Surrey vs Sussex | Day Two
Dom Sibley, the rock of dependability at the top of Surrey’s batting order, scored his sixth first-class hundred since the start of the 2025 season as Sussex struggled to keep themselves in the Rothesay County Championship match at the Kia Oval.
When rain arrived to lop off the final 16.3 overs of the second day’s allocation, Sibley was unbeaten on 116 in Surrey’s 292 for two after having faced 268 balls across six hours of dutiful accumulation.
With Rory Burns hitting 77 and Ryan Patel a fluent 67 from 82 balls, the pair sharing in stands of 148 and 109 respectively with Sibley, it left Surrey within touching distance of Sussex’s first innings 358 for nine declared and with an opportunity to push on to a potentially match-winning lead on day three.
Sibley, 30, had few moments of worry and having also scored 100 in Surrey’s previous Championship fixture against Essex is not only building his case for an England recall five years after his last Test but also is within just nine of completing 10,000 career first-class runs.
Sussex will be sore about the two catches they dropped with the total 168 and then 287. First, Patel was reprieved on 11 when keeper John Simpson somehow allowed what looked to be a regulation edge slip through his gloves.
And Ollie Pope, also when 11, was put down at third slip off Ollie Robinson in the fifth over of a second new ball taken with Surrey on 265 for two. At stumps, Pope was 14 not out.
Surrey began day two on 19 for no wicket, Sibley and Burns having fought hard to survive ten overs against the new ball at the tailend of a memorable opening day dominated by the centuries made from No 9 and No 10 by Jack Carson and Robinson.
At first it was again the Sussex frontline seamers who tried to prise Sibley and Burns apart – with Sibley leg-glancing Fynn Hudson-Prentice for four from the very first ball of the day to set the tone for what was to come.
Sibley, on 42, edged Robinson just short of the slip cordon but otherwise the Surrey openers had made it with few alarms to 79 before Carson’s off spin was introduced for the 30th over.
Burns’ response was a series of reverse swept fours which helped him to accelerate to his first Championship half-century of the season, but he then required treatment after being hit a nasty blow on the hand by Tom Clark’s fourth ball.
Clark then beat both Burns and Sibley in a pacy three-over burst before lunch, taken with Surrey on 120 for no wicket and, immediately after the interval, it was Henry Crocombe who bowled perhaps the outstanding spell of the day.
Working up consistent 85-88mph pace, Crocombe hit Burns another painful blow on his right hand – which meant another on-field treatment delay –and also beat Surrey’s captain several times.
And, finally, in the 49th over of the innings, Crocombe got his reward when Burns chopped on a push-drive at another ball delivered from around the wicket. Burns had battled 149 balls for his invaluable contribution to his side’s ambition to bat just once in this game.
Sussex’s chance to put added pressure on Surrey in the wake of Burns’ dismissal, however, was lost when Simpson spilled Patel’s edge off Clark and soon the second wicket pair were busy building their own century stand.
Patel went to 50 with a cracking pulled four off Crocombe and a Sibley leg glance took him into the 90s, and although Patel skied Carson to mid off looking to push on before the second new ball it was no surprise that Sibley merely kept on doing what he does best in the anchor role.
Sussex Sharks Women vs Kent Women
Sussex Sharks Women welcome Kent Women to Hove on Sunday as Alexia Walker's side go in search of back-to-back Metro Bank One Day Cup victories.
It was a fortnight ago that Sussex produced a complete performance with both bat and ball to defeat Worcestershire Rapids by a mammoth 155 runs. An outing that provided some wonderful achievements, as both Izzy Collis and Nancy Harman recorded centuries to set a total of 341-3.
And then swarmed the Sharks attack: Captain Chiara Green leading the charge with four wickets, whilst Anna Lewis and Bella Johnson both picked up a pair of wickets to seal the Rapids' fate. It was the perfect response to the loss at Leicestershire in the opening game of the campaign, as the Sharks head into this one against Kent with one win and one defeat.
The Opposition
A campaign that had positives but left plenty of space for improvements, Kent's 2025 One Day Cup efforts saw them win just the one game in the group, losing the remaining eight including on their trip to Hove where the Sharks ran out winners by 43 runs.
This time around and they've seemingly made those improvements, narrowly losing out to Northamptonshire Steelbacks but following that up with a simple enough victory over Derbyshire as they also go into Sunday's clash with momemtum.
Former Shark, Rachel King - who joined Kent on loan at the start of the season - has not been released by Surrey to play in this match whilst Tilly Callaghan remains out with a knee injury. Hollie Young made her Kent debut last time out in the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup, whilst Pathway seamer Naomi Scott is again included in a first-team squad.
Team News
Eve O’Neill returned from the England U19 tour of Australia alongside winter acquisition, Shristi Patil, for last Sunday's T20 County Cup defeat to Norfolk, but now Mollie Adams, too, is back and in line to make her first Sussex appearance of the campaign.
Kali-Ann Docherty overcame her injury to also feature last weekend, taking a wicket in the process and keeping her place in the squad.
Squad News
Mollie Adams, Anna Buckle, Izzy Collis, Kali-Ann Docherty, Indigo Gentry, Chiara Green (c), Bella Johnson, Faye Mullins, Eve O'Neill, Shristi Patil, Poppy Tulloch, Phoebe Wilkinson.
How to Watch
As ever, 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.
The action gets underway at 10.30am on Sunday. Gates will open at 9.30am. Entry is completely FREE!
Surrey vs Sussex | Day One
Ollie Robinson hit 100 not out from No 10, his highest score for more than a decade, as Sussex rallied remarkably against Surrey at the Kia Oval to reach 358 for nine declared – after Jordan Clark’s five-wicket burst before lunch had sent them plunging to 92 for seven.
Robinson, appointed as Sussex’s captain for this season’s Rothesay County Championship, was joined by Jack Carson in a memorable ninth wicket stand of 173 that followed a counter-attacking partnership of 75 in 12 overs between Carson and Fynn Hudson-Prentice.
Carson’s own contribution to a pulsating opening day was a superb 105 – like Robinson, his second first-class century. Their stand was a Sussex ninth wicket record against Surrey, topping the 160 by the legendary KS Ranjitsinhji and Fred Tate at Hastings in 1902, and only five runs short of the county’s overall partnership record for that wicket.
Robinson completed his hundred with a pulled six over deep mid wicket, and then promptly declared to leave Surrey’s openers facing an awkward ten overs, in which they scored 19 without loss.
Hudson-Prentice’s 58-ball 53, meanwhile, featuring a six and seven fours, also provided rich entertainment for a crowd of 5,500. Both Robinson’s and Carson’s hundreds were greeted by prolonged applause that rang around the ground. Clark had to settle in the end for five for 68, while Matt Fisher finished with three for 92.
Sussex, put in, seemed to have weathered the loss of Tom Haines for a second-ball nought, brilliantly caught above his head by Ollie Pope at second slip off Sean Abbott from an edged drive.
Tom Clark and Dan Hughes added 63 for the second wicket, with Clark in particular playing some eye-catching strokes. He was severe on Reece Topley when the left-arm seamer conceded 21 runs from his first two overs, including one stunning straight drive in a sudden rush of fours.
But then Surrey’s Clark got to work, swinging one back into Hughes’ pads in his second over to have him leg-before for 22, before taking a further wicket in his next over and two more in his third.
Tom Clark’s 44 from 48 balls ended when he nicked a fine ball to keeper Jamie Smith and Clark’s two scalps in three balls in his following over were James Coles, bowled for six playing crookedly, and John Simpson, who touched another excellent delivery to Smith.
Charlie Tear shouldered arms to fall for a nine-ball duck, his off bail trimmed by Fisher, and Jack Leaning (3) edged behind a wild drive at a widish ball from Clark that swung further away.
Clark had five for 16 from seven overs at lunch, with Sussex still a sickly 105 for seven, but Hudson-Prentice, rapped on the gloves by Clark on 13, then launched a thrilling assault on Fisher that began with a six whipped over mid wicket.
Carson was dropped on 13, a hard high chance slashed to Pope at second slip off Abbott, but was looking secure by the time Hudson-Prentice was caught behind off Fisher in the 37th over.
The revelation of the day was the way Robinson batted, with his captaincy status clearly inspiring him as he built his great partnership with Carson.
He offered a difficult chance on 21, to Adam Thomas running back from cover off Topley, and a clip on 67 fell just short of Pope at mid wicket, but otherwise Robinson was faultless in his application and selective shot-making as the pitch flattened out.
Carson, 25, showcased his own batting talents with 14 fours in a 149-ball stay that finally ended when he nicked Fisher’s third delivery with the second new ball. But then came the six, another century celebration and the declaration.
Surrey vs Sussex
Sussex make a trip to the capital this weekend to face Surrey in the Rothesay County Championship.
With 1,337 runs scored in the match last week at Headingley, it was unsurprising that the clash against Yorkshire ended in a draw. With four batting bonus points and one bowling bonus point, Sussex added 13 points to their tally, keeping them in 4th place in Division One.
There were plenty of positives to take for Paul Farbrace; John Simpson scored his first century of the season, while Tom Haines, Tom Price, Tom Clark and James Coles all scored half-centuries. Captain Ollie Robinson scored 81 unbeaten runs in the match, too!
Team News
There was an injury scare for Farbrace, as Tom Price went down with an ankle injury on day three. He batted in Sussex's second innings, but with Jack Carson as his runner. Despite this, Price has been named in an unchanged 14-player squad.
Squad: Carson, Clark, Coles, Crocombe, Haines, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Ibrahim, Lamb, Leaning, Price, Robinson (c), Simpson, Tear
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The Opposition
It's been three draws from three matches so far for Surrey. Perhaps their bowling bonus points tally tells a story in its own right, having picked up just four points from a possible nine.
Nearly 4,000 runs have been scored across the three matches they have been involved in this season at Warwickshire and at home to Leicestershire and Essex.
England wicket-keeper Jamie Smith is the County Championship's second-top run scorer, with 401 runs scored in three matches at an average of 80.2. He is expected to take the gloves for Surrey this week, too, following an injury to Ben Foakes.
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.
Or, you can join us for the four days at The Kia Oval by purchasing your tickets here.
Rewind to 2006: Celebrating a Historic Double-Winning Season
Focus Group Take Over Executive Lounge
Focus Group take over the Executive Lounge at The County Ground
Sussex Cricket is delighted to announce an extension to its successful partnership with Focus Group, further strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two organisations.
As part of the renewed agreement, the Executive Lounge at The County Ground will now be renamed the Focus Group Executive Lounge, marking an exciting new chapter in the partnership.
Focus Group is one of the UK’s leading independent providers of essential business technology, delivering telecoms, connectivity, IT, cyber security and mobile solutions for SMEs to global enterprise businesses, across every sector.
The newly branded and refurbished Focus Group Executive Lounge will provide a premium hospitality and networking space for members, guests and corporate partners on matchdays and throughout the year, further enhancing the experience at the home of Sussex Cricket.
Focus Group will also use the Executive Lounge as a destination for events and off-site meetings on non-matchdays.
Sussex Cricket Interim Chief Executive Mark West said:
“We’re delighted to be growing our partnership with Focus Group, a long-time supporter and valued partner of Sussex Cricket. The new Focus Group Executive Lounge is a fantastic setting to enjoy cricket, and we look forward to seeing Focus Group at The County Ground regularly on non-matchdays too.”
Wesley McGovern, Regional Managing Director at Focus Group said:
“Our relationship with Sussex Cricket spans over a decade, both as supporters of the club and as their technology partner, so renewing our partnership and stepping up as a Major Partner feels like a natural next step in a journey we've been on together for a long time.
We're thrilled to be unveiling the Focus Group Executive Lounge, which is a real statement of our commitment to the club and to the region. And having Focus Groups’ CoFounder, Chris Goodman, join the Sussex Cricket board is something we're incredibly proud of - it reflects just how deeply rooted this relationship is, and we look forward to building on it for many years to come."
Yorkshire vs Sussex | Day Four
Tom Clark posted a composed 93 either side of lunch on day four and batted Sussex to the safety of a Rothesay County Championship draw against Yorkshire at Headingley.
Both sides topped 500 in their first innings - Sussex 502 and Yorkshire 511 - before the former closed day three on 31 for two second time around.
That became 44 for three, with the lead only 35, early on day four before Clark and James Coles quickly changed the complexion of things with a fourth-wicket 108 partnership.
Coles was more dynamic but fell for 53 off 60 balls before lunch. Left-handed Clark continued into the afternoon and underpinned his side’s 324 for eight from 86, a lead of 315. Joe Root’s off-spin impressed with three for 67 from 21 overs.
When bad light ended play just before 4.30pm, the result ratified not long afterwards, both sides claimed 13 points. This was Yorkshire’s second draw added to a defeat and Sussex’s first draw added to two wins.
George Hill struck with only his second ball during the early stages of day four, a full ball trapping nightwatchman Jack Carson lbw.
That brought Clark, who finished with 16 fours in 177 balls, and England Lion Coles together.
Here is a player in Clark who clearly likes batting in the month of April. He has scored three of his five career Championship centuries in the summer’s opening month dating back to his first in 2022.
Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, he was stopped just short of another by Root, caught behind during the first half of the afternoon as the score fell to 224 for five, a lead of 215.
In England Lions all-rounder Coles, we were watching one of the most talked about young players in the country after his recent £390,000 pick by London Spirit in The Hundred.
Coles counter-attacked and was punishing on anything which erred in length - either full or short. One on-driven boundary against Hill was as good as any shot across the four days played out on a benign pitch, while he later viciously pulled the other morning wicket-taker Jhye Richardson.
Australian Test quick Richardson struggled for rhythm in this match and leaked runs in both innings. But he did bowl Daniel Hughes with a beauty late on day three and bowled Coles just before lunch on day four as the batter advanced down the pitch towards the off-side and was undone looking to hit to leg.
That left Sussex at 152 for four just before lunch, a lead of 146.
Clark had reached his fifty first off 108 balls and Coles shortly afterwards off 52.
Yorkshire employed spin from both ends for the majority of the afternoon in Root and fellow offie Dom Bess, and they had success as Sussex fell to 234 for seven with a little over 45 overs remaining in the day - a lead of 225.
Clark’s departure was followed by Jack Leaning brilliantly caught one-handed at slip by Hill off Bess, the catcher anticipating a reverse sweep. Root then flattened first-innings centurion John Simpson’s off-stump for only six.
While Yorkshire had their tails up, Sussex had time very much on their side.
Root had Tom Price caught at backward point - 252 for eight. Price was batting with a runner following the ankle injury he suffered fielding at the start of day three.
Sussex reached tea at 272 for eight leading by 263 with 32 overs remaining, and their task of batting for survival had been all but rubber-stamped.
Yorkshire vs Sussex | Day Three
By Graham Hardcastle, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
England star Joe Root cruised to 96 but fell short of a 12th first-class century for Yorkshire in the hosts' strong response to Sussex’s first-innings 502 on day three of the Rothesay County Championship fixture which looks likely but not certain to finish in a draw at Headingley.
Sussex had started the season with back-to-back wins and Yorkshire a draw and defeat. But neither bowling attack has looked likely to penetrate high-class batting line-ups on a placid pitch.
Yorkshire, having started day three on 192 for one, were bowled out for 511, claiming a lead of nine with 14 overs left in the day.
They lost opener Fin Bean for 105 early on before fellow left-hander Sam Whiteman converted an overnight 73 into a determined 101, his maiden century for the county he joined in the winter. Sussex’s second innings closed on 31 for two, giving Yorkshire a glimmer of hope. The visiting lead is 22.
Root came in at 199 for two in the day’s fifth over and hit 12 fours in 127 balls before edging fast bowler Henry Crocombe behind during the latter stages of the afternoon session.
Sussex struck three times in the morning, with Yorkshire 300 for four at lunch.
Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s seam angled one back into left-handed Bean and trapped him lbw for the addition of only four more runs to his overnight tally.
The left-arm spin of James Coles, who later took the second new ball, bowled Jonny Bairstow through the gate for six, uprooting his middle-stump.
Sandwiched in between, Whiteman was caught behind off Crocombe.
Yorkshire-born Western Australia captain Whiteman, playing for his birth county as a local for the next three seasons, had reached his century with a drilled straight six off Coles, getting there off 188 balls.
Root was at ease against seam and spin, including emerging twirler Coles and his former seam-bowling England team-mate Ollie Robinson.
It looked inevitable for much of his innings that he would reach three figures.
This was his first first-class innings in 109 days since his second innings of January’s Ashes Test Match at Sydney, and it was also his fifth 50-plus score in seven Championship innings for Yorkshire dating back two years to the day.
Sussex plugged away for reward in benign conditions. Without ever looking like blowing Yorkshire away, they chipped away and claimed wickets at regular intervals.
In fairness, they were a bowler light having lost seam-bowling all-rounder Tom Price to a sprained right ankle which he suffered whilst fielding the day’s second delivery at deep backward square-leg.
The visitors opted not to utilise the ECB’s substitution rule, but he was off the field all day.
Root reached his fifty off 59 balls before lunch and was within touching distance of raising his bat once more when Crocombe got one to bounce more than expected, with the England man feeling for it outside off-stump and edging behind to John Simpson. In all, he hit 12 fours.
With Matthew Revis having earlier fallen to Coles - he and Root shared a fifth-wicket 86 - Yorkshire were 395 for six during the second half of the afternoon.
Dom Bess was trapped lbw by the miserly medium pace of Tom Haines before George Hill, who posted 50, chipped Jack Carson’s off-spin to midwicket - Yorkshire were 457 for eight at tea.
Yorkshire’s overseas quicks Logan van Beek and Jhye Richardson then contributed 29 and 35 respectively - they shared a ninth-wicket 49 - to help their side into the lead.
Van Beek edged Crocombe behind and Richardson was bowled attacking at Coles.
Both bowlers finished with three wickets before Australian Richardson, who struggled with the ball at the start of the game, bowled compatriot Daniel Hughes with a beauty in the third over the Sussex second innings.
Yorkshire vs Sussex | Day Two
PICTURE: Dave Williams ( RLPhotos.com ) ( cricketphotos.co.uk )
Sussex’s club captain John Simpson completed a superb 136 before Yorkshire’s unbeaten opener Fin Bean impressed with a century of his own during a high-scoring Rothesay County Championship match which reached its midway point at Headingley.
Wicketkeeper-batter Simpson started day two on 101 not out and played an innings which was the centrepiece of his county’s 502 all out on the stroke of lunch after they had started day two on 373 for six.
He hit 17 fours in 226 balls and enhanced a remarkable Championship record of 10 hundreds for Sussex in only 31 matches since signing at the start of 2024. He scored the same number in 188 appearances for previous county Middlesex.
Home opener Bean, also keeping wicket in a fixture which already has draw written all over it, then responded in kind with 102 off 176 balls and shared an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 175 with Sam Whiteman, who contributed a composed 73 to Yorkshire’s close of play 192 for one from 60 overs.
Having shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 165 with Tom Price on day one, Simpson also completed a stand of 83 with seventh-wicket partner Fynn Hudson-Prentice at the start of day three before the latter fell caught behind off George Hill, leaving the score at 398 for seven.
Yorkshire’s attack lacked penetration across the first four sessions, Hill and fellow seamer Jack White aside.
That was shown as Sussex added 104 for the last three wickets, including Championship skipper Ollie Robinson adding an unbeaten 40.
White wrapped up the innings by trapping last man Henry Crocombe lbw with a full ball for 21, finishing with four for 60. Hill finished with three-for.
Earlier, Joe Root’s off-spin had Simpson caught at long-on for his 100th career first-class wicket.
In glorious sunshine and on a placid pitch, Sussex then struck an early blow through Hudson-Prentice’s new-ball seam as Adam Lyth edged to second slip with 17 on the board in the 10th over.
But then Bean intervened to settle any White Rose nerves.
Whilst not as buccaneering, this was an innings which had similarities to the one which Sussex opener Tom Haines compiled at the start of day one when he drove with conviction for 64.
Bean was happy to throw his hands at the ball, driving on the up as well, and he reached a 61-ball fifty in that fashion - his first of the campaign - off Tom Price’s seam.
Yorkshire reached tea at 96 for one, with Bean and Whiteman together.
Bean pulled the left-arm spin of James Coles for six but was tested by the pace of Crocombe, who has looked as lively as any seamer in this fixture.
Whiteman, strong through the off-side off front and back foot, reached his fifty off 88 balls - by which time Yorkshire had reached 143 for one.
A Crocombe short ball struck Whiteman a nasty blow in the box, which left him on the deck for a good five minutes.
From there, Bean and Whiteman edged through the remainder of the day without further alarm.
Bean, aged 24, then reached his seventh Championship century by pulling Tom Price for his 13th four in the day’s penultimate over.
Sussex Sharks Women vs Norfolk Women
Sussex Sharks Women entertain Norfolk Women in the first T20 match at Hove in 2026, in the first round of the Vitality T20 County Cup.
In last year's competition, Sussex defeated Buckinghamshire in the first round of the competition, before falling short in round two against Glamorgan.
The Sharks have played two Metro Bank One Day Cup matches so far this year, losing their opener at Leicestershire on DLS, before returning home in style with a comprehensive 155-run victory last week against Worcestershire.
Team News
Due to the nuances of this ‘FA cup style’ competition, players become cup-tied. With the World Cup and an England A series clashing with rounds where Tier 1 sides enter the draw, it means many players have been retained by their home county as cover.
So we welcome a new face to the squad, Emma Phillipson, a top-order batter and keeper who is currently at the University of Exeter and has been part of the Western Storm academy previously.
Eve O’Neill returns from the England U19 tour of Australia alongside winter acquisition, Shristi Patil, to bring plenty of exciting talent to the squad.
Kali-Ann Docherty returns from injury and experienced off-spinner Beth Harvey is also part of the squad for the first time in 2026.
Sussex Sharks Squad: Chiara Green (c), Beth Harvey, Indigo Gentry, Anna Buckle, Kali-Ann Docherty, Phoebe Wilkinson, Emma Phillipson, Anna Lewis, Eve O’Neill, Sophie Beck, Shristi Patil, Georgiana Pedley, Emily Groves
The Opposition
The knock-out County Cup brings Norfolk to their first ever trip to The County Ground. They compete in League 3 Division 2B in both the Vitality Blast and the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
So far this year, they have played two Vitality Blast matches - a double header against last year's League 3 Division 2 T20 finalists, Shropshire. Norfolk fell short in both matches, with Shropshire winning by 5 wickets in the first and 6 wickets in the second match.
How to Watch
As ever, 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.
The action gets underway at 2.30pm on Sunday. Entry is completely FREE - come along and support the women!
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