Gloucestershire vs Sussex Sharks: Match Report

Ajeet Singh Dale summoned career-best performance with the ball to help Gloucestershire to a eight-wicket win over Sussex Sharks in the Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at Bristol's Seat Unique Stadium.

Bowling with real venom, the 24-year-old paceman claimed 4-15 in nine overs to help restrict Sussex to 132-9 in a match reduced by rain to 41 overs-a-side. Fellow seamer Zaman Akhter proved almost as deadly, returning figures of 3-25, his best in List-A cricket, while Danial Ibrahim top-scored with 30 for the visitors.

Required to chase 132 to win on the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern Method, Gloucestershire overhauled their target with 21 overs to spare, courtesy of an authoritative innings of 49 not out from Cameron Bancroft and a whirlwind knock of 46 in 28 balls from Miles Hammond.

Victory means Gloucestershire can still qualify for the knockout stages from Group B, providing they win their remaining games against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Friday and Leicestershire at Bristol on August 14. Sussex remain bottom of the table after suffering a sixth straight defeat in the 50-over competition.

Gloucestershire skipper Jack Taylor won the toss and did not hesitate to insert an inexperienced Sussex batting line-up on a green-tinged pitch beneath cloud cover. It quickly became evident that his decision was the right one as Singh Dale built up an impressive head of steam from the Ashley Down Road end, undermining the top order with a devastating new-ball spell of 3-11 in seven overs with three maidens.

Henry Rogers pushed at a ball that pitched outside off stump and nicked to Bancroft at second slip, while the in-form Tom Clark sent a thickish edge looping to Hammond at backward point. Charlie Tear may have survived when Matt Taylor put down a sharp chance off his own bowling, but there was no escape when Singh Dale squared him up and Bancroft again demonstrated safe hands in the cordon to reduce Sharks to 19-3 in the eleventh.

Bowling with genuine pace and accuracy, Singh Dale produced his most incisive List-A contribution since his career-best 4-58 in a winning cause against Northants at Cheltenham 12 months ago. And things scarcely became any easier for the visitors when he made way for Akhter, the 25-year-old seamer bowling with great accuracy in a six-over burst that yielded 2-22. 

Frustrated at being tied down, Oli Carter was bowled for 10 in the act of driving, while Zach Lion-Cachet played back to a straight one that hit middle and off and departed for a gritty 57-ball 27 as Sussex lurched to 65-5. Gloucestershire made further in-roads before the rain arrived, slow left armer Graeme van Buuren persuading Bertie Foreman to cut uppishly to backward point with the score on 94. 

Resuming their innings on 101-6 with nine overs fewer, Sussex lost another wicket almost immediately, Ibrahim miss-timing a pull shot and offering a return catch to Akhter after battling his way to 30 from 57 deliveries. Singh Dale then had Aristides Karvelas caught at mid-on to improve upon his previous best return and consign the visitors to 106-8 and almost certain under-achievement. Archie Lenham scrambled a valuable 24 before being run out by substitute fielder Joe Phillips in the final over as ball continued to dominate bat in an innings that yielded a modest 11 fours.

Hammond and Bancroft were able to raise boundaries far more readily in a progressive stand of 73 in nine overs that set the tone for the chase. Karvelas conceded 31 in three overs before making way for Sean Hunt.

Demonstrating aggressive intent, Hammond smashed Jack Campbell for three sixes in as many balls on his way to a quick-fire 46, only to blot his copybook by hoisting a delivery from Hunt high to mid-off in pursuit of a sixth four. 

There was no appreciable let-up in the scoring rate, Bancroft taking advantage of a free hit to raise an imposing six over mid-wicket at the expense of Ibrahim as the home side kept their foot to the floor. Hunt had Ollie Price held at backward point, but Bancroft proved unmovable in an innings that spanned 53 balls and included 5 fours and a six as Gloucestershire moved level on points with Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire and improved their net run rate into the bargain.

Report provided by the ECB Reporters' Network

Reaction from Paul Farbrace

Sussex’s Daniel Hughes has been voted the PCA Men's Player of the Month for July. 

Hughes was shortlisted through the PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings, for his performances over the month. The winners were decided by a 50:50 split between the PCA MVP Rankings and the supporters poll. 

Hughes secured over 40% of the public vote, taking him from fourth on the MVP standings to securing the Player of the Month trophy. 

For Sussex in the Vitality Blast, Hughes won two match MVP awards, firstly against Glamorgan for a blistering knock of 74 off 38 balls, securing 39 MVP points. 

The 35-year-old’s second Match MVP of the month came against Middlesex at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove helping his side to a nine-wicket win thanks to an astounding unbeaten 96 from 54 balls, which included 12 fours and three sixes, amassing a further 40 MVP points. 

Hughes was drafted into The Hundred as a replacement player and scored 45 off just 30 balls in his solitary game for Southern Brave, helping them to victory over London Spirit by seven wickets. 

Hughes will also receive a bespoke Mappin & Webb trophy when he returns to the country for the next round of Sussex’s Vitality County Championship campaign and described what it was like to win the accolade. 

“I think the team being in a really good place and playing with confidence definitely helps, plus being in the top order and being able to bat in the power play makes my job a little easier.

“It’s always nice to get runs when you’re chasing and to contribute to a win. It was also to get us to a home quarter final and my parents’ (who were visiting from Australia) last game so the unbeaten 96 was extra special. 

“It’s always nice to be recognised by the fans and to have a fan base but for the English fans to be voting for me makes it even nicer.”

Find out more about the MVP Rankings and view the domestic men's and women's tables.

Gloucestershire vs Sussex Sharks: Match Preview

Sussex Sharks make the trip to Bristol to take on Gloucestershire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup, starting at 11am. Paul Farbrace has named a 13-player squad for the game. 

Squad

Campbell, Carson, Carter, Clark (C), Crocombe, Foreman, Hunt, Ibrahim, Karvelas, Lenham, Lion-Cachet, Rogers, Tear.

Team News

Tom Haines, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and John Simpson are all rested for the trip to Bristol. Tom Alsop has returned to Trent Rockets in the Hundred.

How to Watch

As ever, you can watch every single ball, free of charge on our livestream via the Match Day Centre. The first ball tomorrow is at 11am.

Bid to Win A Pride Match Shirt

Now is your chance to own a unique Pride Match shirt from the 2024 fixture between the Sussex Sharks and Leicestershire Foxes. 

The limited edition match shirt can now be yours, with all funds raised in the auction going to support the Sussex Cricket Foundation.

The money raised will go towards the Foundation's Champions Fund, an initiative which helps to break down financial barriers and help players of all abilities and genders to access the game of cricket.

Bidding is open now and will close at 9pm on Sunday 11th August. Good luck! Visit https://pride.fem-bid.com/ to place you bid now. 

Sussex Sharks vs Leicestershire Foxes: Match Report

Holders Leicestershire Foxes made it three wins out of four in this year’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup when they beat Sussex Sharks by ten runs at The 1st Central County Ground.  But in a monumental match, which yielded 716 runs, Sussex took the game right to the wire.

A magnificent 119 from 80 deliveries by Australia’s Peter Handscomb had led Leicestershire to a total of 363 for seven.  And that looked much too much for a Sussex side who had averaged just 200 in their previous four matches.

But Sussex, who had made six changes, made a tremendous match of it after appearing out of it at 196 for four in the 35th over. A stand of 131 in 12 overs between Tom Haines (129) and John Simpson (85) put their side back in the reckoning.  Simpson has now scored 477 runs against Leicestershire this season for once out.

Haines and Tom Clark had put on 120 for the first wicket before Clark was bowled by Ben Mike for a 74-ball 72 in the 20th over.  He had been dropped by Mike before he had scored.

The Sussex innings then stuttered as Charlie Tear, Tom Alsop  and Fynn Hudson-Prentice all fell cheaply as the asking rate climbed to more than ten an over. 

But, Haines, who straight-drove Liam Trevaskis for successive sixes on his way to his second List A century, and Simpson turned the game round, with Simpson scoring at a rate of166.66, with eight fours and three sixes.  

Even when Haines was fifth out at 318 Sussex were still in in it, needing 41 off three.  But when Simpson was out in the penultimate over, with twenty still needed, it was finally all over.

Leicestershire were surprisingly invited to bat first in run-friendly conditions (equally surprisingly the Foxes would also have opted to bowl) and their large total was built around an opening stand of 129 between Ian Holland (65), and Sol Budinger (84) and a fourth wicket partnership of 146 between their two best batsmen, Handscomb and Ajinkya Rahane (68).

All-rounder Holland, making his return to the side to open both batting and bowling, and Budinger, who had already shown good form in the competition this season, built the platform for their side’s innings by batting through the opening 20 overs, scoring 52 from the first 10-over powerplay and raising the hundred in the 17th over. 

This was the third time in four innings that Budinger had reached fifty and both he and his opening partner reached the landmark by striking Archie Lenham for six.  

But it was Lenham who broke through in the 21st over when Holland edged to short third man.  He had hit eight fours and two sixes in 67 balls.

Captain Lewis Hill fell cheaply, and then Budinger’s 77-ball stay ended after striking at 109, with six fours and five sixes.  But at 183 for three after 30 overs, and Handscomb and Rahane at the crease, the Foxes were sitting pretty.  

Both batsmen showed their experience as they exploited the short boundary on the east side of the ground but the Sussex bowlers, with the exceptions of the impressive Hudson-Prentice and Jack Carson, were guilty of bowling too short in the conditions. Clark’s solitary over went for 22 as Handscomb pulled his first five balls for 4, 4, 4, 4 and six.

The 300 came up in the 44th over as Rahane drove Lenham for six but the batsman was fourth out at 318 when he edged a slower delivery from Hudson-Prentice to the keeper.  But Handscombe carried on to strike 15 fours and two sixes.

Report Provided by ECB Reporters' Network

Reaction from Tom Haines after his highest ever List A score

Sussex Sharks vs Leicestershire Foxes: Match Preview

After two away trips Sussex Sharks return to The 1st Central County Ground to take on Leicestershire Foxes in the Metro Bank One Day Cup. Paul Farbrace has named a 17-player squad for the game, which starts at 11am.

Squad

Alsop, Campbell, Carson, Carter, Clark, Crocombe, Foreman, Haines, Hudson-Prentice, Hunt, Ibrahim, Karvelas, Lenham, Lion-Cachet, Rogers, Simpson, Tear

Our Opponents - Leicestershire 

Preview by Jon Culley – ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Lewis Hill

Overseas players: Ajinkya Rahane (India), Peter Handscomb (Australia)

2023 finish: Champions

2023 leading run scorer: Peter Handscomb (401)

2023 leading wicket taker: Chris Wright (18)

Key player: Former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane has joined up with the Foxes squad and is available for the entire competition. With three hundreds and 24 fifties in 90 ODIs on his record, he can make a big impact alongside experienced Aussie Peter Handscomb.

Keep an eye on: Sam Wood, a 6ft 4ins 19-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder, bowled with promise in his two appearances in the Vitality Blast and, with Josh Hull and Scott Currie signed up for The Hundred, will hope for more opportunities to impress in this competition.

Final thought: Defending their 2023 crown will not be easy, not least with rising stars Hull and Rishi Patel and the big-hitting Louis Kimber joining Rehan Ahmed among five players picked up by The Hundred, but a decent squad remains and with Rahane’s addition they have the potential to be contenders again.

Ticket Information

Tickets for tomorrow's game, which is also our inaugaral Pride Match, are still available to purchase online. Tickets start at just £5 for kids and £20 for adults. Click here to purchase yours. 

How to Watch

As ever, you can watch every single ball, free of charge on our livestream via the Match Day Centre. The first ball tomorrow is at 11am.

Glamorgan vs Sussex Sharks: Match Report 

Glamorgan kept their perfect record in this year’s Metro Bank One Cup in tact thanks to a remarkable one wicket win over Sussex Sharks at the Gnoll in Neath. 

Sussex had reached a total of 200 all out thanks to a brilliant eight wicket stand between Archie Lenham and Bertie Foreman and the two youngsters were also remarkable in tandem with the ball as Sussex came so close to claiming a thrilling win. 

Glamorgan’s chase had started brightly but a top order collapse brought Sussex back into this match. Eddie Byrom made the highest score of the match with his 51 and Billy Root made 48 batting with the tail. But it was the last wicket pair of Andy Gorvin and Jamie McIlroy who took them home. 

Glamorgan now sit at the top of Group B with four wins out of four and Sussex remain winless in this year’s tournament having lost by one wicket for the second time this season. 

As was the case with Wednesday’s match on this ground against Notts Outlaws, Glamorgan won the toss and chose to bowl. And once again the Glamorgan seamers were on top from the very start of the match. It took 23 balls for Sussex to score their first runs as Timm van der Gugten and McIlroy got appreciable movement with the new ball. 

Van der Gugten has been extremely miserly in this competition so far, with 11 of his 37 overs being maidens. It was him who made the first breakthrough when he had Tom Clark caught behind for 14. That wicket brought together Tom Haines and Henry Rogers who put on 59, the highest stand of the Sussex innings. 

Haines fell for 44 off the bowling of Douthwaite and that began a collapse that saw Sussex lose five wickets for 15 runs. It was Douthwaite and van der Gugten who were the chief destroyers as they claimed seven Sussex wickets between them. Douthwaite’s return of four for 44 was the second best in his List A career. 

When Daniel Ibrahim was caught at slip off a ball from Ben Kellaway that the ambidextrous spinner sent down with his left arm Sussex had stumbled to 130 for seven. 

The partnership of 51 between Lenham and Foreman brought some respectability to the total before another cluster of wickets saw Sussex bowled out for 200. 

The Glamorgan innings started brightly, and they made steady progress towards their target with the first 10 overs bringing 65 runs for no loss. Byrom, who made a career best 123 not out on this ground on Wednesday, raced past 50 from just 41 balls as he looked to attack an inexperienced Sussex attack. 

It looked as if Glamorgan would be heading towards a straightforward win and with drizzle in the air they were a long way ahead of the DLS score. 

As was the case in Sussex innings, a flurry of wickets changed things. Glamorgan lost five wickets for 42 runs with Ibrahim bowling Tom Bevan and Kiran Carlson from consecutive balls the moment when this contest became very interesting. 

Billy Root took on the responsibility of holding things together for Glamorgan in the face of some excellent spin bowling from Lenham and Foreman. The pair combined for 20 overs that went for 60 runs and claimed four wickets and they were the ones who kept the pressure on throughout this Glamorgan innings. 

When Root fell for 48 the match was on a knife edge and it took a nervy last wicket stand between McIlroy and Gorvin for Glamorgan to sneak over the line. 

Report Provided by ECB Reporters' Network

Reaction from Paul Farbrace

Glamorgan vs Sussex Sharks: Match Preview

Sussex Sharks have another quick turn around in this year's Metro Bank One Day Cup, this time travelling to Neath to take on Glamorgan. Paul Farbrace has named an unchanged squad from yesterday's match against Yorkshire Vikings.

Squad

Campbell, Carter, Clark (c), Crocombe, Foreman, Haines, Hunt, Ibrahim, Karvelas, Lenham, Lion-Cachet, Rogers, Tear.

Team News

John Simpson, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Jack Carson are all being rested for this match. 

Thank You Sussex Sharks Supporters

The Clubs, staff and players would all like to extend their thanks to the incredible away support you have given in this year's One Day Cup. Your support does not go unnoticed and is invaluable to the team! #GOSBTS

Our Opponents - Glamorgan

Preview by Peter Miller - ECB Reporters Network

Captain: Kiran Carlson

Overseas player: Colin Ingram (South Africa)

2023 finish: Fourth (Group B) 

2023 leading run scorer: Eddie Byrom (352)

2023 leading wicket taker: Ben Kellaway (13)

Key player: In the absence of Chris Cooke, and with no second overseas player signed up for this competition so far, there is a lot of pressure on Colin Ingram to perform for Glamorgan in 50 over cricket. His nine List A hundreds for Glamorgan puts him third on the all-time list for the county, him hitting double digits hundreds for this team would be a big boost. 

Keep an eye on: Ben Kellaway had a very good season for Glamorgan in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup last year to finish as top wicket taker. His opportunities with the ball have been limited to two overs in his six matches in the Vitality Blast, but expect him to take a more significant role in the 50-over format again.

Final thought: Going into the Vitality Blast the worry was that Glamorgan’s bowling would be the weak spot, but their attack has kept them in games at times this year. Where they have struggled is with consistency with the bat, the Metro Bank One-Day Cup is a chance for a white-ball batting reset as they look to claim the trophy they won in 2021. 

How to Watch

As ever, you can watch every single ball, free of charge on our livestream via the Match Day Centre. The first ball tomorrow is at 11am.

Sussex's Daniel Hughes Nominated for PCA Men's Player of the Month

The PCA have today announced that Sussex's Daniel Hughes has been nominated for the PCA's July Men's Player of the Month Award. 

Sussex fans can show their support for Daniel by visiting https://www.thepca.co.uk/ to cast your votes. Congratulations, Daniel! #GOSBTS

PCA Press Release

Heather Graham and Lewis Goldsworthy lead July’s MVP tables

• The Blaze & Trent Rockets’ Heather Graham picks up 79 MVP points in July
• Somerset & Leicestershire’s Lewis Goldsworthy secured 145 MVP points
• The PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings were developed in association with CricViz

The voting for July’s PCA Player of the Month is now open. 

The top four men’s and women’s domestic players have been announced using the PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings with the winners both set to receive trophies.  

Lewis Goldsworthy demonstrated his fantastic all-round skills for Leicestershire and Somerset with 145 MVP points in July, leading the way according to the stats. Somerset and Trent Rockets’ Tom Banton came just a single MVP point behind in second place. Glamorgan’s Kiran Carlson and Sussex and Southern Brave’s Daniel Hughes also finished a point off each other in third and fourth on the rankings. 

Australian all-rounder Heather Graham enjoyed a brilliant month, earning 79 MVP points in July and topped the monthly table. Compatriot Ellyse Perry sits second after impressing in The Hundred with Trent Rockets teammates Bryony Smith and Nat Sciver-Brunt completing an impressive top four nominees. 

The PCA’s Most Valuable Player Rankings picks out the game’s top performers across every single fixture. This then forms the rankings for each competition, as well as an overall table which is how the top four is selected. The MVP takes into account batting, bowling and fielding contributions as well as match defining contributions using a unique algorithm developed with CricViz.

The PCA Player of the Month is decided by a 50:50 split between the MVP and the public vote on thepca.co.uk – with the poll closing on 2 August at 10pm. With a short window to have your say, vote now to pick your winner of the July awards. 

Women’s Player of the Month

To assist your decision on who to vote for in the women’s category, below is a quick glance at the performances of the four nominees for July as the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy continued and The Hundred got underway.

Heather Graham (The Blaze & Trent Rockets)

The Australian all-rounder produced an impressive month thanks to scoring 120 runs and taking nine wickets across the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and The Hundred.

Averaging 20.5 with the ball, the 27-year-old picked up figures of 3-13 against the Northern Superchargers and scored a blistering 78 off 59 balls against Southern Vipers. 

Ellyse Perry (Birmingham Phoenix) 

Another Australian finds herself in second place, thanks to scoring 131 runs in three Hundred matches, earning 78 MVP points. 

The 33-year-old all-rounder picked up two Match MVPs, earning 36 points for 65 off 48 balls against London Spirit and 39 points for a rapid 66 off 34 balls, which included four sixes against Trent Rockets. 

Bryony Smith (South East Stars & Trent Rockets) 

The 2023 Player of the Month for June scored 217 runs across both competitions, averaging 36.2 with the bat and took five wickets with a brilliant average of 15, collecting 66 MVP points. 

The 26-year-old all-rounder secured a Match MVP against Sunrisers, picking up 29 points for her innings off 84 and impressive figures of 2-31.

Nat Sciver-Brunt (Trent Rockets)

From just three Hundred games, Sciver-Brunt has scored 151 runs and taken two wickets to propel her into the top four players in June. 

The 31-year-old secured 63 MVP points and won a Match MVP award against Manchester Originals thanks to an unbeaten 56 off 46 balls, earning 26 points. 

Men’s Player of the Month 

July was dominated by white-ball cricket with the continuation of the Vitality Blast and the beginning of the Metro Bank One Day Cup and The Hundred. There were also three days of Vitality County Championship action at the beginning of the month that are taken into consideration for the July award. 

Lewis Goldsworthy (Somerset & Leicestershire Foxes) 

Representing both Somerset and Leicestershire during July, the left-arm spinning all-rounder produced a phenomenal month, securing 145 MVP points. 

The 23-year-old scored 336 runs at an average of 48 and took 12 wickets at 22.8, as well as winning a Match MVP award against Notts for his 39-ball 67 and figures of 1-19, earning him 35 points. 

Tom Banton (Somerset & Trent Rockets)

A brilliant run-scoring month for Banton saw him amass 486 runs at an average of 60.8, earning him 142 MVP points. 

The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter picked up two Match MVP awards, firstly against Gloucestershire scoring an unbeaten 77 off 46 balls and then against Hampshire earning 29 points for 79 not out off 52 balls. 

Kiran Carlson (Glamorgan) 

The Glamorgan captain portrayed fine form in July scoring 324 runs at an average of 32.4, securing 135 MVP points. 

The 26-year-old won a Match MVP award by scoring his first ever T20 century as he smashed an unbelievable 135 off just 64 balls against Somerset, earning him a massive 65 MVP points – the highest Match MVP score of the Vitality Blast this season. 

Daniel Hughes (Sussex & Southern Brave) 

The Australian batter scored 325 runs at 54.2 during July, amassing 134 MVP points during the month. 

The 35-year-old won two Match MVP awards, against Glamorgan he took home 39 MVP points for a rapid 74 off 38 balls, as well as an unbeaten 96 off 54 balls against Middlesex, securing a further 40 points. 

Find out more about the PCA MVP Rankings and view the men’s and women’s tables.