Sussex Cricket is delighted to announce the acquisition of talented allrounder, Tom Price, from Gloucestershire on a three-year contract.

The 25-year-old, who has taken 19 wickets in County Championship Division Two this season, has played all of his first-class cricket with Gloucestershire after signing his first professional contract with the club in January 2020.

He would make his first-class debut in August of that year, taking one wicket in the first innings against Worcestershire in the Bob Willis Trophy. Since then, he has featured in 34 further first-class matches, claiming 94 wickets at an impressive average of 31.11.

20th April 2023 was a historic day not just for Price, but for cricket as a whole as Price scored his maiden first-class century against Worcestershire, along with taking a hat-trick in the same game. With this, he became the first cricketer in the history of first-class cricket to score a century and take a hat-trick on the same day. Price holds best bowling figures of 8/27, claimed in majestic fashion against Warwickshire in 2022.

While bowling may be more of his forte, Price has also demonstrated frequent capabilities with his bat, holding a high score of 109 and averaging just over 25 in first-class cricket. 

On joining Sussex, Price said: "I'm really excited by and grateful for this amazing opportunity at Sussex Cricket.

"It’s a very impressive club, with a lot of ambition, a squad that’s going from strength to strength and a highly respected group of coaches and support staff - it was always going to be a hard decision for me to leave my home club but I’ve had some very positive conversations and really believe this is a great fit.

"I’m really grateful the club are putting their faith in me for the next few years. I’m excited to continue developing my game, and will give everything I can to help the club win games and trophies.

"I look forward to meeting everyone when I join up in November."

Speaking on securing this new signature, Sussex’s Director of Cricket, Paul Farbrace, said: "We are all delighted that Tom has committed to joining us at Hove for the next stage of his career. He has been so impressive during the recruitment process, that involved our full coaching staff.

"Tom is someone I have followed closely for a few years now, he is a genuine all round cricketer who will really enhance our talented squad, and I look forward to him being a central player for us in all forms of the game."

Kent Women vs Sussex Sharks: Match Preview

The Vitality Blast for the Sharks Women comes to a close tomorrow, culminating in a trip down the road to The Spitfire Ground, where Alexia Walker's team will be welcomed to the garden of England by Kent Women, with both sides looking to finish the campaign on a high. 

Having completed a T20 double over Gloucestershire earlier in the week, the Sharks will looking to be completing another over Kent, should the British weather hold out.

Alexia Walker's young and ambitious side have grown into the tournament and will certainly take plenty of positives from a campaign that has seen them take on two sides who will turn professional imminently.

Team News

Just the one change in the Sharks squad from the Gloucestershire victory, as Daisy Mullan comes in for Rachel King.

Squad: M Adams, A Buckle, I Collis, L Curling, K Docherty, C Green, N Harman, D Mullan, A Lee, A Lewis, T Stanley, J Westley, P Wilkinson

How to Watch

You will be able to watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Day Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. You can find information on how to register here.

Will Jacks, with a magnificent 58-ball century, and Sam Curran and Chris Jordan, with some canny late bowling, inspired Surrey to their 11th victory in 14 Vitality Blast games and snuffed out Sussex hopes of winning the last quarter-final berth from the South Group.

       Jacks powered three sixes and a dozen boundaries as he put on 65 for the first wicket with Ryan Patel and then 97 with Jason Roy as Surry scaled the 200 mark with a last ball six from Tom Curran over long-off off Tymal Mills.

          It all looked too much for the Sussex Sharks. But they were heroic in defeat.  Knowing they had to win go qualify for the latter stages of the competition, with results going against them elsewhere, they strove valiantly for victory. Daniel Hughes, who has been disappointed with his return in the competition this year, plundered 75 from 43 balls, keeping his side in the hunt as he hit former Sussex man Jordan for four fours in over, before lofting Jamie Overton for a straight six.

            At the halfway stage Sussex were 81-1, ten runs behind the Surrey score.  When Hughes was bowled, backing away to cut Jacks, it again looked difficult for Sussex.  But Coles and Tom Clark changed all that, with a partnership of 58 in just four overs.

           Coles, in great form this season in red and white ball cricket, hit Jamie Overton for successive sixes, one over long-off and then over long-on and with 33 needed from three overs, and then 21 from two, the home side were favourite.

            But Surrey turned the game in the last two overs, as Curran took two in three balls, taking a brilliant return catch to dismiss Coles for a delightful 39 off 18 balls and then having Danny Lamb caught behind.  That left Sussex needing 13 off the final over and even with captain John Simpson on strike they could not manage it against the clever Jordan, as he changed his paces.

        Surrey had already qualified for the latter stages with a guaranteed home draw while Sussex, after four losses on the spin, had been given a lifeline with their last-gasp victory over Gloucestershire the previous day and knew they could qualify by winning here.

       Surrey’s powerhouse batting line-up had shown a liking for Hove’s short boundaries in the past and they again got off to a flyer after choosing to bat, with openers Jacks and Patel thumping 47 off the first four overs, with 65 coming off the six-over powerplay as Brad Currie – replacing the injured Ollie Robinson – Nathan McAndrew and captaian Tymal Mills all coming in for severe punishment.

           Sussex pulled it back through the spin of Coles and with Henry Crocumbe and  Lamb both impressive as they took pace off the ball. But then Surrey powered on again through Jacks, and with Jason Roy finding form to set an imposing total.  But it was only just enough.

Sharks vs Surrey: Guide to the Game

The Blast is back at The 1st Central County Ground tonight, with the Men's team taking on Surrey under the lights! To help you plan your evening with us, we've created a Guide to the Game with all the info you need ahead of your trip to Hove.

From information on when to arrive, to what you can and can't bring into the game, plus the squad list and more, our Guide to the Game is a must-read before you head to the ground. Read the Guide to Game.

TICKETS SOLD OUT

Tickets for tonight's game are completely SOLD OUT! Thank you for your support once again. Please do not arrive at the game if you do not have a ticket. 

Sixes Social Cricket

If you've been to the ground recently you may have noticed our very own Sixes Social Cricket bar. If you haven't, then where have you been?! 

Our Sixes Social Cricket Bar will open for the duration of the match. Full to the brim with fantastic food and drink to fuel you up with the net session of your dreams. Take on the Sussex Sharks stars and test your six-hitting skills.

Head to the bar, located behind the Webtrends Optimize Sharks Stand tomorrow to book your net. 

Plus, if you fancy a cheeky drink after the game, Sixes will remain open until 1030pm.

Don't Forget to Bring Your 1st Central Hair Headband!

Sussex Cricket and 1st Central have teamed up to give Sharks fans who re-use their 1st Central Hairy Headbands at a Blast game the chance to win a mystery prize!

As Sharks fans will know, we have been giving out free 1st Central Hairy Headbands at Blast games for the past few seasons, and in the spirit of sustainability, we have partnered with 1st Central to incentivise supporters to re-use their Hairy Headbands at future games.

Tonight at The 1st Central County Ground, fans who arrive with their headbands at the gate will be given a free raffle ticket and the chance to win a mystery prize. 

Fans who attend games will still be able to pick up headbands free of charge and will also be able to give a small donation, if possible, to the Sussex Cricket Foundation.

Sensory, Inclusion and Quiet Room

Sussex is proud to have opened its very own Sensory, Inclusion and Quiet Room. Our Sensory Room is a safe and relaxed environment where supporters who may need time away from the main seating areas to enjoy the game from. If you feel you may require this service, please approach a member of staff tonight. 

So, there’s quite a night ahead. Victory by the absolute barest of margins yesterday in Cheltenham - ending a run of four straight defeats in the process - mean that Sussex’s chances of qualifying are still very much on as we arrive at the final matchday. Standing in their way: already-qualified Surrey. A sold-out Hove awaits. An electric night approaches.

Permutations, permutations. Looking at the net run rate, it’s pretty much a guarantee that a Sussex win tonight will ensure the Sharks are in the Quarter Final. Slip up, and a victory for Kent would see them through. Danny Lamb’s late heroics yesterday, helped by James Cole’s and Tom Alsop, have set up a potentially thrilling night under the Hove lights.

Team News 

Paul Farbrace has named a 14-player squad for tonight's match, with Ollie Robinson the only absentee from yesterday’s squad.

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

The Opposition

Following Wednesday’s win over Middlesex, Surrey moved ahead of Somerset atop the Vitality Blast South standings. They’ve had a campaign that has just increased in strength over time. At the beginning there were question marks. Now, there is just sheer quality.

So, they’ve already qualified, but they will still be chasing that coveted top spot. They currently sit on equal points with Somerset, but some immense performances with the bat have engineered a net run rate to be far superior than the rest.

Will Jacks has had an excellent Blast with the bat, racking up an irrepressible 404 runs at an average of just under 45. That’s pretty good, and pretty much every Surrey batter has performed at some stage in the tournament. Dan Lawrence, too, is in sizzling form. So too the Curran brothers.

It’s Sam Curran that has taken the most wickets in the competition for Surrey, whilst Chris Jordan has similarly enjoyed an excellent Blast, claiming 16 wickets in the 13 matches.

Start Time

Today's match will commence at 6.30pm, with gates opening at 5pm.

How to Watch

You will be able to watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Day Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. You can find information on how to register here.

Ticket Information

General sale for this fixture is completely SOLD OUT, and there will be no tickets sold at the door. 

The only tickets remaining are in the Silly Point Bar, which can be purchased via this link: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/sussexcricket/EDP/Hospitality/Index/637?pbCode=12

A quarter-final tie: it's still within reach of Paul Farbrace's side despite four consecutive Vitality Blast defeats. Two games remain, eight points available - a lot would need to go correctly for Sussex to secure qualification, and a victory at Gloucestershire on Thursday is absolutely imperative.

It proceeds Alexia Walker's side's fixture, also with Gloucestershire, as the hosts get their ever-popular Cheltenham Festival underway. Prospects of reaching Finals Day for the Sharks have now faded, but a win would secure a very respectable third place in a season of many positives for our new-look side.

Squads

Paul Farbrace has named a 15-player squad for the trip to Cheltenham, with Ollie Robinson added.

Alsop, Carson, Clark, Coles, Crocombe, Currie, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Lamb, McAndrew, Mills (c), Robinson, Simpson (wk), Thomas, Ward

Alexia Walker has named a 13-player squad, with Rachel King returning for the trip to Cheltenham. 

M Adams, A Buckle, I Collis, L Curling, K Docherty, C Green, N Harman, R King, A Lee, A Lewis, T Stanley, J Westley, P Wilkinson

The Opposition | Gloucestershire Women

It has been a disappointing campaign for Gloucestershire in the Vitality Blast Women League 2, winning just one of their six matches thus far. The two sides have met previously this season in the Blast, with Hove the setting. The Sharks completed a 27-run victory courtesy of a wonderful Rachel King effort with the bat before Chiara Green shone with the ball.

Gloucestershire are also in the Sharks' One Day Cup group, and we will be welcoming the Bristol-based county to Hove once again on August 2. Prarthana Reddy has been the outstanding batter for Gloucestershire, recording 136 runs at an average of just over 22. Taking wickets have been their kryptonite, though, with Olivia Daniel's five wickets the pick of the bowlers in the competition.

The Opposition | Gloucestershire Men

Despite looking dead and buried, miraculously Gloucestershire now have an outside chance of qualifying for the last eight of the competition. A lot would have to go right - even more right than Sussex's chances - but a victory over the Sharks would set up a dramatic finale on Friday.

Victorious in their previous fixture in Glamorgan, Marchant de Lange has been crucial in picking up wickets. David Payne, too, who has 17 wickets to his name in the competition this season. Meanwhile, the bat of D'Arcy Short has been phenomenal this campaign, with the Australian opener smashing 414 runs this season to date.

Start Time

The day will commence with the women's match at midday, with the men's fixture taking place at 4pm.

How to Watch

You will be able to watch every ball, free of charge, of the our clashes with Gloucestershire via our Match Day Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. You can find information on how to register here.

Ticket Information

Tickets for the doubleheader are still available, and you can buy your ticket via this link. 

VI Sharks Break Records to Maintain Strong Start to Season!

Records tumbled in the Lancashire sunshine as Sussex VI Sharks made the long journey to Lancashire for the Semi-Final of the BCEW Primary Club - Heindrich Swanepoel Memorial Cup.

Sussex won the toss and asked Lancashire to have a bat. The usually miserly Sussex opening bowlers were taken apart by former Pakistan international Shazab Heyder. His innings of 167 off just 79 balls was a masterclass in power hitting with 20 x 4s and 6 maximums, at the other end Zaheer Mahmood chipped in with 23 at a strike rate of over 200 and Shah blasted 59 not out off 31 balls to bring the Lions innings home on a massive 305-5 from their 30 overs.

For the Sussex attack it was a day to forget, Mark Bond with 2 run outs and a catch, captain Dan Field holding a caught & bowled to dismiss Shazab and another good catch in the deep, were the only contributions to look like highlights on the scorecard but the Sussex fielders toiled until the final ball to try and restrict the scoring.

The Sussex innings couldn’t have got off to a worse start losing a wicket off the second ball with no score on the board. Opener Mark Bond steadied the ship with a very smart 62 at a run a ball to kick-start the Sharks’ Chase. He was joined by Dan Field and together they added 225, before Bond nicked behind to be caught at slip. Field was offering a hitting masterclass of his own blasting 169 off 94 balls which included 18 x 4s and 4 maximums before exhaustion saw him bowled with the score on 270 with 4 overs remaining.

With two new batters at the crease the power hitting game was replaced by nudging, nurdling and scrambled byes to try and get as close as possible, going into the final couple of overs. Marcus Kipling made 12 and Phil Daniels came to the crease with the Sharks still needing 22 from the final 2 overs, a couple of powerful boundaries meant it was down to 8 to win from the final over. Vice-captain Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris faced the first ball but couldn’t make contact, luckily it was ruled a no-ball, and a bye was scampered.

With 2 runs needed off 2 balls, Daniels made contact and ran the first quickly only to be run out coming back for the second and the scores were tied. Paul Littlefield strode to the crease to make his Sharks debut having been drafted in at the very last minute to help out due to unavailability.

He calmly cut the final ball through backward point for 2 and the game was all over, the Sharks finishing on 307-6  and progressing to the Final. It was an incredible match and was the highest run chase ever achieved in Visually Impaired Cricket. Lancashire can consider themselves very unlucky as it was such fine margins that determined the result.

This impressive win cements a very positive start to the season for the Sussex VI Sharks, who are still very much in the hunt for all three competitions. In the BCEW National League Division 1, they are top of the table after 4 games with 3 wins and 1 draw, 30 points clear of their nearest rivals.

Should they win one of their remaining 2 games or draw them both they are certain to retain the title they won last season by just a single point. In the BCEW T20 competition they have a quarter-final away to second division Yorkshire, oddly these two teams have drawn each other for the third year in a row, Sussex winning the last two games comfortably. 

As mentioned earlier, in the prestigious Primary Club Heindrich Swanepoel Memorial Cup, Sussex have already reached the final for the fourth year in a row and will now progress to play either Northants, Somerset or London Metro in the Final later in the season.

Whilst things look very promising, the Sharks are not getting ahead of themselves. From a similar position last season injuries and unavailability saw them lose out in the Cup Final and lose their Semi-Final at T20 Finals Day.

Captain Dan Field said "I am delighted with how we are playing at the moment, it was an incredibly tough day in Lancashire and I am not sure any other side would have been able to grind out that win. I am just hoping everyone stays fit and we can keep playing great cricket.”

As the season reaches the business end, you can follow the Sussex VI Sharks’ results on the Blind Cricket England & Wales website.

James Vince hit the turbo button to smoke 98 not out to beat Sussex Sharks and put Hampshire Hawks on course for the Men’s Vitality Blast quarter-finals.

Captain Vince led from the front for a magnificent 98 in 49 balls to chase down 168 and secure a third straight Hawks victory – and only failed to reach figures by hitting the winning runs with a four rather than a six.

James Fuller supported with three wickets before Joe Weatherley partnered up for 62 – and 43 himself – as Hampshire found form at the right time of the competition.

They now have seven wins in the tournament – the traditional benchmark for qualification – while Sussex have stalled. They have lost their last three matches.

Vince has blown hot and cold in the Blast, with three half-centuries but plenty of single-figure scores. This was a boiling day for him.

The second ball he faced flew over the square ropes, with two more joining it to go with 12 other boundaries – it was vintage Vince, punishing anything that wasn’t an A-class delivery.

A record 12-ball half-century looked temporarily on before settling for 19 balls, and from there he found a rhythm to tick off the runs quickly and risk-free.

Toby Albert put 54 on with him at the top before frustrating himself with a pull to midwicket and Danny Lamb snuck one past Tom Prest.

But in-form Weatherley provided the firmest support, while also plundering a quartet of sixes to make sure there was no pressure on the chase and Vince.

He fell for 43, and Hilton Cartwright followed before Fuller helped Vince to get over the line.

Sussex’s innings came in three acts. The cagey start, the run-frenzied middle and then the run drought at the death.

Having chosen the bat, neither side could get an advantage in what felt like an ‘eight-pointer’ match due to their positions in the table and their closeness to qualifying.

The Sharks probably edged the powerplay with a six off the last ball taking them to 51 for one – with Daniel Hughes been and gone after cutting to cover.

That maximum sparked Tom Clark and George Thomas into life as they whacked 63 in the following six and a half overs.

Clark’s pair of sixes off Benny Howell was the apex of the innings, as the duo ran hard and piled the pressure onto the hosts.

But both departed in the 13th over with James Fuller dislodging each of them to spark a slow down – with only 60 runs coming from the last eight overs.

Scott Currie repeated Fuller’s trick by seeing off Tom Alsop and James Coles in the 16th over, before only conceding four runs in the 18th over. 

Chris Wood also only went for four runs in the following over with two more wickets – the latter of which a controversial boundary catch which caused a fracas at the interval – as Hampshire took control.

But the visitors snared 15 runs from the last to take them to 167 for seven. But it was not enough as Hampshire won with 16 balls to spare.

The El Classicoast is always a highly anticipated fixture in the Vitality Blast, but this one in particular has even more riding on it. Just four points separate the Hawks (3rd) and the Sharks (5th) with both sides still looking to secure their place in the top four.

This is Hampshire's penultimate group stage fixture, while Sussex have an extra game to play. Paul Farbrace's side travel to Gloucestershire on Thursday, before finishing by welcoming Surrey to Hove. 

Sussex remain very much alive in the competition, but they will be looking to put their recent run of three-straight defeats behind them at The Utilita Bowl today. Victory for Hampshire this afternoon would all but secure their qualification.

Team News

Paul Farbrace has made one change to his 14-player squad for the encounter at The Utilita Bowl this afternoon, as Ollie Robinson is roated, making way for the returning Brad Currie:

Alsop, Carson, Clark, Coles, Crocombe, Currie, Hudson-Prentice, Hughes, Lamb, McAndrew, Mills (c), Simpson (wk), Thomas, Ward

The Opposition

After a five game winless run, Hampshire Hawks have returned to their early group stage form and have climbed back up into the top four. Their victory in the reverse fixture at Hove was the first of three wins in their last four outings, only losing to the South Group leaders Somerset in that time.

They most recent victory was a resounding one, as they beat Glamorgan by 95 runs at The Utilita Bowl on Thursday night. Toby Albert scored an unbeaten 98 to help the Hawks post a score of 208-4, before Sonny Baker's four wickets led the way for Hampshire's bowlers, as Glamorgan were dismissed for 113.

Start Time

Today's match will commence at 3pm. Today's fixture is the second half of a double header for the Hampshire Hawks, with their Women's team facing off against Middlesex Women at 11am. 

How to Watch

You will be able to watch every ball, free of charge, of the Hampshire clash via our Match Day Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. You can find information on how to register here.

Ticket Information

Tickets for today's double header can be purchased from The Utilita Bowl website.