Jofra Archer Signs Sussex Contract Extension

Sussex Cricket is delighted to announce that fast bowler Jofra Archer has signed a one-year contract extension with the club.

The England seamer, who joined Sussex in 2016, has made 46 first class appearances since his debut, taking over 190 wickets.

The news follows the recent announcement of Archer being awarded a two-year ECB Central Contract, after his richly-anticipated return to Test cricket this summer.

Archer last featured for Sussex this season in our draw in Durham - his first red-ball match since 2021.

He will be available for Sussex around his international commitments throughout next summer.

Sussex's Head Coach, Paul Farbrace, said: "We are delighted that Jofra [Archer] is extending his time with us at Hove, he is a fantastic guy to have around the club, and obviously a great example to all of our players because of the hard work he puts in to maintain his status of one of the premier fast bowlers in world cricket. 

We would of course love him to play more matches for us, but his schedule makes that pretty tough. The role he does play though as a fantastic ambassador not only for Sussex Cricket, but for the game as a whole makes us a very fortunate club. We are all excited to watch the impact that Jofra will have on the upcoming Ashes series, and we are all very proud to watch him play and obviously enjoy playing the game the way he does."

On signing his contract extension, Archer said: "I'm delighted to continue my journey with Sussex. Since my debut in 2016, I have always felt at home here and it was another easy decision to stay here for a further year."

Sussex Cricket Foundation Strike New Partnership with AJ Sports

The Sussex Cricket Foundation is delighted to announce a new 3-year partnership with AJ Sports, who will become the official cricket ball suppliers for the Sussex Junior Cricket League and Competitions for boys & girls across the next 3 seasons, 2026-2028. This adds to AJ Sports partnerships with the Surrey Cricket Foundation and Middlesex in the Community.

The Sussex Cricket Foundation offer a range of hard ball and soft ball competitions for clubs to enter from Under 9 to Under 16. In 2025 over 90 different clubs entered our competitions and plans are underway to revamp the offerings for 2026, following a series of club evenings where feedback and insight was gathered from clubs.

Matt Parsons from the Sussex Cricket Foundation who sits on the Junior League Management Committee said, “At Sussex we are committed to providing standard-appropriate cricket to any young player who wants to access the game. Our Junior mixed gender and girls’ League offerings look to achieve that by supporting all levels of experience and background and 2026 will see a revamp of the Leagues to best cater for a changing Junior landscape and to have AJ Sports come on board at the start of that new structure is great." 

They share our passion for providing a quality experience and their support will only further enhance our opportunity to deliver the best possible product to all our young cricketers.

Abid Jafri, Director of AJ Sports added “We are delighted to partner up with the Sussex Cricket Foundation as their official ball supplier for the next three seasons. Supporting grassroots cricket is at the heart of what we do, and we are proud to bring our quality balls and dedicated service to clubs across Sussex. Joining Sussex alongside Surrey, Middlesex, and other counties, reflects the trust we have built, and we look forward to working closely with the Foundation and the clubs in Sussex to help grow the game across the county.”

Entries into the Sussex Junior Cricket Leagues for 2026 will open on Monday 1st December. For further information please Matt Parsons – matt.parsons@sussexcricket.co.uk.

For more information on Junior Cricket in Sussex please visit our website.

Yes, it's that time already. Next Tuesday (25th November), you can start marking your 2026 calendars with our Vitality Blast fixtures. Two days later (27th November), and our County Championship and One Day Cup schedules will follow. Then, it's all eyes on another unforgettable campaign.

Vitality Blast 

Things are a little different this time around. The 2026 Men’s Vitality Blast group stage will now consist of three groups, the names of which will be confirmed in due course. Teams will also play 12 matches, instead of the previous 14.

The Groups will be laid out as such:

• Group 1: Nottinghamshire Outlaws, Derbyshire Falcons, Lancashire Lightning, Durham, Yorkshire and Leicestershire Foxes
• Group 2: Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Birmingham Bears, Somerset, Glamorgan, Worcestershire Rapids
• Group 3: Surrey, Sussex Sharks, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Essex, Hampshire Hawks

Each county will play each team in their group home and away (10 matches), plus another two teams from other Groups in what will be known as crossover matches. This will bring the total matches to 12.

The two teams at the top of each group, plus the best two third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals. Finals Day at Edgbaston will be on Saturday, 18 July 2026.

Blast Passes on General Sale

Rothersay County Championship and Metro Bank One Day Cup

Following the PCC's decision to retain the current Rothersay County Championship format, the competition will remain at 14 matches, with Division One consisting of 10 counties and Division Two consisting of eight counties.

The same promotion and relegation mechanic also applies with the bottom two counties in Division One relegated and the top two in Division Two promoted.

The Metro Bank One-Day Cup men’s competition also retains the same format with each county playing eight group-stage matches in two groups of nine.

Memberships on General Sale 

It's the next instalment of our weekly Winter Watch series, shining the light on all our players' whereabouts over the winter period. We've got news from Hong Kong, Hawke's Bay and Perth, amongst a smattering of other settings in that section of the sphere. We start in alphabetical order, and we start in Australia...

Mollie Adams

Another fine winter in Australia for our exciting wicket-keeper/batter recently reached new heights with the announcement of her selection for the forthcoming England Women U19 training squad. In the meantime, she's been starring for Manly Warringah, north of Sydney. 

And it was a good weekend for Mollie and her Manly side, shrugging off back-to-back losses in a thrilling victory over St-George Sutherland. This was her finest outing of the winter: blasting a quickfire 35 before playing an equally important role with the bat in the super over. Fun stuff!

Jofra Archer

We're a bit in the midst of Jofra's outing, so too Tom Haines. For both are currently locked in battle as England's preparations for the Ashes commenced with a three-day match with England Lions. It was just the lone wicket of Matthew Potts for Archer on the opening day, but he'd impress with the bat on Day 2 - finishing not out on 27.

Heading into the final day, which you can follow via this link, England currently lead the Lions by 51 runs. Read on for how Haines fared...

Anna Buckle

There can be little denying that this was also Anna's most complete performance of the winter to date. Vice captaining UTS North Sydney W2, her outing with the ball last weekend was effective, ruthless and, well, pretty sublime. 10 overs bowled, three wickets claimed. And all for the loss of a mere 32 runs. They were defeated - these things happen - though for Anna it appears she is just getting started. 

Oli Carter

Things have been on an upward trajectory for Oli over in Adelaide with Sturt Cricket Club, playing a mixture of every format. In their most recent fixture on Sunday, which also handed Josh de Caires his Sturt debut, they earned a 26-run victory over Adelaide University. Oli third-top scored with a breezy 22 from 18 deliveries, and behind the stumps he handed de Caires a first Sturt wicket - stumping Jackson Gillespie to cement the win.

James Coles

One of the very few to get a call-up for the coveted Hong Kong Sixes tournament, James joined Toby Albert, Dan Mousley, Ethan Brookes, George Hill, Joe Denly and Tom Aspinwall as part of the England contingent. 

The opening two group games were a washout, and so a single victory over the host nation earned England a semi-final with Kuwait. A duck and a wicket was the order of business for Coles in the quarter-final, yet his fortunes changed against Kuwait, even if England's suffered. An explosive knock of 55 from a mere 18 deliveries proved to be not quite enough as the opponents completed a 37-run victory having posted 142-5 from their six overs. Absurd.

Next up for our precocious all-rounder is the upcoming SA20 competition in South Africa, where he will feature for Sunrisers Eastern Cape. That all starts on 27 December.

Tom Haines

The aforementioned opener has been enjoying some sunshine time Down Under with his fellow England Lions, as they prepare for their own Series with a warm-up fixture against England. Yep, it's Archer vs Haines, but it was Ben Stokes who picked up the wicket of our opening batter for the score of 20. He'll likely get another crack at it on the third and final day that'll commence in the early hours of the eve...

Dan Hughes

Our other opening batsman has been playing his cricket this winter for Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club Dolphins, based at Waverly Oval, Bondi. Following a fairly slow start with the bat, Dan recorded his highest score of the winter last time out in a five-wicket win over Northern District.

Dan Ibrahim

It's the performance of the winter to date. Featuring for Central Hawkes Bay over in New Zealand, Dan top-scored in the match last Saturday with a brilliant 76. This being a two-day+ match that is played over consecutive Saturdays, the result won't be known until this time tomorrow. But regardless of what occurs in the latter stages of the fixture, it's been a very positive week indeed.

Nathan McAndrew

Nathan's Sheffield Shield campaign for South Australia improved yesterday after his side claimed a first victory of the season against Tasmania. McAndrew played his part, taking a wicket and proving resilient with the bat alongside Ben Manenti to help steer his team home to a narrow three-wicket win.

Ollie Robinson

It was a season with Sussex limited due to injury, but one that remained consistently effective. In the hope of a smoother campaign next time around, Ollie is putting in the hard yards over in Australia, first playing for Sydney University before moving onto Tuggeranong Valley Cricket Club. He's played one game since touching down in Sydney, and he claimed a wicket, too. The ensuing day's play will take place overnight, before he moves onto Canberra for the first 1st Grade T20 Competition.

Jayden Seales 

After sealing a superb win over New Zealand in the opening match of the five-game IT20 series, the tides turned and the hosts swiftly responded to record a 3-1 series win. Three wickets in the opening match would be the total of Jayden's wickets in the series, though in only three of the five matches did he feature.

Three ODI's, starting with the first on Sunday (1am GMT) precedes a flurry of Tests in a busy winter for the first-rate fast bowler.

John Simpson

Opting for some franchise cricket this winter, it's off to Nepal for our first-class captain and wicket-keeper where he will feature for Kathmandu Gurkas in the upcoming Nepal Premier League.

And it's next week when the games will begin, with his Gurkas outfit facing Janakpur Bolts in the competition's curtain raiser on Monday, at 10.15am GMT.

George Thomas

A solid effort with the bat and a birthday to boot is what we have to report on George who, like Dan Ibrahim, is also playing over in New Zealand, and in the same division! In the current match that will reach its conclusion tomorrow, George has already made his mark with a well-earned 38 in the first innings. 

U18 World Junior League

So, in addition to the various efforts from Sussex players across the globe, six Sussex Academy players have been relishing in the U18 World Junior League, with the Grand Final literally taking place as these words are typed. 

Three of the six (Louie Lawrence, Alfie Smethurst and Ramsay Trainer) are all competing for London House Kings, with all three featuring in the starting XI. For highlights, you can visit this link.

Sussex Memberships for 2026 are now on sale at early bird prices! Sign up before 19th November to take advantage of the discount and join Good Old Sussex by the Sea. More information: https://sussexcricket.co.uk/2026-membership 

Sussex duo Mollie Adams and Eve O'Neill have been selected in the England Women U19 Training Squad for the 2025/26 winter.

Adams scored 361 runs for Sussex in 2025, including a century at New Road against Worcestershire. With the gloves, Adams took 16 dismissals in a fantastic summer.

Eve O'Neill took 11 wickets in the summer, including a superb 3-14 in the season opener away at Glamorgan.

The England U19 Training Squad will have eight camps at the National Cricket Performance Centre across the winter, building towards a tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka in March/April 2026.

Congratulations, both! #GOSBTS.

Full ECB Press Release:

England Women announce pathway squads

England Women have announced the Performance Programme intake and England Women U19 Training squad for the 2025/26 winter.

Thirteen players have been named in the Performance Programme, while there are 20 players in the U19 training squad.

The Performance Programme will be led by England Women National Lead coaches Jon Lewis (Batting), Gareth Breese (Spin Bowling), Matt Mason (Pace Bowling) and Nick Wilton (WK/Fielding). The England Women U19 training squad will be headed up by England Women U19 Performance Lead, Chris Guest.

England Women Performance Programme 2025/26

Kira Chathli (Surrey)

Tilly Corteen-Coleman (Surrey)

Jodi Grewcock (Essex)

Cassidy McCarthy (The Blaze)

Ella McCaughan (Hampshire)

Davina Perrin (Warwickshire)

Grace Potts (Lancashire)

Grace Scrivens (Essex)

Seren Smale (Lancashire)

Rhianna Southby (Hampshire)

Alexa Stonehouse (Surrey/Warwickshire – loan)

Grace Thompson (Durham)

Phoebe Turner (Durham)

England Women U19 Winter Training Squad

Mollie Adams (Hampshire)

Maria Andrews (The Blaze)

Diya Badge (The Blaze)

Sophie Beech (Warwickshire)

Phoebe Brett (Warwickshire)

Olivia Cunliffe (Lancashire)

Flora Davies (The Blaze)

Bryony Gillgrass (Warwickshire)

Gen Jeer (Surrey)

Trudy Johnson (Durham)

Amelia Love (Yorkshire)

Laila Moledina (Somerset)

Amelia Oliver (Yorkshire)

Eve O'Neill (Hampshire)

Shristi Patil (Hampshire)

Prarthana Reddy (Glamorgan)

Clara Thaker (Essex)

Grace Thompson (Durham)

Venus Weerappuli (Lancashire)

Bea Willis (Somerset)

England Women’s Head of Performance Pathways Richard Bedbrook said: “The purpose of the Performance Programme is to provide development opportunities to players across various skill-sets, on the back of the successful Pace Programme last winter.

“This programme will provide individualised support, designed to accelerate each player’s development, working in collaboration with their county staff. The ultimate ambition is to provide each player with an opportunity to push their case for future England selection through continued performances within the domestic game and any England Women pathway activity.

“There are three overseas training camps for England Women across January, February and March 2026 that players from this Performance Programme could well be a part of. Such opportunities will provide further experiences and exposure for these players on top of the training camps that will take place at the National Cricket Performance Centre.

“For the U19s, there are eight camps at the National Cricket Performance Centre across the winter as this programme builds towards a tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka in March/April 2026. The final England Women U19 touring party for the tri-series will be determined in the New Year.”
 

The seasonal opening times for the Club's Ticket Office have been confirmed.

The Ticket Office will be open every Tuesday and Thursday between 10am and 4pm up to (and including) Tuesday 23 December.

Additionally, the Club Shop will be open for a Black Friday Sale between Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 November, 10am until 4pm each day. A limited range of club merchandise will be available at discounted prices. 

Join Us for Our Annual Christmas Carol Evening

We’re delighted to invite you to one of the most anticipated events of the festive season — the Sussex Cricket Foundation Christmas Carol Evening.

Now in its fourth consecutive year, this magical evening has become a true Christmas highlight for many, bringing together friends, supporters, and the community to celebrate the season in style.

Event Details

Venue: The Long Room, 1st Central County Ground, Hove
Date & Time: Tuesday 2nd December, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Price: £20 per person (includes a welcome drink and mince pie)

A Festive Tradition

Led by SCF Trustee Katy Cooper, the SCF Singers will once again fill the Long Room with beautiful carols and joyful harmonies. Their exceptional talent and passion for music guarantee an unforgettable evening that perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas.

This event is a highlight in many people’s calendars — the perfect way to begin the festive cheer and share in the warmth of the cricketing community.

How to Join

To reserve your place, please:

1. Transfer £20 per person to the following account:
   Barclays Bank PLC
   Sort Code: 20-12-98
   Account Number: 83772454
   Reference: Your Name + Carols
2. Confirm your attendance by emailing martin.richards@sussexcricket.co.uk 

We look forward to celebrating a cricketing Christmas with you on 2nd December — an evening of music, warmth, and community spirit.

With best wishes,
Libby Ager and Martin Richards
SCF Patrons

With the return of Winter Watch - where we spotlight our players on their respective travels over the winter months - it's time to catch up on the past week's cricket. We'll begin in Australia, with our talented young opening batter and wicket-keeper, Mollie Adams...

Mollie Adams

It may not have been the perfect start for Mollie with the bat at her club of Manly Warringah, just north of Sydney, though her recent showing on Sunday showed signs of form we are more familiar with. It ended in defeat, but Mollie's late cameo of 17* from just below a run a ball propelled Manly to a competitive total, which Campbelltown Camden ultimately chased down. With the gloves, too, Mollie has been effective - taking a number of catches.

Manly are next in action on Sunday, where they host Bankstown at 10am local time (11pm GMT).

Jofra Archer

Over in New Zealand for England's recent T20 and ODI series - the latter proved to be a fine series for Jofra, though less so for his country. The hosts prevailed in all three ODI's, with the final match of the series taking place last Saturday. The right-arm fast bowler was more effective with the bat in that match, though did take three wickets in the game prior.

Next up for Jofra: The Ashes. An exciting few months await, with England next in action against Tom Haines' England Lions in a warm-up match on Thursday, 13 November.

Anna Buckle

Featuring for UTS North Sydney Cricket Club this winter, Anna has been handed the vice-captain role for their women's second grade side. They won their first match of the campaign last weekend, defeating St George Sutherland by two wickets. Despite a wicket-less outing, she bowled beautifully with figures of 10-2-23-0, and took the important catch of Mia Pordage just as the batter was accelerating towards a half-century.

Anna's side are in action again this weekend, with a trip to the Barley Oval to face Gordon.

Oli Carter

Not having played since the latter end of October, Oli has impressed opening the batting for Sturt. In his previous fixture - a T20 against Glenelg - Oli blasted a quickfire 16, featuring two sixes, in a winning effort. Prior to that came his best cameo of the campaign: a well-crafted innings of 32 against Woodville - also resulting in a victory.

James Coles

Before joining up with his Sunrisers Eastern Cape teammates ahead of the SA20 later this month, it was announced that James would be taking part in the Hong Kong International Sixes competition - a six-a-side league featuring 12 nations.

Representing England, with the exception of Coles, is Thomas Aspinwall, Joe Denly, Toby Albert, Dan Mousley, George Hill and Ethan Brookes. England's opening two matches were scheduled for today against UAE and Australia but, due to inclement weather, both were abandoned. Drier weather tomorrow will hopefully see the commencement of England's campaign, as they face Hong Kong at 7.35am (GMT).

Daniel Hughes

It was a more positive week for Dan Hughes this time around for both himself and his Eastern Suburbs side after they swept Northern District away in a two-day match last weekend. Dan, who is moving into form with the bat, regained some confidence with a score of 21. 

Our opening batter is in action in the late hours of this evening, as his side host Campbelltown Camden in the Belvidere Cup.

Dan Ibrahim

Jet lag, you say? Having flown into New Zealand shortly before his opening fixture for Central Hawkes Bay Dan, batting at number four, delivered a promising start to the season with a controlled 33 runs from 39 deliveries - featuring five fours and one six. His side would claim a 10-run win in a thrilling 50-over-per-side match in what was the ideal start to Dan's return to New Zealand.

Nathan McAndrew

Since his return to Australia following an exceptional Blast and County Championship stint again in Sussex, McAndrew has impressed with the ball for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup. He's claimed 10 wickets from the four matches he's featured in, and he is next in action on Sunday (11.30pm GMT) as his side journey to Tasmania.

Ollie Robinson

Having formally joined Sydney University Cricket Club this week, it's straight to work for Ollie as he prepares for his opening fixture tonight (11pm GMT) against Western Suburbs. You can keep up to date with his progress in Australia here.

Jayden Seales

On both the winning and losing side for West Indies this week in New Zealand, the cricket continues to flow at pace for Jayden with three more T20s scheduled against the Kiwi's over the next week. A fine performance on Wednesday - where the right-arm fast bowler took three wickets - was followed by defeat in the second match with the series even heading into the third fixture.

John Simpson

A new name to the Sussex Winter Watch list, first-class and one-day club captain John Simpson announced that he would be joining Kathmandu Gorkhas in the second edition of the Nepal Premier League.

The tournament will feature 8 teams competing in 36 matches, running from 17 November to 13 December.

Talitha Stanley

It must be said, Talitha Stanley's time in Australia has been as good as any representing the Martlets this winter, with our young bowler off to an excellent start for Perth A. Four matches, three wins, and six wickets thus far with her most recent performance the pick of the bunch with excellent figures of 4-0-15-2.

George Thomas

Joining Dan Ibrahim as the two Sussex players in New Zealand this winter, George is featuring for Cornwall Cricket Club Hastings, and played his first fixture for the club last weekend - a crushing 261-run win over Napier Old Boys. They play again this weekend in the return clash.

We are delighted to announce that six Sussex Academy players have been drafted into the U18 World Junior League, held at the prestigious Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE. 

The World Junior League, co-owned by England cricketer Adil Rashid, is an international franchise competition that unites top U18 players from around the world, providing them with a professional, high-performance cricket experience.

Ramsay Trainer - talented right-handed batsman who plays for Horsham Cricket Club and has just joined the Sussex Academy - is one of three who are playing for London House Kings. He joins left-arm spinner, Alfie Smethurst, who is flying from Australia, where he is playing club cricket for the winter. Alfie continues his Academy experience having joined form our successful Oxfordshire partnership.

Louie Lawrence makes up the three in the London franchise - the wicket-keeper/batter will look to continue his form after a successful season with the U18s and 2nd XI.

Three other Academy players are also in the competition - right-hand batter Zan Copleston, and Ollie Mason - have joined the Nitro Chargers. Harri Brayshaw, the right-arm medium/fast seamer, has been selected by the Royal Strikers. 

The upcoming U18 WJL Tournament will take place from 8th–14th November 2025 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE. This is a fantastic opportunity for our young players and we wish them well in the tournament.

Sussex Cricket League Celebrates Outstanding Season at Annual Awards Dinner

Friday 24 October - The Sussex Cricket Foundation hosted its annual Dean Wilson Sussex Cricket League Awards Dinner at the iconic Grand Hotel Brighton, bringing together players, coaches, and volunteers from across the county to celebrate another remarkable recreational cricket season. The evening was a fitting celebration of another fantastic year of cricket in Sussex - honouring the dedication, talent, and community spirit that makes the local game thrive.

This year’s event was proudly supported by the league’s new sponsors, Dean Wilson, and featured special guest speaker Jonathan Agnew, the legendary cricket commentator and former England bowler. For the first time, winning teams from the Aldridge@BACA Sussex Women’s Cricket League joined the celebration, reflecting the continued growth and inclusivity of cricket across Sussex.

With an incredible 420 guests representing more than 50 clubs, this year’s dinner was the largest to date. Awards were presented throughout the evening, recognising both team and individual achievements, before guests were treated to entertaining stories and insights from Jonathan Agnew’s illustrious career on and off the pitch.

Horsham Cricket Club enjoyed a double celebration, lifting the Premier League title, while their Women’s team also took home the Women’s Premier League trophy - a testament to the club’s strength across both the men’s and women’s games.

The Young Player of the Year award went to Toby Barton (Middleton CC), who played a crucial role in his club’s success, scoring an exceptional 1,038 runs across the Sussex Premier Division, T20 Cup, and ECB National Cup.

Three Bridges CC claimed Ground of the Year, while Brighton and Hove CC were named Most Improved Ground of the Year.

The highlight of the season was the annual T20 Finals Day which was held at The 1st Central County Ground, where Three Bridges CC 1st XI won the Daniel Oliver Cup, and their 2nd XI secured the Paul Baker Trophy. Sidley CC triumphed in the Plate competition. With the cup final played under lights, it proved to be a memorable day for players and supporters alike.

Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Cricket Director said, "It was great to see representatives from our men's and women’s teams come together to celebrate what has been another wonderful summer of cricket in Sussex. The recreational game continues to thrive and events like this show how strong and vibrant cricket is across the County. I would like to congratulate Horsham CC on their 'double' as well as all the other league and individual award winners"

Gary Stanley, Chair of the Dean Wilson Sussex Cricket League added, "What a great night! To see so many people coming together to celebrate the year really does reflect what a special thing we have built. I am so proud and privileged to be leading a league that provides the right cricket at all levels, to players of any age, ability and background".

An album of photos from the evening can be found here.