The Sussex Cricket Foundation Welcomes Ron’s March to Hove

The Sussex Cricket Foundation and the Sussex Seniors proudly joined forces yesterday to support Ron’s March—a special initiative in aid of the Bob Willis Fund, which raises awareness and vital funds for prostate cancer.

Over 40 members of our Sussex Seniors teams, alongside Katie Willis—daughter of England cricket legend Bob Willis—embarked on a meaningful walk from Portslade Cricket Club to The 1st Central County Ground in Hove.

The march aimed to shine a light on the importance of early detection and support for those battling prostate cancer. It also served as a fundraising effort for the Bob Willis Fund, which continues to make significant contributions in the fight against the disease.

Katie Willis shared her thoughts after the event: “It’s been an incredible day at Sussex Cricket for Ron’s March, raising vital funds and awareness for prostate cancer in support of the Bob Willis Fund and Prostate Cancer UK. 

"This disease, which tragically took my dad’s life far too soon, affects so many families, and it’s so important that we continue to fight it. 

"We’re hugely grateful to Sussex Cricket for hosting us and for their generous support of our cause. Wonderful to see the cricket community coming together once again to make a difference. Thank you to all involved.”

After completing the walk, participants were invited to enjoy Day 2 of Sussex’s Rothesay County Championship match against Warwickshire. The group was also surprised with a special visit from Sussex Director of Cricket Paul Farbrace and Club Captain John Simpson, who thanked them for their efforts and support.

Gary Wallis-Tayler, Sussex Cricket’s Community Cricket Director, added: “We are delighted to have supported Ron’s March to continue raising awareness of the Bob Willis Fund and raising vital funds to support it. 

"Supporting our communities is extremely important to us at Sussex Cricket, and we hope to have raised some awareness locally of the fund and how people can support their efforts in helping fight the disease.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the cause can do so via the official fundraising page: Support Ron’s March for Prostate Cancer

Daniel Hughes made a season’s best 151 before departing to the last ball of the second day as Sussex made a strong response to Warwickshire’s 415 in the Rothesay County Championship.

The 36-year-old Australian left-hander was lbw to off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli off the penultimate delivery of the second day as Sussex reached 278 for three.

Hughes had shared an opening partnership of 98 with Tom Haines and then added 142 with James Coles as the combination of a flat pitch, a Kookaburra ball doing little off the straight and the pitiless Hove heat made it a tough day for Warwickshire’s attack.

Rocchiccioli toiled away manfully, bowling unchanged for two sessions apart from a solitary over, from the sea end to pick up all three Sussex wickets for 94 from 35 overs.

Both Hughes and Coles’ scoring options were limited after tea when Warwickshire skipper Alex Davies employed as many as eight leg-side fielders as he rotated his seamers while Rocchiccioli wheeled away at the other end. It looked like being a fruitless session for the Bears until Rocchiccioli, armed with the new ball, skidded a quicker delivery onto Hughes’ pads for a belated but deserved reward. Hughes' 151 came off 260 deliveries with 26 fours.

Hughes had only previously passed fifty three times this season, although 60 against Durham last week hinted at a return to form. Here, the majority of his boundaries came through his strong areas between extra cover and mid-off. It was an impressive physical effort too, given the scorching temperatures.

Warwickshire wicketkeeper Kai Smith was convinced Haines had edged a ball from Rocchiccioli in his fourth over but the umpire was unmoved and in his next over Haines lofted Rocchiccioli for six, necessitating a ball change. It did the trick as Rocchiccioli got enough grip to knock back Haines’ off stump and end an opening stand of 98 in 22 overs.

Rocchiccioli had a second wicket in the 32nd over when the out of form Tom Clark, who’d faced 28 balls for his five, was held low down at slip pushing forward by Tom Latham. Clark made 140 when the teams met at Edgbaston in April but his last 11 Championship innings have yielded a meagre 79 runs.

Sussex scored 140 in the afternoon session with Hughes reaching his tenth first-class hundred by taking two boundaries in three balls off Ethan Bamber.

The runs dried up after tea, though, as Warwickshire went on the defensive and Rocchiccioli plugged away trying to force a mistake. Even Coles, who likes to get on with it, was becalmed for long spells as 78 runs were scored in the final session. Coles was still there at the close, though, having passed fifty for the fifth time this season just before stumps.

Earlier, Warwickshire’s last three wickets added a further 43 runs in just under an hour.

Ollie Robinson struck in the second over of the day when he found Smith’s inside edge and Gurinder Sandhu also claimed his third wicket of the innings when he had Chris Rushworth caught behind. Jack Carson trapped Bamber in front with a ball which kept a shade low to end the innings.

Sam Hain and Ed Barnard, with a fifth wicket stand of 151 in 32 overs, gave Warwickshire the advantage on the opening day of their championship match against Sussex at Hove, before the home side fought back to achieve parity at the close.

Hain played a particularly exhilarating innings, using his feet and wrists to play a medley of inventive strokes to unsettle the Sussex bowlers.  He reached his half century for the fifth time in as many championship innings and went on to make 87 from 118 deliveries, with three sixes and seven fours.  Barnard, impressive in a support role, made 66.

It would have been worse for Sussex but for Henry Crocombe, their fastest and best bowler yesterday in only his second game of the season.  Crocombe missed the start of the summer with injury but took six wickets in the win over Hampshire in May.   Here, he took three wickets for 73, bending his back and achieving some pace. 

Sussex and Warwickshire started the match without the respective services of Jofra  Archer and  Jacob Bethell, but with the shared hope that both players might be available for the last two days of the game if not selected by England for the second Test against India at Edgbaston; Crocombe replaced Archer from the side that drew with Durham last week, while Zen Malik came in for Bethell in the side that had a similar stalemate with Somerset. Chris Rushworth also came in for Che Simmons.

The warm weather and the Kookaburra ball helped persuade Warwickshire to bat first.  But the cloud cover and the grassy pitch still offered encouragement to the Sussex seamers.

The first session went Warwickshire’s way, their batsman exploiting the short boundary on the pavilion side of the ground as  Sussex struggled for penetration.

Yates, who has suffered indifferent form since his century in the opening match of the season, looked in particularly good form as he shared an opening stand of 79 with his captain Alex Davies.  Davies gifted Sussex their first wicket in the 18th over, looking in two minds as he uppercut a short delivery from Crocombe to Fynn Hudson-Prentice on the deep point boundary.  But Warwickshire lunched on a comfortable 113 for one.

The second session, when the sun came out and the ball turned soft, promised further riches for the batting side.  But Sussex, protecting their seven bowlers from the heat with short spells, and backing them up with spirited fielding, fought their way back onto level terms.

Warwickshire lost their second wicket on 174 when Tom Latham edged one down the legside from Crocombe, ending a second wicket stand of 95.  And one run later, in Crocombe’s next over, Hudson-Prentice produced an excellent reflex catch, hands above his head at backward square-leg, to dismiss Yates, who had struck 15 fours in his impressive 93 from 142 deliveries.  Six overs later the challenging Gurinder Sandhu moved one away from Malik, for John Simpson to take the regulation catch behind the stumps, and Sussex were on top, with Warwickshire 189 for four, though they recovered to 242 for four at tea.

Sussex took the new ball at 308 for four and took three further wickets. Crocombe (who will make way if Archer joins the game) almost had Hain caught at mid-on by Ollie Robinson, who finally had the batsman well caught at leg gully by Tom Haines. Then Barnard and Corey Rocchiccioli fell near the end.

Sussex World Blog: Bertie Foreman

In the next edition of our player blogs written for Sussex World, Bertie Foreman talks about his memories of growing up with dreams of following in the footsteps of his cricket heroes, and what it will mean to the young players to be playing for their country in the England U19 v India U19 ODI series.

Read the full blog on the Sussex World website.

Sussex vs Warwickshire: Match Preview

Red-ball action returns to The 1st Central County Ground tomorrow with Warwickshire making the trip to the South Coast, and with only five points separating the two sides, it's set to be another four days of intriguing Division One cricket.

Team News

Paul Farbrace has named a 13-player squad for the match, and with Jofra Archer re-called by England, a space is up for grabs in the first XI bowling attack. 

Carson, Carter, Clark, Coles, Crocombe, Haines, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Ibrahim, Karvelas, Robinson, Sandhu, Simpson* (wk)

Free Entry to Day One

Tomorrow we celebrate County Cricket Day and we've made entry to the first day, completely free of charge to all spectators. Join us for a day of the finest County Cricket in the Sussex sunshine. We advise that you claim a free ticket online, in advance, to help speed up entry in the morning.

Opening Times and Running Order

Gates open from 930am, with the toss taking place at 1030am and the first ball at 11am. 

Sixes Social Cricket

Ever fancied taking on the Sussex Sharks bowling attack? Well that is absolutely possible thanks to our brand new Sixes Social Cricket nets at The 1st Central County Ground.

Step into the interactive nets and take on the likes of Tymal Mills and Chiara Green and put your skills to the test. Plus, they serve a range of fantastic food & drinks in the bar. See you at Sixes! 

Matchday Dining

A small number of spaces are left in the Dining Room tomorrow for our Matchday Carvery. It costs just £21.50pp and includes a carvery of your choice, plus dessert. To book your space, please pop into the Ticket Office in the morning. The carvery is served from 1pm in the Spen Cama Pavilion. 

England add Jofra Archer to squad for second Test against India

The England Men’s selection panel has added Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer to the squad for the Rothesay second Test match against India at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday 2 July 2025.

England Men's Test Squad:

Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Sam Cook (Essex)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Jamie Overton (Surrey)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

The 30-year-old right-arm quick returns to the England Test set-up for the first time since February 2021 and will be looking to add to his 13 Test caps at Edgbaston next week. 

Congratulations, Jof!

Sussex Cricket is delighted to announce that both Brad Currie and Troy Henry have signed one-year contract extensions with the Club. 

Brad Currie has put pen-to-paper on a new T20-only contract, while Troy Henry has agreed to an extension to his Rookie contract. 

Brad Currie

Brad Currie initially joined Sussex on a short-term deal in 2022, making an immediate impact on debut, taking 6-93 in the County Championship against Middlesex at Lord’s.

He then went on to become a key member of the Sharks’ white-ball attack, taking 12 wickets in 8 appearances as he helped the side reach the semi-finals of the Royal London Cup.

Brad continued to shine in the T20 Blast for the Sharks with his tricky left-arm swing bowling, taking 16 wickets and earning call-ups to his national team, Scotland. 

In May of 2025, Brad picked up his 50th ODI wicket for Scotland in just 27 appearances.

Brad spoke of his joy at signing another extension with Sussex: “I’m very pleased to be signing for another year at Sussex.

“I’m loving playing my cricket here and I hope I can continue to do so for many years whilst bringing success to the club, starting off by qualifying for the quarter-finals this year!”

Troy Henry

Troy initially impressed the Sussex coaching staff after attending an open trial at The 1st Central County Ground in January of this year. 

The left-arm spinner and bat is the former captain of the ACE team, a charity that engages young people of African and Caribbean Heritage, helping to provide them with opportunities to become professionals in the game.

Troy made history when he became the first player to be offered a professional Rookie contract by the ACE programme. 

Henry has been developing his game predominantly in Sussex 2nd XI, taking 14 wickets across all formats.

Speaking on the extension, he said: “I'm very happy to continue my journey here and the opportunities given to live my dream. Looking forward to the future at Sussex!”

Sussex Cricket Director or Cricket, Paul Farbrace, commented: “I’m delighted Brad has committed to extending his stay at Hove. He is a quality T20 performer and is a brilliant professional.

"Brad has developed a lot and with his role in the Scottish National team is gaining great experience."

"We are all thrilled with the way Troy has taken to professional cricket. The work the ACE program has done with Troy has made a huge difference.

"It is a great example of how the ACE program is providing opportunity for young people to develop as people and cricketers through their system.

"We are looking forward to helping Troy continue his learning and development."
 

Sussex Sharks Women head to Newport tomorrow to face Glamorgan in a key match in the Vitality Blast.

The Sharks are in second place in the Vitality Blast Women League Two South Group, holding a narrow one-point advantage over third-placed Glamorgan, who have a game in hand. With only the top two sides securing a place at Finals Day, Friday’s fixture could prove crucial.

The sides have already faced each other in the competition already, as the Sharks suffered a narrow defeat at Hove by a mere 5 runs. That was the third time they've faced each other this season, and every match has finished increasingly closer. 

The Opposition

Glamorgan were victorious against the group leaders in their most recent outing. They won by 30 runs against Middlesex at Colwyn Bay after posting a score of 171-4, largely thanks to Captain Lauren Parffit's 75* and Daisy Jeanes' 53. With the ball, Poppy Tulloch was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3-18 as Glamorgan secured an impressive victory to make it two wins and one defeat so far in the competition.

Squad

Alexia Walker has picked a 13-player squad for the trip to Glamorgan tomorrow:

Mollie Adams, Anna Buckle, Izzy Collis, Kali-Ann Docherty, Indigo Gentry, Chiara Green, Nancy Harman*, Rachel King, Anna Lewis, Eve O’Neill, Talitha Stanley, Jazz Westley, Phoebe Wilkinson.

How to Watch

As always, you can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Day 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.

The action gets underway tomorrow at 2.30pm. 

A watchful century from Danial Ibrahim and a gritty 85 from John Simpson guided Sussex to a draw on the final day of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Durham. 

The pair were watchful as they looked to protect their position in the match, with a probing opening spell from Matthew Potts the most trouble the visiting batters faced on a sedate final morning. 

Simpson and Ibrahim got the Sussex lead past 200 and resumed after lunch. Sam Conners removed Simpson 15 runs short of another century, but Ibrahim remained calm to reach three figures for the second time in his First Class career.

Sussex finished on 322 for six with the teams shaking hands at 4.50 pm.

The draw means that both sides have consolidated their position in a congested mid-table region following this game, with Sussex hosting Warwickshire in the next round that starts on Sunday, while Durham travel to The Oval to face second-placed Surrey.

Resuming on 111 for four with a lead of 145, Sussex pair Simpson and Ibrahim were watchful in the face of some probing bowling from Potts and Ben Raine. 

Sussex continued their plan, taking time out of the game, with the pair rarely letting their rearguard action slip in the first hour. 

Potts had a couple of LBW shouts against Ibrahim turned down as the Durham quick searched for a breakthrough. 

Simpson broke the shackles as he got the first boundary of the day 50 minutes into proceedings, flicking a Raine delivery off his legs for four. 

The first hour was successfully negated and Alex Lees brought Bas de Leede into the attack, which brought around some aggression from Ibrahim, who picked up back-to-back boundaries, his first of the day. 

Ibrahim then brought up his first half-century of the season from an attritional 161 deliveries, while skipper Simpson pulled a Conners ball for four to reach his fifty from 106 balls.

The lunch break came and things continued in the same vein, with the Durham bowlers toiling while Sussex were happy to edge further towards the draw. 

Ibrahim did punish any freebies offered by the Durham bowling attack as he pulled a Will Rhodes short ball for four, but he survived an LBW shout from Raine when Durham took the second new ball. 

He then responded by playing a delightful cover drive off the bowling of Raine, but the Durham man was testing the 20-year-old. 

The Sussex lead was edging towards an insurmountable target for Durham with the clock ticking and overs running out. 

Simpson was also having a testing time against Potts, with the England man sending a couple past the Sussex captain’s outside edge, but he responded by playing a crunching cover drive off Raine for four.

Potts came so close to a breakthrough, but Ollie Robinson dropped Simpson on 77 as the Sussex skipper gloved one down the legside, but Conners got him soon after for 85 when he chipped one up in the air and Lees produced an excellent catch at mid-off. 

Ibrahim then reached his first century of the season from 264 deliveries with a single on the legside. 

The 20-year-old guided his side to tea alongside Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who tried to be aggressive after the break but Drissell bowled him for 26 as he missed one completely. 

That brought Jack Carson to the crease who was there with Ibrahim when the two sides settled for a draw.

Debutant Gurinder Sandhu starred for Sussex on day three of their Rothesay County Championship clash with Durham, but the match is edging towards a draw after a mix of rain and bad light caused play to end early at Banks Homes Riverside. 

Durham had a tough morning with Australian Sandhu (5/83) taking the role of chief tormentor, picking up a five-wicket haul on debut as Durham lost their final four wickets for 26 runs to leave them on 327, a first innings deficit of 34. 

Durham bounced back through Matthew Potts after lunch to put Sussex under pressure at 27 for three, but James Coles was once again a thorn in the home team’s side as he led a Sussex recovery with another fifty. 

After several disruptions because of rain and bad light across the afternoon, play finished early with Sussex on 111 for four at close, 145 runs ahead.

Resuming on 249 for five, it was Graham Clark and Bas de Leede’s job to get Durham quick runs and whittle down the 112 deficit as soon as possible. 

Durham’s top run scorer Clark continued his fine form as he reached fifty from 89 balls, but Sussex bowlers Ollie Robinson and Sandhu restricted run making opportunities with a new ball, which was taken just prior to close on day two. 

Robinson got the breakthrough for Sussex removing Clark for 51 as the Durham man attempted to pull a short ball, but he got an edge through to John Simpson behind the stumps. 

George Drissell came to the crease as Jofra Archer began his first spell of the day, but he and de Leede managed to negate a four-over burst successfully. 

Durham broke the Sussex shackles as de Leede pulled back-to-back Sandhu balls to the boundary, but the Australian bounced back as Drissell pulled a short one straight to Fynn Hudson-Prentice who was running in from the boundary, which left Durham seven down. 

Things went from bad to worse for Durham as Sandhu got his fourth, removing Ben Raine for 10 as he chipped one straight to Tom Clark at cover. Then Potts didn’t last long as he edged a Robinson delivery behind to Simpson for two. 

Sussex then wrapped up the Durham first innings as Sandhu picked up the final wicket, with Sam Conners caught behind for seven. 

Sussex’s second innings got off to a bad start as Potts struck without a run on the board, with the England man getting Daniel Hughes for a two-ball duck as he chopped on to his off-stump. 

Durham got the Kookaburra ball talking as Ben Raine got Tom Clark for 10, with the Sussex number three edging behind to Ollie Robinson behind the stumps. Potts then got his second, bowling Tom Haines for 12 to leave Sussex in trouble. 

First innings centurion Coles and Danial Ibrahim soaked up some pressure as the task for Sussex changed from quick runs to survival. 

Two rain delays either side of seven deliveries from Conners and de Leede delayed Durham’s hunt for wickets, with an early tea taken. 

Coles, who batted so well on day one, flicked a Conners delivery off his legs for four and he followed that with a nice shot through third region off the bowling of de Leede. 

He then pulled a Conners delivery to the boundary, which continued his excellent match, but there was yet another interruption as the players went off for bad light, which preceded more rain. 

Coles resumed after a third delay with a crunching straight drive off Drissell, and he passed fifty for the second time in the match with it coming from 65 balls. 

The 21-year-old then lost his wicket as Raine bowled him for 53, but the players were off for bad light soon after and when the rain started again, play ended prematurely, with the game drifting towards a draw.