Sharks vs Gloucestershire: Match Preview

The Sharks are back in Blast action tomorrow night at The 1st Central County Ground, starting the campaign with the visit of Gloucestershire. Paul Farbrace has named a 14-player squad for the game, which starts at 7pm.

Squad

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

Team News

Tom Clark picked up a shoulder injury in last night's warm-up game and will miss the first two T20 matches. Jayden Seales is rested, Nathan McAndrew and Dan Hughes come in as overseas players. 

Gate Information 

Both the main entrance (Eaton Road) and North gate will be open for spectators from 5:30pm. The action gets underway at 7pm. 

Coming to the Game?

Check out our new handy Guide to the Game, for all the important information you need to plan your night with us at the Blast.

Grab Your Blast Tickets Today

There is still time to get your tickets before Tymal Mills leads his Sharks team out on to the pitch at The 1st Central County Ground tomorrow.

Join us for a night of fantastic live music, great food and high-octane world-class T20 cricket. 

Beat the on-the-door price for Sharks vs Gloucestershire by buying your ticket online.

P.S Don't forget, groups of 6 or more get a 10% discount of all tickets. See you Friday!

Can't make the game?

You can still watch every single ball of the action, free of charge with our livestream on the match day centre.

Sharks vs National Counties XI: Match Report

The Sharks warmed up for Friday's T20 Blast opener with a comfortable win over a National Counties Challengers XI at The 1st Central County Ground.

It was the National Counties XI Challengers who won the toss and put the Sharks into bat, with the familiar Tom Clark partnered by overseas recruit Dan Hughes and the pair wasted no time building a platform for the innings.

Clark and Hughes shared a 103 stand before Clark retired on 49 not-out. Hughes, who has won two Big Bash tournaments in his native Australia, looked in fantastic nick for his first Sharks run-out. 

The Sydney Sixers big-hitter bludgeoned his way to 74 runs from just 42 deliveries, including six 4s and five 6s, a welcome sight for Sharks funs ahead of the T20 Vitality Blast campaign. 

After the first-wicket stand the Challengers managed to stem the row of runs somewhat, before useful knocks from both James Coles (26*) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice (12) took the Sharks to a total of 191-5.

It was a familiar face opening the batting for the visitors, with Sharks' Harrison Ward facing the first delivery the National Counties XI. Ward, a product of the Sussex and Oxfordshire partnership made 9 runs before his wicket was taken by Ollie Robinson. 

The Sharks seam attack of Mills, Robinson, McAndrew and Lamb looks one that could trouble many sides in this year's Blast, particularly with the spin support from Coles and Carson.

The Sharks bowlers ensured the Challengers were always behind the going rate, however skipper Dan Lincoln proved a tough nut to crack.

His impressive 70 from 47 balls ensured his side were still in with a chance until his night was ended by allrounder Danny Lamb, who has settled well on the South coast. 

James Coles proved his worth once again with ball in hand, taking 2 wickets in one over. There was also wickets for McAndrew, Tymal Mills and Fynn Hudson-Prentice to secure victory by 28 runs.

Sharks vs National Counties XI: Match Preview

Tonight the Sussex Sharks warm-up for the T20 Blast campaign with a warm-up match against a National Counties XI at The 1st Central County Ground, starting at 7pm. Head Coach Paul Farbrace has named a 14-player squad for the game.

Squad

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

Harrison Ward will feature for the National Counties XI. 

Spectator Information

Gate Information 

Both the main entrance (Eaton Road) and North gate will be open for spectators from 5:30pm. The action gets underway at 7pm. 

Free Entry

Entry to this game is absolutely free of charge, however you must claim your free ticket(s) online ahead of the game. All you have to do is visit our ticketing website to claim yours. 

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.

Food & Drink

Although a friendly fixture, the same ground regulations apply as they would for a normal T20 Blast fixture. Spectators are NOT permitted to bring alcohol into the ground for this game. 

Plenty of food and drink concessions will be available throughout the game.

Cashless Venue

We’d like to remind all spectators that The 1st Central County Ground is now a cashless venue. This means that only card or contactless payments will be accepted (including Apple Pay and Google Pay) throughout our venue. 

Livestream

Tonight's game will be livestreamed via our Match Day Centre, without commentary.

Grab Your Blast Tickets Today

There is just two days left until Tymal Mills leads his Sharks team out on to the pitch at The 1st Central County Ground now. 

Join us for a night of fantastic live music, great food and high-octane world-class T20 cricket. 

Beat the on-the-door price for Sharks vs Gloucestershire by buying your ticket online.

P.S Don't forget, groups of 6 or more get a 10% discount of all tickets. See you Friday!

Sussex Sign Seamer Jack Campbell

Sussex Cricket is delighted to announce the signing of left-arm seamer, Jack Campbell, on a short-term deal until the end of the 2024 season. 

Campbell, formerly of Hampshire and Durham, has been trialing with Sussex over the winter and recently impressed whilst featuring in 2nd XI fixtures for the Club.

The 24 year old has made 20 professional appearances across all three formats of the game, taking 25 wickets. 

On the signing, Sussex Head Coach, Paul Farbrace said: "Jack has been working with us throughout the winter months and I am delighted he has signed a contract with us until the end of the season."

Jack Campbell, added: "I am delighted to have signed a contract with Sussex and can't wait to see what the next few months bring and I am really looking forward to playing a part in helping to push for promotion and to win trophies."

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

Paul Farbrace: A Date for the Shackles to Come Off

With the T20 Vitality Blast starting this Friday, Sharks' Head Coach Paul Farbrace has given his thoughts ahead of what will be an exciting summer of sun, sea and sixes at The 1st Central County Ground. He talks about the shackles coming off for his players, the experience of newly appointed captain Tymal Mills and how his team will approach the competition. 

Friday 31st May is a date ringed in the diaries of players, coaches, members and supporters alike. 

It is the start of the T20 Blast, a date for the shackles to come off, and for the excitement and power of the game to truly be shown off.

We started our preparation at the start of October for this year’s Blast and spent a lot of time analyzing the stats and data from last season’s competition to truly understand what we needed to work on over the winter, and what areas we needed to address.

To win through to the knockout stage of the Blast, we need eight matches, and ideally nine to get a home quarter final tie. That is the priority, you plan to win the competition unless you get to knock out stage.

Last season we won six matches, but more importantly only won one at home, and that is the area we have focused hugely on. 

To win five games away from Hove shows we have the skill and talent to win games, but only winning one at home meant we gave away the home advantage to the other teams.

Without giving too much away, we have worked hard on scoring all around the ground and not just relying on power hitting down the ground. We have looked at how we can access more scoring areas, what are the dimensions of the ground, what types of pitches we play on, and which players needed to upskill in certain areas.

This whole process has involved all the players, the coaching staff, the analysts, and an awful lot of data. We also have a lot of experience of T20 cricket from all around the world, with all our coaching staff having great experience and knowledge.

Luke Dunning, our Head Analyst, has put so much hard work into looking at all the stats he has gathered and simplified it for us coaches to be able to use with the players. 

Luke not only analyses every ball we bowl, and every ball bowled in all our games, but he is constantly tracking trends and match situations across the world, and we are very lucky to have someone of his vast knowledge and experience to help shape our game plan for the coming summer.

The next bit is the selection of our own team, and I have taken full responsibility for last season, and said it took us a while to get the right team playing. Once we had the right balance to our team we made really good progress.

Australian Dan Hughes has won two T20 Big Bash tournaments for the Sydney Sixers 

Dan Hughes joins us for this season’s campaign, and he is used to winning and has played a lot of T20 cricket in the Big Bash for Sydney Sixers. Dan will bring so much knowledge and experience, but also a very calm head to the tense situations that Blast cricket throws up.

Nathan McAndrew is back for a second season, and other Australian who had a brilliant Australian summer, leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield and a match winner for Sydney Thunder.

Jayden Seales, who has starred with the ball in the County Championship for us this summer, is available for the first three Blast matches.

Tymal Mills is our new captain and has worked incredibly hard all winter to put together game plans, work out the strategy for the team, working closely with the coaching staff and Luke Dunning to be as well prepared as we possibly can be for the start of the competition.

Tymal has so much experience of the T20 game and has won competitions all over the world, including the recently completed Pakistan Super League with Islamabad United and he played a leading role in the final.

We are all excited by the Blast, full houses at Hove, sunny evenings, lots of music and fun. Thank you for your continued support, I hope you enjoy watching the Sharks playing fun and exciting cricket this summer. 

It is a great game for the whole family to be involved in, and even people who have never watched a game of cricket before, this is not just cricket, but a fantastic way to be together and be part of the Sussex Cricket family, and you are all most welcome to join the family and have some fun.

Thanks again for your amazing support, the players really do appreciate, and I hope they pay you back with exciting cricket.

Farby.

Grab Your Blast Tickets Today

There is just three days left until Tymal Mills leads his Sharks team out on to the pitch at The 1st Central County Ground now. 

Join us for a night of fantastic live music, great food and high-octane world-class T20 cricket. 

Beat the on-the-door price for Sharks vs Gloucestershire by buying your ticket online.

P.S Don't forget, groups of 6 or more get a 10% discount of all tickets. See you Friday!

England U19s to Host Sri Lanka at 

The 1st Central County Ground in July 

The ECB have today confirmed that England U19s will now take on Sri Lanka U19s in back to back Youth ODI's at The 1st Central County Ground on 1st and 3rd of July, having previously been scheduled to face India U19s.

Tickets to both games are free of charge, if you have already claimed yours, there is no need to take any action, existing tickets will still be valid. 

If you haven't claimed your free tickets to see international cricket at Hove this summer, you can do so by visiting our ticketing website.

Full ECB Press Release

Middlesex vs Sussex: Day Four Match Report

Middlesex and Sussex maintained their status as Vitality County Championship Division Two promotion front-runners as their match at Lord’s petered out into a draw.

It looked inevitable that the spoils would be shared once the home side had avoided the follow-on early on the final day and they went on to post 613 for nine declared in reply to Sussex’s total of 554 for nine.

Nathan Fernandes missed out on a century by nine runs, while Jack Davies struck a career-best 68 and Henry Brookes registered his first half-century as a Middlesex player, with off-spinner Jack Carson taking four for 166.

Captains Leus du Plooy and John Simpson shook hands at 4.50pm, with the draw enabling Sussex to increase their advantage at the top to eight points over Middlesex, who remain in second place.

Any faint prospect of a positive outcome essentially disappeared as early as the third over of the morning, when Fernandes clipped Fynn Hudson-Prentice for two to steer Middlesex past the follow-on target of 405.

With their over rate in negative territory the previous evening, Sussex were soon utilising spin at both ends and the seventh-wicket pair continued to chip away at the deficit as they built a partnership of 119.

Having swept Carson over the short boundary for six, Davies overtook his previous best of 65, but added just three more before he was out in the off-spinner’s next over to a ball that turned away from him and took the edge.

Fernandes looked assured against both seam and spin, cutting and sweeping confidently to usher his side’s total beyond 500 and move within range of what would have been a second first-class century.

The left-hander gained a reprieve when he was put down at backward square leg, pulling a short ball from Tom Clark – but he failed to take advantage, repeating the stroke to the next delivery and this time James Coles dived to take a tumbling catch in the deep.

The remainder of the afternoon largely involved batting practice for the Middlesex tail, with Sussex deploying nine bowlers and at one stage setting a field with all nine men ranged in a semi-circle on the off side.

Luke Hollman shared a sedate ninth-wicket partnership of 65 with Brookes, which eventually came to an end when the left-hander was bowled around his legs by Ollie Robinson’s slower ball.

However, Brookes completed his half-century – the sixth of his career – after tea, finishing 52 not out as he and Ethan Bamber steered Middlesex to the 12th highest total in their history

Report provided by ECB Reporters' Network

Reaction from Paul Farbrace after the draw at Lord's

Berkshire Women vs Sussex Women: Match Report

Sussex Women cruised to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Berkshire Women in their first T20 match of the season. Sussex's second match of the day against Bucks Women was abandoned due to rain after just seven overs. 

Sussex skipper Chiara Green won the toss and elected to put Berkshire into bat and she could have no complaints about the way in which the bowling attack went about their business.

It was a dominant display of bowling from the visitors which resulted in only one of the Berkshire batters making it into double figures.

Regina Suddahazai Khan was the pick of the Sussex bowlers, with her two wickets from three overs only conceded six runs. 

The rest of the wickets were shared around the attack, with Daisy Gibb, Millie Taylor, Beth Harvey and Chiara Green all making vital contributions to restrict Berkshire to just 60-9 from their 20 overs. 

Although Sussex managed to reach their target in 14.5 overs, it wasn't all plain sailing. Sussex lost 5 wickets but in the end comfortably completed the task at hand. 

Opener Izzy Collis (21) top scored with the bat and had valuable support from Millie Adams (19), sister of Sussex's Georgia Adams.

To view the full scorecard, visit the Sussex Women's Play Cricket website. 

Photo credit: Saud Ahmed

Middlesex vs Sussex: Day Three Match Report

Sam Robson and Ryan Higgins continued their fine form with centuries as Middlesex’s run-fest of a game with visitors Sussex continued on day three at Lord’s.

Robson underpinned the hosts response to Sussex’s mammoth 554-9 with 136, the 35th first-class hundred of his career, while Higgins added the flair his third century of the campaign – an effort of 106 in Middlesex’s total of 403-6.

Sussex, for whom Jack Carson returned figures of 3-89 will rue dropping Robson twice on 51 and 129, while Higgins was also given a life on 67, England seamer Ollie Robinson the unlucky bowler on each occasion. 

Given Robson’s heroics it’s important to reflect he may have departed the scene in the opening over of the day. Responding to a call from partner Holden for an injudicious single, the right-hander running to the striker’s end would have been gone for all money given a direct hit. It set the tone for some sketchy running by the opener who suffered at least two other close calls.

Robson’s driving however, whether square or through the covers was exquisite, one such stroke taking him to his half-century. The landmark came amid a testing morning burst from Robinson, Robson surviving a confident lbw shout from one which was just going over the top before Clark grassed the first of the two chances offered a slip, a tough one, but an expensive miss nonetheless. 

At the other end, Max Holden, a man revitalised this season moved to 50 with a minimum of fuss, helped by five boundaries, allowing the pair to steer the hosts to lunch at 140-1.

Holden however, as on a few occasions this year fell soon after a resumption when the ball after dancing down the pitch to strike Jack Carson back over his head for four, he flashed at a wide one from the spinner to be caught at slip for 61.

Leus Du Plooy’s contribution was brisk but brief, the acting captain paddling an innocuous ball wide of leg stump from Jaden Seales straight down the throat of long leg.

Robson though found another ally in the form of all-rounder Higgins who came out as ever bristling aggression, reverse sweeping Carson for four before playing the shot in the more orthodox fashion for the first six of the innings into the Grandstand. 

Robson meanwhile crunched his 14th four through cover to raise his hundred as the stand realised 79 by tea. The opener was given a second life shortly after the restart, Clark again the culprit at slip, Robinson again the unlucky bowler. Clark beat the ground in frustration, but the second top at least didn’t prove costly as Robson fell to the new ball, chipping a tired shot straight to mid-wicket. 

Higgins continued to be aggressive while Robinson continued to curse his luck. The seamer first found the inside edge of the Zimbabwean’s bat only for the ball to trickle onto the stumps without dislodging the bails, before Higgins flashed hard at a wide one on 67 to be reprieved again as James Coles failed to cling on at third slip. 

That scare survived and with the luckless Robinson finally retreating into the outfield Higgins forged on, striking Coles for successive boundaries to reach his hundred, before dancing down the pitch to Carson and missing the ball to be stumped by John Simpson. 

Tom Helm promoted to seven fell only two balls later in identical fashion to cause a few nerves, but 20-year-old Nathan Fernandes underlined his promise with a composed unbeaten 50 to leave the hosts just two short of the follow-on figure of 405 at stumps.

Report provided by ECB Reporters' Network 

Reaction from John Simpson at stumps on day three