Free Entry: Day One of Sussex vs Leicestershire

Sussex Cricket is delighted to offer another day of free Vitality County Championship cricket this season. Entry will be free of charge to all spectators on day one of the next County Championship match at The 1st Central County Ground between Sussex and Leicestershire. 

Having opened the gates to thousands of spectators on day one of the season, Sussex is once again making all tickets free of charge for the opening day of the next match.

Claiming your ticket is easy, just visit our ticketing website now to grab yours. 

Please note: It is important you claim yours in advance, as this will help to reduce queues upon entry.

Sussex Cricket Foundation Donation

As the game is free of charge we would like to encourage spectators to make a small donation to the Sussex Cricket Foundation. This can be done when claiming your free ticket online, through the ticketing website.

Any donation you can manage is greatly appreciated and will help to continue the great work the Foundation carries out in the County. Find out more by visiting their website.

We look forward to welcoming you to The 1st Central County Ground once again! #GOSBTS

Sharks vs Kent: Match Report

The Sussex Sharks made it five wins out of seven in the Vitality Blast when they defeated Kent’s Spitfires by 31 runs at The 1st  Central County Ground, Hove. But for Kent this was a fourth defeat in as many games.

Kent’s challenge, to score 202, was always a daunting one, the more so after Zak Crawley was bowled by Ollie Robinson for four in the opening over – the England opener’s sixth consecutive failure to reach double figures. Robinson was also unlucky not to have Marcus O’Riordan lbw in the same over.

But when O’Riordan was out in the second over, edging Nathan McAndrew to first slip, everything appeared to depend on Daniel Bell-Drummond and skipper Sam Billings, because there was a lack of experience in Kent’s late middle-order.

Bell-Drummond and Billings looked the part as they added 93 for the third wicket.  And when James Coles went for 19 in one over, and also dropped Bell-Drummond, a steepling catch, it looked a possible turning point.  But Sussex captain Tymal Mills responded by bringing himself on at the other end and immediately bowled the Kent batter.

That moved Billings firmly centre stage.  But in the next over he sent a lofted drive to Robinson at wide long-off and the match looked over, despite a spirited knock from Joey Evison (34 off 23) and a quick 18 from former Sussex player Harry Finch. Danny Lamb completed an impressive all-round match with figures of 3-37.

Earlier Kent, who chose to field, made a good start when they conceded just three runs off the opening two overs. But the next four overs went for 19, 13, 16 and 17 as Sussex reached 68 without loss from the powerplay.

In those six overs Daniel Hughes faced just nine deliveries. But Harrison Ward, showing form and confidence after his 68 at Chelmsford on Friday, made up for at the other end.  He reached his fifty from just 24 balls, with some long hitting, both straight and to the short boundary on the left-hander’s leg side.  

Kent broke through in the seventh over when Hughes, who had swung Matt Parkinson for two sixes, was well caught by Bell-Drummond at long-leg as he attempted a third. Ward followed in the next over, caught by Finch on the deep midwicket boundary. He had made 61 off 28 deliveries, with six fours and five sixes.

The Kent fightback continued when Beyers Swanepoel bowled John Simpson for three in the ninth and in the next over Tom Alsop was lbw to Parkinson for just two, a very tight decision.  When Coles gave Parkinson his third wicket, also lbw, for 21, Sussex had lost five wickets for just 36 runs.

But some late hitting by Lamb, who managed 40 from 32 balls, saw Sussex past 200.  Kent, for the most part, bowled well in discouraging conditions.  But Swanepoel (1-53) and Grant Stewart (0-51) were disappointing.#

Report Provided by ECB Reporters' Network

Reaction from Danny Lamb after emphatic Sharks victory

Danni Wyatt, Freya Kemp and Linsey Smith Selected for England IT20 Series

Sussex trio Danni Wyatt, Freya Kemp and Linsey Smith have all been selected for the England squad which will compete against New Zealand in an IT20 series this July, a series that includes a match at The 1st Central County Ground on Tuesday 9th July.

Full ECB Release

England Women squad confirmed for Vitality IT20 series against New Zealand

England Women have confirmed a 16-player squad to take on New Zealand in the Vitality IT20 series next month.

Opener Sophia Dunkley is recalled to an otherwise unchanged group from those who sealed a T20 series victory against Pakistan in May.

Southern Vipers’ Freya Kemp will be available as an all-rounder during the series after being named as a batter against Pakistan.

The two sides begin the IT20 series in Southampton (6 July) before matches in Hove (9 July) and Canterbury (11 July), finishing with two London fixtures at the Kia Oval and Lord's on 13 and 17 July respectively.

This series follows three ODIs against the same opposition at Durham (26 June) Worcester (30 June) and Bristol (3 July).

Tickets for the ODI and T20 series’ are available here: https://www.ecb.co.uk/tickets/england

Head coach Jon Lewis said: “This five-match series against a strong New Zealand side is really important for us and also vital preparation as we build towards the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

“We are pleased to welcome Freya Kemp back as an all-rounder and we will hopefully see her bowl across this series as she returns from injury.

“Sophia Dunkley comes back into the squad after showing good form at regional level, she has earned the right to be in this squad.

“Mahika Gaur is not available to play due to a small side strain. We will look to have her in and around the squad preparing to return to play.”

England Women T20 squad to take on New Zealand
Heather Knight (C; Western Storm)
Lauren Bell (Southern Vipers)
Maia Bouchier (Southern Vipers)
Alice ⁠Capsey (South East Stars)
Charlie ⁠Dean (Southern Vipers)
Sophia Dunkley (South East Stars)
Sophie ⁠Ecclestone (Thunder)
Lauren Filer (Western Storm)
Danielle Gibson (Western Storm)
Sarah Glenn (The Blaze)
⁠Bess Heath (Northern Diamonds)
Amy ⁠Jones (Central Sparks)
Freya ⁠Kemp (Southern Vipers)
Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze)
Linsey Smith (Southern Vipers)
Danielle Wyatt (Southern Vipers)

ENDS

Less than 200 tickets left for England Women vs New Zealand Women at The 1st Central County Ground

England Women return to Hove to take on New Zealand in an IT20 under the lights on Tuesday 9th July and tickets are nearly SOLD OUT!

Less than 200 remain, so now is the time to snap yours up, before they're gone! Head to our ticketing website now to buy yours. 
 

Brad Currie: Exclusive Interview

It's been a whirlwind couple of seasons for Sussex's Brad Currie, topped off in recent weeks when he and fellow Sussex teammate Charlie Tear were called up to represent Scotland at this year's ICC T20 World Cup. We caught up with Brad on his return to Hove to find out what the experience was like and his hopes for the remainder of the Vitality Blast campaign with the Sharks. 

Brad, congratulations on your world cup campaign – how proud of a moment was it for you stepping onto that pitch for your country?

Firstly, thank you and yeah an immensely proud moment for myself and for my family especially my dad. I think a World Cup is ultimately a celebration of every nation’s great talent and so to be selected and given an opportunity to perform on a stage such as this is a privilege and a huge honour!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see you bowl against England and Jofra in the opener because of the rain, but you did pick up two wickets in the next game against Namibia – what was that feeling like?

Every wicket you take is always such an amazing feeling but yeah doing it at a WC had that little bit extra. Whealy got one in the first over and we were on the board and I just remember coming into the huddle thinking I want this feeling; the feeling of an early wicket as well, as its always very valuable to setting up the game for your team. 

The second one obviously came later on but still with a lot of joy, at that stage I kinda just wanted to get out my spell without hurting my figures as I knew I had been economical up till that point. Having managed to close out the over and eventually the innings I was very pleased with my own contribution and knew that if we won I would’ve played a part in keeping Namibia down to a low enough total.

Charlie Tear takes a catch for Scotland against Australia at the T20 World Cup

We all know you’re one of the best around for wicket celebrations – talk to us about those ones against Namibia…

Haha very good… yeah so as most people know, I’m a Bournemouth fan and Dom Solanke has his bow n arrow celebration, as well as his anime celebrations but I decided to just stick to the bow n arrow for now and it’s stuck pretty well so far. I just hope Solanke doesn’t move club because the only other Bournemouth player with a trademark celebration is Antoine Semenyo and he does like 3 backflips, so I don’t think the medical team will like me attempting that!

Looking back at the Sharks, it’s been a great start to the campaign, what have you made of the team’s performances so far?

I’ve had a very keen eye on the games whilst in the Caribbean, I think I managed to catch 5/6 games. As a team they’ve obviously played very well so far with everyone chipping in at different stages and so it’s really nice to be coming back knowing we’re well in the hunt for a QF spot. 

I’ve taken note of how Ollie has led the boys with the ball as when I’m back fit I hope to play a similar role in the team when, hopefully for him he’s picked for England. He’s led the team with great control and really putting a squeeze on the opposition in the powerplay. 

Dan Hughes has led with the bat extremely well as well, so long may his form continue. 

You must be itching to get back now and contribute to the team?

Absolutely, I was obviously gutted when Scotland were knocked out the World Cup but almost when we were on the plane home I was switched back into Sussex mode and very focused on trying to help us qualify for the QFs. 

It’s something I’ve obviously never achieved in my career so far so it’s definitely something I’m excited to help towards. Unfortunately I can’t say when I’ll be back at the moment but the medical team here are already doing such a good job for me, so hopefully I’ll be back as soon as possible and sharks fans can know when I’m back I’ll be trying my utmost to get us a top 4 spot, as will the whole team!

ElClassicoast is approaching in the coming weeks – how often do you look back at your performance in that game at The 1st Central County Ground last year and think “wow what a night”?

I’m glad you said ‘performance’ and not just ‘catch’! I think people forget about my bowling that day and maybe rightly so but obviously it was nice to take a few wickets early in the powerplay to swing the game in our favour. To answer your question though, I haven’t looked back at my bowling in that game that much but yeah maybe I’ve looked back at the catch a ‘few’ times.

I just love seeing the crowd’s reaction and listening to the shock and realisation that yes that actually happened! Might try replicate something like that in the next ElClassicoast, so I hope whoever has been fielding deep Square doesn’t mind swapping positions!

Finally, we said, 4 wins out of 6 so far, knowing Farbs he won’t be letting anyone get ahead of themselves – but how far do you think this team can go in the Blast?

I mean no team enters a competition without thinking they can win it so yeah why not go all the way. Look, obviously we’re well placed at the moment and probably need to get up to 8/9 wins to secure a QF spot so I see no reason why we can’t achieve that at the very least and then from there it’s 3 knockout games of T20 cricket where anything can happen and I think the World Cup with Scotland proved to me that it doesn’t matter about the bookies odds or what perceived chance you have of winning the game. 

The game is played between 11 guys on the pitch, so yeah I back us to go all the way and I know the fans will think the same!

Tickets for Sharks vs Kent selling FAST!

Tickets for tonight's clash at The 1st Central County Ground with Kent are selling quickly!

Grab yours today via our ticketing website, to avoid disappointment. Don't forget, if you're coming as a group of 6 or more, you'll save 10% on your booking! 

Sharks vs Kent: Match Preview

The Sharks are back in action tomorrow at The 1st Central County Ground, taking on Kent Spitfires in the last of the initial seven Blast group games. Paul Farbrace has named an unchanged squad from the Surrey game last week. 

Squad

Alsop, Carson, Carter, Coles, Crocombe, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Karvelas, Lamb, Lenham, McAndrew, Mills (c), Robinson, Simpson (wk), Ward

Our Opponents - Kent Spitfires

Previewed by Fred Atkins - ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Sam Billings

Overseas players: Xavier Bartlett (Australia), Wes Agar (Australia), Charlie Stobo (Australia), Beyers Swanepoel (South Africa)

Finals Day appearances: Four (2007, 2008, 2009, 2021)

Titles: Two (2007, 2021)

2023 finish: Fifth (South Group)

2023 leading run-scorer: Daniel Bell-Drummond (600)

2023 leading wicket-taker: Grant Stewart (24)

Key winter moves: Jordan Cox may have defected to Essex, but Matt Parkinson’s arrival from Lancashire provides the frontline spin option that George Linde conspicuously didn’t last year. The overseas players will be rotated, with Bartlett limited to eight appearances and Swanepoel expected to provide some lower-order pyrotechnics.

The big question: Will the rotation policy actually work? At the very least it has to be an improvement on the negligible contributions provided by Linde and an injured Kane Richardson last season. The Spitfires’ form improved significantly after Agar was drafted in from the red-ball squad. 

Wildcard watch: The obvious choice is Jack Leaning, but Grant Stewart and Joey Evison can also bat and bowl, as can Joe Denly. A real wildcard choice as a specialist spinner would be Parkinson. He has 139 Blast wickets at 18.96 and has significantly improved his batting over the winter.

Final thought: The Blast brings first-class sport to an area 50 miles from the nearest Premier League football and rugby grounds, and 55 from the nearest franchise. The Spitfire Ground is a sold-out bearpit on Blast nights and the Spitfires are a genuine title chance.

Tickets for Sharks vs Kent selling FAST!

Tickets for Thursday night's clash at The 1st Central County Ground with Kent are selling quickly!

Grab yours today via our ticketing website, to avoid disappointment. Don't forget, if you're coming as a group of 6 or more, you'll save 10% on your booking! 

Cant make the game?

As ever, you can catch all of the action, free of charge on our livestream via our Match Day Centre. The first ball is at 7pm.

Sussex Women Beat Kent and Fall to Defeat Against Surrey

Defending T20 champions Sussex Women returned to The 1st Central County Ground on Sunday for a double-header, taking on Kent and Surrey at the same very ground where they lifted the title in 2023. 

Sussex Women Beat Kent Women by 8 Wickets

In the first of three games to be played on the day (Kent also took on Surrey), the day started well, with Sussex skipper Chiara Green winning the toss and electing to field. 

Green did not hesitate in giving the ball to rising star Mary Taylor, who quickly obliged by clean-bowling Kent opener Emily Thompson for just 2 runs. 

Daisy Gibb then quickly followed with a wicket of her own before Mary's twin-sister Millie also got in on the act to leave Kent 56-3 from 10.1 overs. 

Kent found resistance with opener Darcey Carter who notched 45 runs from 39 balls, before eventually falling to skipper Chiara Green. 

Sussex continued to slow the run-rate, with Mary Taylor picking up two more wickets, to finish with fantastic figures of 3-6 from 3 overs. 

Kent eventually limped to 101-7 from their 20 overs. 

In response, Sussex rarely looked in trouble when chasing the total down. Izzy Collis built the opening platform for a successful run-chase, making 30 from 31 deliveries. 

And not content with just shining with the ball, Mary Taylor made run-a-ball half-century to see Sussex over the line in 15.4 overs. 

Surrey Women Beat Sussex Women by 5 Wickets

In the second game Sussex Women lost the toss and were put into bat, a decision that paid off for Surrey as they restricted the hosts to 120-4.

No Sussex batter went on to record a big score, with solid contributions from Ella McCaughan (25 from 22), Nancy Harman (26 from 23) and Mollie Adams (26 from 28) the pick of the bunch. 

Surrey Women took wickets at regular intervals to ensure they had a chasable target ahead of them when they came out to bat, but the Sussex attack ensured the game went into the final over.

Two wickets a piece from Daisy Gibb and Millie Taylor, as well as one from skipper Chiara Green, never allowed any of the Surrey top order to get going.

However, a bullish 39 runs from 32 balls from Surrey middle-order batter, Priyanaz Chatterji ensured victory for Surrey in the final over of the game.

Sussex Sit 4th in Group 3

Those results now mean Sussex sit fourth out of nine in Group 3 of the Women's County T20 competition, having played four games. 

To see all of the Sussex Women's results and tables, visit: https://sussexwomen.play-cricket.com/home 

Sussex Women T20 Preview

Reigning T20 champions Sussex Women return to play two games at The 1st Central County Ground today against Kent and Surrey, with entry free for all spectators. Head Coach Alexia Walker has named a 14-player squad for the matches. The day will feature three games in total, with Kent also playing Surrey.

Squad

Adams (wk), Buckle, Collis, Gentry, Gibb, Green (c), Harman, Harvey, Mary Taylor, McCaughan, Millie Taylor, Mullins, Suddahazai, Western

Schedule

Sussex vs Kent - 1030am

Surrey vs Kent - 130pm

Sussex vs Surrey - 430pm

Free Entry

Entry to all three games is free of charge for all spectators. You can claim your free tickets by visiting the Sussex ticketing website.

Cant' Make It?

If you can't make it to The 1st Central County Ground today, you can watch the action free of charge on our livestream via the Match Day Centre. 

Photo credit: Saud Ahmed

Sharks vs Surrey: Match Report

Ruthless Surrey replaced Sussex Sharks at the top of the Vitality Blast South Group after a54 runs win at The 1st Central County Ground.

Sussex came into the contest on the back of a three-match winning streak including a 36-runs victory at the Kia Oval last week. 

But they never recovered after losing three wickets in the first four overs and were bowled out for 130 in 18.1 overs chasing 185 by a highly effective Surrey attack. 

Australian Spencer Johnson removed Harrison Ward and James Coles in the opening over of a quality new-ball spell and when Sean Abbott accounted for Daniel Hughes, who came into the contest with 224 runs in his previous five Blast games, Sussex were 24 for 3 and up against it. 

John Simpson made 25, Jack Carson 24 and Fynn Hudson-Prentice 23 but this was a reality check for Sussex against a Surrey team who have four wins and a tie from their first six matches. 

In front of a 4,800 full house Surrey had been put in and their 184 for 8 was dominated by Lawrie Evans’ 41 and Jamie Smith’s 45. It always looked a competitive score on a pitch at The 1st Central County Ground which offered movement for the seamers throughout.  

Evans took charge against his old county after Ollie Robinson had Dan Lawrence caught at short third off the fourth ball of the innings, sharing 67 in 37 balls alongside Dom Sibley with 19 runs coming off successive overs by Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Nathan McAndrew in a power play that yielded 66.

Both fell in successive overs with Evans held at deep backward-square in Sussex skipper Tymal Mills’ first over as three wickets fell in nine balls in the middle of the innings. 

Only 22 runs were scored between the eighth and 11th overs but Smith picked up the tempo again after Ollie Pope, who made an unbeaten 99 in a losing cause when the teams met last Friday, was caught behind for a duck attempting to ramp Robinson.

Smith and Rory Burns, deputising for Jason Roy who had a calf injury, put on 69 off 37 balls for the fifth wicket with Smith muscling the ball over the rope four times in his 45 from 28 deliveries before he was caught trying to clear long on. Danny Lamb, who mixed up his pace and lengths effectively, finished with 3 for 36.

Ward had made 68 on Friday in Sussex’ win over Essex but here he spliced a pull off the second ball of the match before Johnson bowled Coles through the gate with a nip-backer. When Hughes got a thin edge to Abbott’s lifter Surrey’s celebrations reflected the importance of his wicket.  

Simpson and Tom Alsop put on 32 but Gus Atkinson picked up Simpson with his second ball and Lawrence removed Alsop with his first. When Tom Curran struck off successive deliveries in his second over Sussex's race was run, although Robinson and Jack Carson at least added 34 for the ninth wicket to restrict the damage to their net run rate.

Report provided by ECB Reporters' Network 

Reaction from Sharks skipper Tymal Mills

Sharks vs Surrey: Match Preview

Tonight the Sharks welcome Surrey to The 1st Central County Ground, after a quick turnaround from last night's victory over Essex. Paul Farbrace has named an unchanged squad for the match. 

Squad

Alsop, Carson, Carter, Coles, Crocombe, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Karvelas, Lamb, Lenham, McAndrew, Mills (c), Robinson, Simpson (wk), Ward

Last time out

The Sharks have already taken on Surrey in this year's competition, beating them by 36 runs at the Kia Oval on Friday 7th June. Dan Hughes' 65 and Tom Alsop's 68 helped the Sharks to a huge 213-7 from their 20 overs, before wickets from McAndrew, Lenham, Coles and Robinson ensured Surrey would not chase down the total. 

Can the Sharks repeat history tonight?

Managed to get a ticket?

Tonight's game against Surrey is officially SOLD OUT! If you managed to get a ticket, check out our Guide to the Game, for all the information you need to plan your evening.

Missed out?

You can catch all of the action, free of charge on our livestream via our Match Day Centre. The first ball is at 7pm.

Tickets for Sharks vs Kent selling FAST!

With tonight's game a sellout, we are seeing tickets selling even quicker for Thursday night's clash at The 1st Central County Ground with Kent.

Grab yours today via our ticketing website, to avoid disappointment. Don't forget, if you're coming as a group of 6 or more, you'll save 10% on your booking! 

Essex vs Sharks: Match Report

A masterful exhibition of stunning hitting from openers Harrison Ward and Daniel Hughes gave Sussex the platform to an eight-wicket victory with 26 balls to spare against an Essex team who had axed their Vitality Blast captain Simon Harmer.

The first-wicket pair put on 99 inside eight overs – including 32 from a Daniel Sams over – as 10 sixes rained down all around the Chelmsford ground. The Australian Hughes claimed four of them in his 18-ball 47, and Ward chipped in with three in his 68 from 36.

However, it was left to John Simpson to hit Luc Benkenstein for 10 off two balls in the 16th over to complete Sussex’s fourth success in five Blast matches this season.

In turn, Essex, put in, failed to post the sort of score that might have been expected after Dean Elgar (54) anchored two fifty-run stands with stand-in captain Adam Rossington and Michael Pepper. However, when Pepper was dismissed for a 26-ball 51, it precipitated a clatter of eight Essex wickets for 54 runs in 43 balls. They finished on a decidedly below-par 178-9.

Ward and Hughes went off like trains as they hammered eight fours in 11 balls from Shane Snater and Aaron Beard. It did not stop there. After Ben Allison arrested the onslaught with just five conceded off the fourth over, Sams was dumped for 644666 in an incredible over of power hitting from Hughes. At one stage the pair had hit 50 from nine balls.

Hughes had raced to 47 when he swept Matt Critchley into deep square-leg’s hands. By the halfway point, Sussex required just 50 runs more for a facile win, but they lost Ward, caught behind off Allison, the one bright spark with the ball on a dismal evening for the home team.

However, the pre-match news that Harmer – who would have been playing his 100th T20 game for Essex – had been omitted from the team, rested or dropped depending on who you asked, was almost as seismic as the on-field carnage if not totally surprising: he had not taken a wicket in Essex’s first five Blast games and contributed just 17 runs with the bat.

Rossington helped Elgar put on 50 for the first wicket inside six overs, though the captgain’s contribution was 16 from 11 balls before he got an inside edge as he attempted to swipe Ollie Robinson out of the ground.

Elgar had survived a drop at slip by Tom Alsop on nought, but while he outscored Rossington, he was comprehensively outgunned by Pepper for the second fifty stand of the innings. Pepper hammered 40 of those runs, including four sixes to different parts of the ground off the Sussex spin pair, Danny Lamb and James Coles.

Pepper reached his half-century from 24 but two balls later he lofted Nathan McAndrew to backward square leg to precipitate the collapse. McAndrew struck again when his next delivery had a bemused Jordan Cox bowled. 

Paul Walter became a third wicket in five balls as he advanced down the wicket against Jack Carson and was stumped. Elgar reached his fifty with a straight six, but again fell almost immediately, lobbing Coles tamely to mid-on.

The earlier onslaught became a distant memory as Matt Critchley swished at Coles and was bowled, Daniel Sams departed to a catch at deep square leg, giving McAndrew (3-33) another wicket, and Luc Benkenstein attempted a reverse sweep and lost his off-stump the ball after hitting Robinson for six over midwicket. Carson took a third catch in the match, dismissing Snater at deep mid-on.

Report provided by ECB Reporters' Network

Reaction from Harrison Ward after his match-winning 68 runs from 36 deliveries