Bertie Foreman signs professional contract with Sussex

Sussex Cricket is delighted to announce that offspinning allrounder Bertie Foreman has signed his first professional contract with the Club.

The new deal will see his existing Rookie contract turn professional from May 1st until the end of 2025. 

19-year-old Bertie Foreman is the next in a long line of Sussex Academy players to have signed a professional contract with the men’s first team.

Last summer, Foreman was a part of the England U19s squad that toured Sri Lanka. Bertie featured in both Youth Test matches, taking 7 wickets, as well as making an unbeaten 58 in the first Test.

He also made his first team debut for Sussex in last year’s One Day Cup against Worcestershire, making 35 with the bat and taking 1-40. 

Bertie followed that performance up with an unbeaten 28 with the bat and 1-42 with the ball against Warwickshire at Hove in the same competition. 

A successful winter in Australia followed, with Foreman being awarded the prestigious O’Reilly Medial, the award for the player of the season in the New South Wales Premier League. 

Speaking on the new deal, Bertie said: “I am delighted to have signed my first professional contract with the Club.

"I was born and raised in Sussex and have been with the Club since I was 9 years old, so to have the opportunity to keep representing my home County is a big honour. 

"Hopefully I can contribute to many Sussex wins over the next few summers."

Sussex Head Coach, Paul Farbrace, added: “We are delighted that Bertie has accepted a professional contract and with it an extension to the end of the 2025 season. 

“He has shown how hard he has worked over the winter in Sydney, and we are grateful to the Manly club for their help this winter, they have helped and supported Bertie brilliantly.

“His all-round game has come on so much and with his excellent attitude to wanting to keep improving and learning, this is a great combination for any young cricketer.

“We are all enjoying his excellent progress and high level of skill.”

Sussex vs Gloucestershire: Day Four Match Report 

Sussex overcame stubborn Gloucestershire resistance to win by four wickets at The 1st Central County Ground and go top of the Vitality County Championship second division.

Chasing 144 to win in 49 overs, they still needed 29 when left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar picked up his fifth wicket but the nerveless Cheteshwar Pujara guided Sussex to victory with an unbeaten 44.

Miles Hammond (77) and Gohar (52) had given Gloucestershire hope with a seventh-wicket stand of 87, batting through the morning session to lodge their second half-centuries of the match. 

Hammond became one of two victims in three balls for off-spinner Jack Carson and Jayden Seales finished the innings with wickets from successive deliveries as Gloucestershire were dismissed for 205. 

Wary of the threat of rain, Sussex attacked the chase vigorously but the wily Gohar, who opened the bowling, stymied their progress by exploiting some turn to remove all three left-handers in Sussex’s top three.  

He had Tom Clark caught at short-leg off bat and pad in his second over and in his next the Pakistani had Tom Alsop lbw on the back foot. Tom Haines was beaten in the flight and stumped looking to hit Gohar over the top and in the last over before tea James Coles was well taken low down at second slip by Ben Charlesworth as he propped forward. 

Pujara and John Simpson steered their team into calmer waters by adding 42 before Gloucestershire caused more palpitations in the Hove crowd with wickets in successive overs. 

Simpson dragged a short ball in Dom Goodman’s first over to mid-wicket and Fynn Hudson-Prentice became Gohar’s fifth victim when he missed a sweep. With two fifties in the match and eight wickets Gohar didn’t deserve to be on the losing team. 

Pujara, though, showed his experience and Danny Lamb passed 1,000 first-class runs when he hit the winning boundary.

Gloucestershire went down fighting, but were left to regret their collapse during the final session on day three when they slumped to 79 for 6.

Hammond and Gohar looked fairly comfortable before lunch against both seam and spin. The ball did little off the straight and although Sussex captain Simpson wasn’t afraid to mix things up – he used seven bowlers during the session – there was no sign of a breakthrough as 74 runs were added by the eighth-wicket pair. 

Simpson is developing a happy knack of making inspired bowling changes though. He opted to give Jack Carson the new ball and his hunch paid off when the off-spinner broke through. 

Hammond had faced 204 balls for his 77 and looked assured, but over the wicket to the left-hander, Carson got one to straighten just enough to beat a defensive push. Goodman was then deceived by a quicker delivery and bagged a pair.

Zaman Akhter and Gohar added a useful 39 for the ninth wicket before Simpson made another profitable switch, bringing back Seales to wrap up the innings with his first two deliveries. 

Gohar, who’d resisted for nearly three hours for his 52, drove a slower ball to extra cover and last man Ajeet Singh Dale fenced to third slip. Seales finished with match figures of 6 for 90 after claiming 4 for 18 from 16.2 overs in the second innings.

Report provided by ECB Reporter's Network

Reaction from Paul Farbrace and Cheteshwar Pujara after Sussex beat Gloucestershire 

Sussex Women defeat Essex Women by 7 Wickets

Sussex Women kicked off their season with an impressive 7-wicket victory over Essex Women n the Women's County 50 Over competition yesterday.

An unbeaten 83 in 92 balls from Alice MacLeod ensured Sussex started 2024 with a comfortable win, chasing down a total of 170 in just 32.3 overs.

MacLeoad had great support from skipper Chiara Green, who herself made 68 from 101 deliveries, with the pair sharing a stand of 157 runs. 

After winning the toss and putting the hosts into bat, the Sussex bowling attack never allowed the Essex batters to get going, with the wickets shared across six Sussex bowlers.

Hope Mullins, Daisy Gibb and Millie Taylor all took two wickets, with Chiara Green, Beth Harvey and Izzy Collis also taking one a piece to bowl Essex out in 47.5 overs.

Essex did respond with two wickets in two balls, to leave Sussex on 6-2, but the third-wicket stand from MacLeoad and Green ensured a comfortable victory in the end. 

You can view the full scorecard from the game on the Play Cricket website. 

Sussex vs Gloucestershire: Day Three Match Report

Ollie Robinson took two wickets in three balls as Sussex put themselves in a strong position to claim their first win of the season in the Vitality County Championship.

Having bowled 27 wicketless overs in the match, Robinson was finally rewarded when he pinned Cameron Bancroft and James Bracey leg before as Gloucestershire slumped to 27 for 4 in their second innings. They reached stumps on 81 for 6, leading by just 19 at Hove. 

Ben Charlesworth pulled his third ball over mid-wicket for six, but Robinson quickly settled into an impressive rhythm at good pace down the slope and was rewarded in his sixth over. Bancroft played across a ball which cut back that would have hit leg stump and Bracey, offering minimum footwork, was plumb in front of a straight one. 

Robinson’s workload is being managed by the ECB and his 9-3-21-2 spell was his longest - and best - spell of the season so far. He bowled four more testing overs and had 2 for 32 from 13 overs at stumps - with power to add tomorrow. 

Jayden Seales had taken two wickets in his first two overs after Gloucestershire had gone in again trailing by 62 on first innings having dismissed Sussex for 479. 

Charlesworth drove loosely to backward point in the West Indian’s first over and in his next Ollie Price made a fatal misjudgement when he left a length ball which uprooted his off stump.

Skipper Graeme van Burren and Miles Hammond effected a brief recovery before off-spinner Jack Carson struck with his fifth ball when van Burren missed an attempted pull at one which kept a shade low. 

James Coles then got Sussex a sixth wicket in the penultimate over when Tom Price was leg before. 

Earlier, Cheteshwar Pujara, John Simpson and Danny Lamb had all passed 50 before Sussex were bowled out for 479 and it was surprising that none went on to make the first hundred of the match.

Pujara eased effortlessly from his overnight 75 to 86 and looked odds on to complete his hundred before gifting his wicket. He drove the ball to deep extra cover and hesitated going for a third run. Sub fielder Jack Taylor’s throw was accurate enough to enable Bracey to run him out.

When Fynn Hudson-Prentice was beaten in the flight by Zafar Gohar and smartly stumped Sussex still trailed by 103 runs but Simpson and Lamb tilted the balance in their favour with a measured stand of 143 in 34 overs, beating the previous eighth-wicket county record against Gloucestershire of 122 by George Brann and Walter Andrews which had stood since 1892. 

Lamb was the more aggressive, but Simpson, who made a maiden double-hundred against Leicestershire last week, reaching his fifty by lofting Gohar over long on and added eight fours before he misjudged a pull and Hammond ran in from the midwicket boundary to take a fine catch.

Lamb, who scored a century at Leicester, continued his good form with 83 off 116 balls including nine fours and a six. Looking to force the pace, he was bowled by Don Goodman attempting to ramp him over the wicketkeeper.

Report provided by ECB Reporter's Network

Reaction from Sussex captain, John Simpson at stumps on day three 

Half-Price Entry to Day Four

Entry to the fourth and final day of Sussex vs Gloucestershire in the Vitality County Championship tomorrow is half-price for all spectators. 

Tickets start at just £2.50 for juniors and £10 for adults. Please book your tickets online to save money and to protect yourself against reduction in play due to the weather. See our Refund Policy for full details.

And if you want to catch the remainder of today's play - entry is free of charge from 4pm.

Plus, it's an open ground tomorrow - so sit wherever you like!

Buy your tickets here. 

Sussex vs Gloucestershire: Day Two Match Report

Tom Alsop’s 84 and an unbeaten 75 from Cheteshwar Pujara formed the backbone of Sussex’s solid response to Gloucestershire’s 417 on an attritional day at The 1st Central County Ground.

Sussex reached stumps at Hove on 267 for 5 – trailing by 150 – after Gloucestershire enjoyed some late success when left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar took two wickets in two balls four overs before the close. 

A slow pitch has neutered the seamers with very little movement on offer and only slow turn for the spinners, while batters on both teams found it difficult to increase the scoring rate even when they got themselves established.

Alsop became the fifth player to pass fifty without going on to a century when he failed to keep down a short ball from 6ft 6in seamer Dom Goodman, who had earlier removed Tom Clark after the Sussex opener fought his way to 53 off 124 balls. 

Removing Pujara, who looked in ominously good touch, with the second new ball in the morning could be key to Gloucestershire’s hopes of a decent first-innings lead. 

The placid nature of the pitch had been highlighted by the ease with which Gloucestershire’s last two wickets added 109 in 22 overs at the start of the day, led by Gohar who made his 11th first-class half-century.

He added 56 with Zaman Akhter for the ninth wicket and their only alarm came when a mix-up over a single into the leg side left both stranded in mid-pitch but Pujara’s wild throw enabled them to make their ground. Akhter mixed careful defence with some aggressive off-side strokes as he plundered the short boundary for the majority of his seven fours. 

After Ollie Robinson had been unable to break through it was left-arm spinner James Coles who broke the stand with his fifth ball when a quicker, full-length delivery bowled Gohar for 60. 

Off-spinner Jack Carson took a smart return catch above his head to remove Ajeet Dale and claim his third wicket but not until Gloucestershire claimed a fourth batting point.

Dale then bowled a terrific opening spell down the slope and got his reward when Tom Haines, who had scored centuries in his first two games of the season, was squared up and well caught in the gully by Miles Hammond.

Dale had a feisty individual battle with Clark after lunch as the left-hander fought hard to find some form after scoring 12 in the season’s opener against Northants and then enduring a first-ball duck at Leicester last week.  

Clark still put away anything loose and appeared to have done the hard yards when he reached a 115-ball fifty, which also included a six off off-spinner Ollie Price. But when Goodman returned in the 37th over Clark poked at a ball he could have ignored, having added 108 with Alsop. 

Alsop was more fluent to reach fifty off 100 balls and bat finally began to get on top after tea as he and Pujara added 85 in 22 overs. It was a surprise, then, when Alsop misjudged a pull and Tom Price ran in from long leg to take a diving catch and give the persevering Goodman his second wicket. 

Dale returned to hit James Coles on the right hand and the helmet during another wholehearted burst but Coles added 52 with Pujara and had just hit left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar out of the ground when he was caught looking to clear the short square-leg boundary. Gohar pinned Carson on the back leg with his next ball but John Simpson survived the hat-trick.

Report provided by ECB Reporters Network

Reaction from Tom Alsop at stumps on day two

Sussex vs Gloucestershire: Day One Match Report

James Bracey continued his good start to the Vitality County Championship season with 69 before Sussex claimed two late wickets to ensure first-day honours ended even at The 1st Central County Ground.

The left-handed Bracey, who made 102 against Yorkshire earlier this week, was one of three batters to score fifties without going on before Sussex took two wickets with the second new ball as Gloucestershire reached 319 for 8 when play ended just after 7.15pm.

Ben Charlesworth and Miles Hammond had earlier shared a stand of 104 for the third wicket but both were dismissed in successive overs. 

Sussex will feel reasonably satisfied. The run rate never got above four an over despite a temptingly short scoreboard-side boundary and their attack kept plugging away on a sluggish pitch. Danny Lamb was the pick of the seamers and took two wickets during an excellent pre-lunch spell while off-spinner Jack Carson picked up two wickets after being introduced in the 46th over.

Ollie Robinson looked in good rhythm and would have been rewarded had Carson not dropped Bracey at third slip on 23 in the first over of Robinson’s third spell.

When Hammond and Charlesworth were adding 106 in 34 overs for the third wicket during the afternoon Gloucestershire were in control, but then Sussex hit back.

The pair had been pushed up the order because Chris Dent was ruled out with a back injury. Charlesworth, who made an unbeaten 52 from No.7 against Yorkshire last week, scored a fluent 62 while Hammond made the most of being dropped on 17 by Tom Clark at second slip off Jayden Seales to contribute 56, before Sussex skipper John Simpson made two bowling changes that brought instant reward. 

Off-spinner Carson found just enough to turn to square up Hammond (56) as he looked to defend into the leg side and when Seales was brought back he struck with his first ball, angling one across Charlesworth (62) which he nibbled through to keeper Simpson.  

Bracey and skipper Graeme van Buuren put on 47 in 14 overs and apart from the reprieve given to Bracey they looked unperturbed until Fynn Hudson-Prentice defeated van Buuren with a full, straight delivery. It was 264 for six when Tom Price was bowled through the gate by the impressive Carson, who performed impressively despite a strong, cold cross-wind.  

Bracey and Zafar Gohar added 43 in 12 overs for the seventh wicket and appeared to have taken the sting out of the new ball. But Bracey, who hit two sixes and eight fours, was leg before half-forward to Seales and Lamb returned to claim his third wicket when Dom Goodman edged to slip.  

Earlier, Charlesworth and Cameron Bancroft put on 49 for the first wicket with few alarms against Robinson and Seales but Lamb dragged it back for Sussex with two wickets during an eight over spell when he conceded only 19 runs and ran out of fingers counting up the times he beat the bat, as he settled on an immaculate length and found just enough movement to keep the batters honest.

Reward came when Bancroft was palpably lbw for 27 working the ball across his front pad and in his third over Lamb got enough away movement to encourage Ollie Price into a drive and Tom Clark took a well-judged low catch at third slip. 

Hammond took advantage of the short boundary and spoiled Lamb’s figures by muscling him over the extra cover boundary and in the next over Charlesworth clipped Fynn Hudson-Prentice over the square leg rope before Sussex hit back.

Report provided by ECB Reporter's Network

Reaction from Jack Carson at stumps on day one 

Sussex return to The 1st Central County Ground tomorrow to take on Gloucestershire in the Vitality County Championship, with Paul Farbrace naming a 15-player squad for the game. 

Squad

Alsop, Carson, Carter, Clark, Coles, Crocombe, Haines, Hudson-Prentice, Hunt, Karvelas, Lamb, Pujara, Robinson, Seales, Simpson* (c)

Team news

Ollie Robinson returns to the squad after missing last week's trip to Leicestershire. 

How to Buy Tickets

Tickets for the first three days of the match are available to purchase online via our ticketing website. We advise you purchase your tickets in advance, to not only save money, but also to protect yourself should the game be abandoned due to poor weather. Full terms and details are available in our Refund Policy. 

Livestream

Can't make it down to see the game in person? No worries, you can see every single ball of the match, free of charge via our Livestream at our Match Centre, starting from 11am. 

Secure your Sussex Membership

Sussex are set to push for promotion once again this season, with Paul Farbrace recruiting a host of experienced cricketers alongside his group of talented, homegrown squad and the only way to secure your seat at EVERY remaining home game this year in the County Championship and One Day Cup, is with a 2024 Membership.

As well as tickets to every home County Championship game, you'll also get your seat at every home Metro One Day Cup fixture.

Get yours today. 

Purchase your Membership here. 

Sussex Cricket and Raiys Relaunch 

Pioneering Wellbeing Hub

Sussex Cricket and Raiys are delighted to announce a two-year extension of their partnership and the relaunch of a bespoke Wellbeing Hub, the first of its kind in professional sport. 

In 2021, Sussex Cricket became the first professional club to have its own Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub, launched during the Covid 19 pandemic, to offer support to people across the country, with resources available free of charge. 

The new partnership will cover the 2024 and 2025 seasons. 

The extension of the partnership has seen the platform rebranded, with the newly designed streaming service becoming even more accessible to those who need it. 

Users will have access to a library of comprehensive wellbeing support resources, with the site having been designed with the help of the team behind the new ITVX website. 

Visitors will be able to select topics that are of interest to them from 17 channels, including a special Cricket in Sussex channel. The service also includes podcasts, advice from experts, roundtable discussions and special wellbeing offers and discounts.

And just like with major media streaming platforms, users can share content and create their own wellbeing playlists. 

Sussex, Southern Vipers and Southern Brave star, Mary Taylor, is an ambassador for the platform and has also been named as an ambassador for Sussex Cricket’s charitable arm, the Sussex Cricket Foundation.

In a recent interview, which is available on-demand on the Hub, Mary discussed the positive impact cricket has had on her own wellbeing. 

Speaking on the relaunch, Phil Worms, Raiys Regional Director said: “We’re delighted to continue our ground-breaking partnership with Sussex Cricket to provide a platform of hope and support. Wellbeing issues didn’t stop when the pandemic ended. With an expanded range of content covering over a hundred life challenges, we hope the new-look Wellbeing Hub encourages even more people from the community to use it to find the help they need.” 

Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Cricket Director for the Sussex Cricket Foundation added: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with the team at Raiys.

“This will see Sussex Cricket continuing to provide an important resource to support all our communities, across the county and beyond. 

“The free to use platform is available to anyone, including our affiliated club network, sponsors & members, and contains a comprehensive range of information designed to support those in need.”

How to Register for the Wellbeing Hub

Signing up for the Wellbeing Hub is super-easy! All you have to do is click this link, and enter access code: SUSSEXCF24, before entering a valid email address.

Sussex Quintet Selected for 

Disability Premier League Squads

Sussex quintet Alfie Pyle, Daniel Gee, Owen Piper, Liam O'Brien and Fred Bridges have all been selected in squads which will compete in this year's Disability Premier League. 

Full ECB Press Release

The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) trailblazing Disability Premier League is back and bigger than ever for its third edition this summer.

The competition’s final will be held at Sophia Gardens for the very first time, ahead of England Men’s second IT20 with Australia on September 13, 2024. Once again it will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

The Disability Premier League (DPL) is the first tournament of its kind, encompassing players across three different impairment groups, Physical Disability (PD), Learning Disability (LD) and Deaf, all potentially being in the same starting 11.

The Black Cats, Hawks, Pirates and The Tridents will all be fighting for a spot in the final across 12 matches from August 25 to September 8. The battle began on Tuesday with the DPL Draft, where the sides picked their squads for the summer.

Each team had the opportunity to retain six players from last year, leaving 10 spots available to fill heading into the Draft.

The talent pool is full to brim with stars like England PD captain Callum Flynn and Disability Player of the Year 2023 Alfie Pyles, both being picked up by the Hawks this summer.

Other favourites from across the disability game include Dan Hamm who recently retired from international cricket after an illustrious 14-year career in an England shirt. Hamm will be back on the field with the Black Cats.

Excitement comes with the ‘unknown element’ of fresh faces in the competition too who have risen through the ranks in the domestic game, several of whom have the ability to take the limelight.  

DPL Tournament Director, Richard Hill MBE, said: “The 2024 DPL promises to be the best yet with the introduction of 12 new players into the competition from our ever-growing domestic disability competitions. It really reflects the raising standards in those competitions as well.

“The complexities of creating equal squads in terms of tier rankings alongside impairment specific intelligence, places the DPL draft in a unique place in comparison to other player drafts that take place and we are very proud of that.

“Sticking with the four-franchise team structure, with the final taking place as a double header with England men v Australia at Sophia Gardens in September, this year promises to bring the domestic disability cricket season to a climatic end.”

ENDS

Sussex Announce First Ever DIScoverABILITY Weekend 

The Sussex Cricket Foundation is delighted to announce that DIScoverABILITY Day will return once again to the The 1st Central County Ground on Friday 10th May 2024 and will precede back-to-back disability cricket fixtures on the hallowed turf at Hove. 

For the first time ever the spectacular disability sport event, one of the largest in the southeast, will be followed by two amazing fixtures of disability cricket. 

The first match will take place on Saturday 11th May and will see the Sussex Sharks VI (Visually Impaired) team take on Northamptonshire in a rescheduled cup final from 2023. 

Tickets for both games are completely free of charge, all you have to do is claim yours online now and be part of history, at The 1st Central County Ground.

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