatively, you can purchase tickets in person from the Surrey ticket office.

Surrey Women host Warwickshire Bears Women at 2pm, with a purchased ticket permitting entry to both matches.