Hampshire vs Sharks: Match Report

Nathan McAndrew was electric with the bat and miserly with the ball as Sussex Sharks went second in the Vitality Blast South Group with a seven-run victory over Hampshire Hawks.

Australian all-rounder McAndrew hammered 32 off 11 balls to boost an underwhelming score, with the help of Tom Alsop’s 43 off 27.

James Vince bagged his fifth 50-plus score in his last six T20 innings against Sussex and Joe Weatherley picked up 68 not out.

But McAndrew returned one for 21 – spoiled only by a penultimate ball no ball – before Danny Lamb defended 25 off the last over to give the Sharks a first Utilita Bowl win since 2020 and pull out a six-point buffer on Hampshire.

The Sharks were stuck in and despite losing three wickets in the powerplay – all to a rampant Michael Neser – but found regular contributors to reach a sizeable total.

Neser – on his last Hawks appearance before Ottneil Baartman replaces him for the second half of the competition – had Harrison Ward skying straight up, Daniel Hughes bowled with a beauty which nipped back and John Simpson chipping to cover. The Australian returning three for 32.

Fynn Hudson-Prentice forced wicketkeeper Ben McDermott to scramble under a high one and James Coles – who had held firm for 39 – was brilliantly caught by a sprawling Benny Howell at long off.

At 73 for five at the halfway point, Sussex looked in danger but Hampshire old boy Tom Alsop and Danny Lamb settled things down with a 57-run stand.

Lamb scooped a six but was otherwise jerky in his 28, but Alsop crescendoed through his innings, going from a sensible run-a-ball to a rampant 43 off 27 before he chipped to his former captain Vince at mid-off.

If Alsop had been controlled for most his innings, McAndrew was unrestrained in his ball-striking from the moment his second ball disappeared into the square leg crowd.

Two more sixes sailed into the stands in his 32 off 11, and although he was dropped – a bizarre moment where Ollie Robinson was subsequently run out – his late innings blasting got Sussex to a defendable position.

With 185 to win, Hampshire didn’t attack the challenge with gusto as McDermott and Fletcha Middleton fell in a flaccid 38 for two powerplay.

A couple of 30s had been the high points of Vince’s Blast campaign but he grew through his innings and found the perfect rotating-the-strike partner in Joe Weatherley – the due adding 88 for the third wicket.

There were glimpses of peak Vince with a glorious cover drive as his 71st T20 fifty came up in 35 balls.

But he never managed to explode to the required rate and departed for 53 when he rolled the ball back onto his own stumps.

Weatherley converted to a half-century – having scored 48 and 49 earlier in the tournament – but his 68 off 47 was too ultimately slow for the rate.

Benny Howell swatted two early sixes but faded, and although Weatherley sweetly struck the first four balls of the final over for four, Hampshire ended up seven runs short.

Photo credit: Dave Vokes

Report Provided by ECB Reporters' Network

Reaction from Head Coach Paul Farbrace after another Blast victory

Sussex Cricket Foundation Breaks New Ground at School's Day 

On Wednesday over 3000 school children from across Sussex came to cheer on the Southern Vipers as they stormed to a 113-run victory over the South East Stars at The 1st Central County Ground.

Every year the Sussex Cricket Foundation invites thousands of school children across the County to a dedicated fixture at The 1st Central County Ground, free of charge, in a bid to inspire the next generation of boys and girls to take up the game of cricket.

For 2024, the Foundation invited the schools to Hove to witness the Southern Vipers take on the South East Stars in a thrilling Charlotte Edwards Cup encounter. 

In total 70 schools made the trip, and they were not disappointed as the Vipers fielded no less than 8 Sussex players, as well as numerous England internationals. 

Sussex Women and Vipers captain Georgia Adams hailed the atmosphere as one of the best she has been involved in: “Wednesday was honestly one of the best atmospheres we have ever witnessed in a regional T20 game.

“The sun was shining and to see so many children smiling, singing and embracing the day was fantastic.

“It definitely pumped the whole team up and will go down in history as he best game I have ever played at Hove!”

As well as getting to watch the game free of charge, children were invited onto the pitch after the game, before having the chance to meet their heroes to take pictures and collect autographs.

A teacher from Lancing Prep added: The organisation was incredible, the atmosphere electric and the cricket...well our arms ached from holding up the 6 and 4 cards you gave us! 

“All the Sussex Cricket staff were so helpful and accommodating and friendly.  We just loved it all. I can't thank you enough. Definite memories made for a very long time.”

Another leader from Our Lady of Sion Primary School said: "Thank you so much for an amazing day. It was so well organised with a great crowd and friendly staff.

"The children have been buzzing after this and we really appreciate you inviting us. What a team Sussex Cricket is!"

Sussex Women Head Coach and Director of Cricket at BACA (Brighton Aldridge Community Academy) added: "Today was simply awesome. The atmosphere, the organisation, the pitch, the weather, the cricket…it was like nothing I’ve seen before in 30 years of watching domestic women’s cricket. 

"I want to pass on my thanks as a school leader to the unbelievable effort of everyone involved to make this day such a resounding success. The students had an amazing day and many memories formed.

"As the Head Coach of Sussex Women, it also gave me great hope for the future. The belief shown by the Club in the women’s game and also in the potential fan base we have for years to come is exceptional."

The Sussex Cricket Foundation would also like to thank Major Partner, 1st Central for the support the fantastic volunteers they provided to ensure they day ran smoothly. 

To find out more about Women and Girls cricket across Sussex, please visit: https://sussexcricket.co.uk/sussex-cricket-foundation/women-and-girls

Hampshire vs Sharks: Match Preview

The Sharks are on the road again, this time travelling to The Utilita Bowl to face Hampshire. Can the Sharks follow-up last night's impressive victory over Kent at The 1st Central County Ground? Head Coach Paul Farbrace has named an unchanged squad for the trip.

Squad

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

How to Watch

Tonight's match gets underway at 7:15pm and will be shown live on Sky Sports Cricket. Unfortunately, this means it will not be availalble as a livestream on our website, however you can still visit the Match Centre to keep up with the live scorecard and statistics.

Fancy the Trip to Hampshire?

Tickets are still available for Sharks fans to purchase via the Hampshire ticketing website. If you want to show you support for the Sharks in Hampshire, click here to buy yours. 

Four Home Blast Games Remain

Only four T20 Blast group games are left this season and with the Sharks in red-hot form, now is the time to grab a ticket to support the team as they push for the quarter-finals.

Find tickets to the last four home games on our ticketing website. Plus, 10% discount on all bookings of 6 or more tickets! #SharkAttack

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