Sussex Cricket is sad to hear of the death of Norman Gifford on 19th January.

After a very successful playing career with Worcestershire, Warwickshire and England, Norman was Head Coach and subsequently Cricket Manager of Sussex County Cricket Club from 1989 to 1995.

He is fondly remembered by all at Sussex as one of the great bowlers of his era and as a man with deep passion for cricket and for passing on his huge knowledge of the game to others.

The thoughts of all at Sussex Cricket are with Norman’s family and his friends across the game, but especially at Worcestershire and Warwickshire County Cricket Clubs.

Sussex Cricket Announces Men’s Captains for the 2026 Season

Sussex Cricket is delighted to confirm the captains for its Men’s teams across all formats for the 2026 season.

Director of Cricket Paul Farbrace has announced that John Simpson will continue in his role as Club Captain, while several changes have been made to the leadership structure across the different formats.

Ollie Robinson will captain the Men’s team in the County Championship, with Tom Haines appointed as Vice-Captain. This will mark Robinson’s first appointment as a full-time captain, while Haines brings valuable leadership experience, having taken on the role during the 2022 season.

On his call-up to captaincy, Ollie Robinson said: “It’s a huge honour to be named captain of Sussex for four-day cricket. 

I’m incredibly passionate about helping take Sussex back to the Division One title, and that ambition drives everything I do. 

"We have a talented, committed group, and my focus will be on setting high standards on and off the field, playing positive cricket, and giving ourselves the best chance to compete consistently at the highest level.”

Sussex Sharks legend Tymal Mills will once again lead the side in T20 cricket, while Jack Carson has been named captain for the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

Jack Carson spoke of his pride at being selected to lead the 50-over Men’s team: “I’m really honoured to be given the opportunity to lead Sussex in the One Day Cup this year.

To captain this great club in any format is a massive privilege and one I won’t take for granted. 

It’s a great opportunity for us to compete for a trophy while also exposing some more players to first team cricket. I’m extremely excited about the challenge and can’t wait to get started.”

Speaking on the announcement, Director of Cricket, Paul Farbrace said: “I am delighted that after a complete review of all cricket matters relating to the professional Men's team, we concluded it was a good time to make sure we had all bases covered regarding captaincy, for the immediate season and also working towards future leadership.”

“John Simpson has shown not only a very high level of skill on the field, but equally has shown his leadership skills on and off the field, and this is the perfect time for him to take on a wider role at the club, which will involve mentoring Jack Carson and also working closely with the other two captains, and acting as a hybrid between the coaches and the players”, he continued.

“Ollie Robinson has shown in the past he is a very good captain, with an excellent cricket brain, and he will lead the Championship team for the coming season, supported by Tom Haines, and this we believe is the best leadership combination to help us achieve our goal of competing to win the County Championship.

“Tymal continues into his third year of leading the T20 Blast team, he has shown a real passion for being captain and setting great examples on and off the field, and we are all excited that he is driven to push the team towards another Finals Day appearance at Edgbaston with the view of winning the Blast this season.

“Jack Carson is starting out on his journey as a captain and has shown by actions as much as words he is a future leader of this club, and this is the right time to allow him to develop as a captain and lead the One Day Cup team. 

“This is a very exciting season for the current squad, and we are delighted that we have such capable, determined and skilful leaders, who have a real passion for their roles and are driven to help this club succeed and make our members and supporters proud of their team.”

Become a Sussex Cricket Member

We are delighted to announce that Sussex Memberships are now on general sale.

And new for 2026 is our Sussex Under 25s Membership that offers all the same benefits of a Sussex Membership, at half the price!

A Sussex Membership is your ticket to every Men's County Championship match at Hove, as well as a seat at every Men's and Women's home One Day Cup match throughout the summer of 2026. 

Find out more about joining Sussex by the Sea: https://sussexcricket.co.uk/2026-membership 

T20 Vitality Blast - Priority Access Information

The registration window for access to priority Super Early Bird tickets for 2026 Vitality T20 Blast matches has now expired.

If you're a Sussex Cricket Member, or you have previously purchased tickets to a T20 match in 2025 at Hove, you'll automatically be given access to the Priority Window to purchase your tickets to individual games. 

If you completed the priority registration form, are a Sussex Cricket member or if you purchased tickets to a T20 match in Hove during the 2025 season, you'll be invited by email to purchase your tickets between February 4th and 17th at Super Early Bird prices. 

Sussex Cricket Disability Fixtures Announced

The Sussex Cricket Foundation is thrilled to confirm the Sussex Disability fixtures for the 2026 season. 

The Sussex Mixed Disability teams will be made up of three squads: First Team, Second Team and Development XI, with each side playing six fixtures in their respective divisions. 

The First Team will once again return to play at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove, on Sunday 17th May when they face Hampshire in the D40 Quest League. 

The Sussex Super 9s will also participate in several softball festivals, competing against the likes of Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Isle of White. 

The Sussex Sharks Visually Impaired side will be chasing another league title as they return to fight for gold in the Blind Cricket England & Wales League. 

2025’s rescheduled T20 semi-final has been confirmed, with the Sharks facing London Metro on Saturday 9th May. 

The VI squad will also be looking to defend their 30-over crown, which gets underway with a quarter-final against Lancashire on Saturday 6th June.

A highlight of the 2026 is sure to be the Festival Disability Cup, due to take place on 30th July at Arundel Castle as part of the Arundel Cricket Festival Week. 

Another key date for the diary is the Sussex Cricket Foundation’s flagship event, DIScoverABILITY Day on Friday 15th May at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove. 

Speaking on yet another bumper fixture list for the Disability Cricket Teams, Sussex Cricket Foundation Community Director, Gary Wallis-Tayler, said: “We are all looking forward to the season ahead and we are thrilled to be able to continue hosting events at venues such as Hove, Blackstone and Arundel Castle, which gives our players the opportunity to play at professional sports grounds and continues to make The 1st Central County Ground accessible to all. 

“I would like to wish all our players and coaches the very best of luck for the season ahead.”

To view all of the fixtures on the Sussex website, please visit: https://bit.ly/DisabilityFixtures

To find out more about Disability Cricket in Sussex, please visit: https://sussexcricket.co.uk/sussex-cricket-foundation/disability-cricket  or contact disabilitycricket@sussexcricket.co.uk 

With the final of the Big Bash League and SA20 both taking place on Sunday, 25 January, the bulk of our Winter Watch series nears its end with many of our players currently overseas nearing their Sussex return with the start of the County Championship 11 weeks away. 

Since our previous update, there's been plenty going on across the globe. One player, in particular, will receive the plaudits. No prizes for guessing who it is. Anyhow, let's head to Australia...

Tom Alsop

One final group stage fixture with overwhelming consequences awaits Tom Alsop's Brisbane Heat as they look to qualify for the final stages of the competition. And they're up against their main challengers for the final qualification spot, too, in Sydney Sixers in what is a winner takes all situation.

Alsop will be raring to go if called upon, but to this date has been out of the playing XI since December 27.

James Coles

Well, it's about time the Sunrisers chose to play him...

And what an introduction! James Coles' wait for a first start with SA20s Sunrisers Eastern Cape was unequivocally worth it as the young star shined with bat, ball and even in the field. Heading out to the crease with his side struggling on 90-4 following a tumbling of wickets, Coles - alongside Tristan Stubbs - put on a partnership worth 88 runs. Coles scored 61 of those.

Off just 34 deliveries, too, in an innings that was adroit, well-timed and superbly managed. With the ball he claimed two wickets, including that of James Vince, and was even responsible for the dismissal of the dangerous Matthew de Villiers courtesy of a wonderful throw from the deep. Not bad. Not bad, at all.

Daniel Hughes

Since the Ashes' end and Steve Smith's return to Sydney Sixers, Hughes has had to make way at the top of the order for the latter stages of the BBL, so it's just the one game to catch up on, here. A run-a-ball 15 against Alsop's Heat helped his side to a precious win, yet there is still more work for Hughes' Sixers to do if they are to qualify for the final knockout fixtures of the competition.

Dan Ibrahim

Still very much featuring for Central Hawkes Bay in New Zealand, Ibrahim has played twice since we last caught up with him, though the results were not as he would have desired. 

Runs and wickets to report on, though! For Ibrahim made 18 in the first match, taking a wicket as well, which was shortly followed up with a 24 a week later. The latter score proved to be his side's highest of the match, while two wickets this time around paved the way for plenty of positives.

Nathan McAndrew

It's been a bit of a mixed BBL for McAndrew, who has bowled beautifully at times during this tournament but, like the majority of T20 bowlers, has had the occasional disappointment. He was back in the side for today's Sydney derby, and picked up a couple of wickets despite a wonderful Steve Smith rampage with the bat.

And that's been the story for his Sydney Thunder side, who have managed just two wins from their 10 matches this campaign. McAndrew has bowled well considering the circumstances. 

Tymal Mills

Heading back to South Africa and its vibrant SA20 competition, Mills was a constant in the Pretoria Capitals lineup at the beginning of the tournament, but has since been away from the XI for the past four matches.

It's been a good outing for our rapid bowler, though, with wickets taken and solid figures to boot. He'll head back to Sussex soon in good stead ahead of this year's Vitality Blast.

George Thomas

A very, very good winter for Thomas with both bat and ball over in New Zealand continued last weekend as his Cornwall side thundered to a 39-run victory over Napier Old Boys - Thomas playing his part with a handy 41 from 31 at the top of the order to help set the tone.

Thomas, captaining the side, opted not to bowl himself despite some quite outrageously good figures in previous outings, but it proved to be a decision that worked anyhow. Onto today, and another win for Thomas' side. 34 runs off the bat this time, but a wicket and tidy figures in yet another success in his time on the other side of the world.

You heard it: Briggs is back. And he's here to stay, too, as he although he'll be a feature of the Sharks' T20 side this season, he'll also have one eye on the future as he returns in a player-coach role. 

Briggs made 130 appearances for Sussex after joining from Hampshire in 2016, taking 169 wickets and scoring 926 runs. Since his departure, he's been impressing with Warwickshire, in addition to Hundred stints with Southern Brave and Oval Invincibles.

It's back to Sussex now for Briggs, and we caught up with the 34-year-old upon his return to the county.

Danny, welcome back! How does it feel to be back here at Hove?  

Yeah, really good! Obviously, I've been looking forward to it for a while, having signed a while ago now. I'm looking forward to getting going, getting the winter started. I would love to fast forward to the summer, but there's some hard yards before and hopefully for a successful summer.

So you're back after a very successful stint a few years ago... tell us why! What was it that brought you back to Sussex? 

I loved my time down here first time anyway, and I think Farby [Paul Farbrace] obviously showed some interest back last summer, showed his sort of vision and the way the club's been going in the last couple of years.

It really is on the up. It's a great place to play. I loved playing at Hove first time round. So yeah, it was very appealing and also the opportunity to help out some spinners and the younger players as well. 

So you'll be coaching as well as playing. What are some of your aims for this season and indeed for the future as well, then? 

I think just to keep improving really, and that goes for the players, myself and as a team. I think the team's on an upward trend, as I said before, and we want to keep that upward trend and compete. Obviously T20, we'd love to get to finals day and hopefully win the thing as well. So I mean, that would be an aim and along the way, help players obviously improve and contribute as often as possible.

Let's talk about this coaching role. Can you expand on that a little bit for us? 

Yeah, I think, I suppose it's to use my experience and help the spinners mainly, but obviously any player. I've sort of got to the stage of my career where I want to help others and obviously that experience and knowledge can help.

So hopefully I can do that along the way, and ultimately it's so we can win more games for Sussex and hopefully England as well in time to come!

And obviously with Jack Carson, James Coles and Troy Henry - obviously talented young spinners - you see this as an opportunity for growing their game as well? 

Yeah, I hope so. I've always sort of played the game and in a good way to try and help others along the way as well. I suppose now I've sort of banked up a decent amount of experience in games Hopefully I can sort of pass that on, give them my knowledge and help them along the way and it'd be great to obviously see them thrive as well!

Briggs is back for Blast! Are you? Purchase your Blast Pass today via this link to unlock an unmissable summer of T20 cricket at Hove.

Sussex Cricket was saddened to hear of the death of Arnold Long, on New Years Day, at the age of 85.

Arnold “Ob” Long joined Sussex, after 15 years as the Surrey first choice wicketkeeper, in 1976 and succeeded Tony Greig as our captain in 1978. Tributes paid to Arnold this week, by playing colleagues including John Barclay, Roger Marshall, Paul Phillipson and Chris Waller, reflect the very high regard in which he was held by those who played with him. 

He was much respected not only as a “fine man” and a very high quality wicketkeeper but also as a shrewd captain whose “tactical brilliance” ensured that Sussex emerged victorious in the 1978 Gillette Cup Final against the much vaunted Somerset team which included Ian Botham and Viv Richards. 

After retiring from cricket in 1980, Long had a successful business career and returned to the Oval as a much respected Chair of the Cricket Committee. 

The thoughts of all of us at Sussex Cricket are with Arnold’s family and with his friends across the game.

The Big Primary School Survey

Dan Field Named Sussex Cricket Society Player of the Year 2025

Sussex Sharks Visually Impaired cricketer Dan Field has been unanimously voted the Sussex Cricket Society's Player of the Year for 2025. Presented with the award at the annual Christmas Lunch, by guest speaker former England fast bowler Angus Fraser MBE.

As captain of the Sussex Sharks Visually Impaired XI (VI), Dan has led his team to another dominant season in Blind Cricket England & Wales (BCEW) competitions. The Sharks claimed the National League Championship and the prestigious BCEW Primary Club Heindrich Swanepoel Memorial Cup, the longest-running Disability Cricket competition in the UK. The team fell just short of a historic treble when rain washed out T20 Finals Day, with the Sharks well-positioned in their semi-final.

Dan topped the Sharks' run-scoring charts, amassing 345 runs at an astonishing average of 172.5 and a strike rate of 143 runs per 100 balls. His unselfish approach shone in the season opener, where he declared on 99 not out to pursue an aggressive victory. His highlight came in the Cup semi-final against Lancashire, where his explosive 169 off just 94 balls propelled the Sharks to a dramatic two-wicket win off the final delivery.

This marks Dan’s third consecutive season averaging over 100. In the four years since the pandemic, the Sharks have secured three National League titles, two knockout Cups, and one T20 Cup under his influence.

Beyond the field, Field serves as an Ambassador for the Sussex Cricket Foundation, championing its vital community work across the county.

The award underscores the Sussex Cricket Society's embrace of all levels of the game, from county professionals to the inspirational figures in Disability Cricket. Dan’s achievement highlights the growing recognition of VI Cricket's elite standard within the broader Sussex family.

To find out more about the Sussex Cricket Society please visit their website.