By Ben Kosky, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay

England Men's Mixed Disability play at The County Ground, Hove on Wednesday, 12th August at 2.30pm as part of their seven-match T20 series against India.

It will be a return to familiar surroundings for Sussex trio Liam O'Brien, Alfie Pyle and Jake Vosloo - who have all shone for their country in the series so far.

Alfie Pyle's excellent bowling (4-16) helped England take the opening game of the series in Derby, Jake Vosloo (3-9) and Liam O'Brien's quickfire 28* from 17 balls took England close to doubling their advantage in the series. O'Brien was then England's star man in Leicester with figures of 4-17, despite India taking a 2-1 series lead.

Looking to level things up at 2-2 at The County Ground tomorrow, sunny weather is forecast with expected temperatures of 27°c, and so the day is shaping up to be a perfect one to cheer on England (and our Sussex stars) at Hove. 

Entry is completely free! Click here to claim your ticket. 

Burgess Hill Girls Reach National U13 T20 Semi Final After Ealing Thriller

Ealing CC Girls U13: 175–4 (20 overs)
Burgess Hill CC Girls U13: 176–4 (19.3 overs)

Burgess Hill Girls Under 13s moved to within one victory of a dream appearance at Lord’s after completing a sensational run chase against Ealing in the ECB Vitality Girls U13 Club T20 quarter final (South East Regional Final) on Sunday 9 August. 

Played in scorching 32-degree heat and watched by a fantastic travelling contingent, the match was an outstanding showcase for girls’ cricket - a contest of exceptional quality that neither side deserved to lose.

After winning the toss, Ealing chose to bat, with openers Tanya Shah and Swara Dusad showing their quality from the outset. Jess Parker and Chloe Kent produced excellent opening spells, restricting the hosts to 26 without loss after five overs, while Burgess Hill maintained superb standards in the field on a lightning-fast outfield. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 11th over. A clever field change tempted Shah to play across the line, allowing Orlaith Jarvis to bowl her before striking again just two deliveries later to bring Burgess Hill firmly back into the contest.

Dusad remained outstanding, carrying her bat for a magnificent unbeaten 64 from 47 balls, while Bhalodia contributed a valuable 27. Sophia Medhurst ran out Bhalodia in the 19th over before Kent claimed a wicket in the final over, leaving Ealing with an imposing total of 175–4.

Burgess Hill needed a flying start, and Cora Saunders and Evie Peskett delivered. Positive stroke play and excellent running between the wickets took the opening pair to 86 without loss after 10 overs, keeping their side perfectly in touch with the required rate. Peskett fell shortly after the drinks break for a superb 41 from just 27 deliveries, with Jarvis following soon afterwards. Saunders continued to attack, reaching an excellent 56 from 46 balls before being run out. When Kent was dismissed two balls later, Burgess Hill had slipped to 136–4 and needed another 40 runs from the final four overs.

With the pressure mounting against an excellent Ealing bowling attack, Neve Felton and Violet Bassett responded brilliantly. Felton struck her first delivery for four, while Bassett’s sharp running kept the scoreboard moving. The decisive moment came in the 18th over, when Felton found the boundary three times as Burgess Hill plundered 15 runs. Ealing continued to battle, but Burgess Hill entered the final over needing only a handful of runs. Bassett calmly struck the winning run, sparking huge celebrations among the players and travelling supporters.

It was a magnificent game of cricket, with both teams producing outstanding batting, bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping in incredibly demanding conditions. Huge thanks go to Ealing for their superb hospitality, to the umpires and volunteers, and to all the Burgess Hill families, friends, committee members and supporters who made the journey to London.

The victory crowns Burgess Hill Girls U13 as South East regional champions and confirms their place among the top four teams in the country. No Sussex team has made it this far before, either boys or girls and they will now face South West champions Hursley CC in the Vitality Girls U13 Club T20 Semi Final at Wokingham CC on Thursday 20 August.

The team’s achievement is even more significant given that all eight Burgess Hill players attend state schools - something worthy of recognition and celebration within the wider sport.

Player of the Match: Ealing’s Swara Dusad, for a swashbuckling unbeaten 64 from 47 balls. A superb innings.

The journey continues for this brilliant group of girls for at least one more match. Can they take the final step and make it to Lord’s?

Full scorecard from the match can be found here.

Match report courtesy of Matt Charman, Burgess Hill CC

VI Sharks Seize Initiative in Title Race & Seal T20 Finals Day Place

Saturday 8th August saw the top two teams face each other in the BCEW National League Division 1 at the Blackstone Academy Ground.

With Lancashire 4 points clear of Sussex it was a pivotal game with both sides having just one more outing to close the season after this match.

Arslan Sabir won the toss and had no hesitation in asking the Sharks to have a bat on a bone-dry pitch. It was soon evident that this had been a mistake as a record opening stand was compiled before Callum Weir (64) was trapped in front with the score on 212 with the Sharks scoring at 9 runs per over, Dave Daniels added an unbeaten 22 at better than a run a ball but the innings belonged to Si Ledwith whose magnificent 156 not out came off 108 balls and included 29 x 4s, powering the Sharks to declare at 30 overs on 293-1. A nod to Lancashire’s Shahzaib Haider who bowled 9 overs and took the only wicket for 56 runs, a respectable return whilst his fellow bowlers were put to the sword.

The Lancashire reply could not have got off to a worse start, losing wickets off the 1st, 3rd and 4th ball they ended the first over on 1-3 and were lucky to see a chance go down off the final ball of the over. What looked like an easy win was stalled as the Lions middle order showed dogged resistance to try and dig in for the draw. An insane run out then opened the door in the 23rd over and eventually Lancashire were all out for 98. The last wicket was taken by Phil Daniels who had done all the damage at the top, his 6 wickets for 29 runs from 8.4 overs were the second-best figures ever by a Shark and this saw the Sharks pull clear at the top of the table.

Lancashire are not out of the title race; they will need to beat Northants next week but will have to hope that Metro can convincingly beat the Sharks. Sussex go into the game knowing that a win will give them the title and even a draw will probably be enough for them to retain their league crown.

Match 2

The following day (Sunday 9th August) Sussex VI Sharks hosted the Lancashire Lions at the Blackstone Academy ground for a place at finals day in the David Townley Memorial T20 Cup. Sussex T20 Skipper Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris lost the toss, and the Sharks were asked to bat.

Fresh from his massive 156 not out the day before Si Ledwith showed he was still hungry for runs and dominated the Lions attack again as he compiled 105 not out from just 70 balls, whilst others chipped in with cameos the mantra was “get Si back on strike”. Si once again carried his bat and led the Sharks to an imposing total of 197-6 from their 20 overs. Tahseen Sabir’s figures of 2-20 from 4 overs stood out for the Lions bowlers who had another tough day in the sun.

In reply, the Sharks attack was on the money from ball one, taking early wickets to reduce the Lions to 37-4 at the 10 over drinks break. With nothing to lose Zahid Mahmood (33 not out) and skipper Arslan Sabir (29) gave it a good go but with the rate climbing Lancashire were never really in the hunt and finished on 114-7 at the end of their 20 overs. The Sharks bowled as a unit with Phil Daniels 2-20, Joe Harrison and Dave Daniels 1-15 each, ensuring the Lions were never up with the run-rate.

The David Townley T20 Cup - Finals Day will take place on the Saturday 19th September at Wolverhampton CC with the Sharks being joined by Kent, London Metro and Cheshire.

Full scorecards can be found here: Match 1 & Match 2

Match reports courtesy of Ian ‘Tiny’ Morris

Rounding off the Metro Bank One Day Cup for another year, Sussex Sharks look to end the campaign on a positive as they travel to Radlett to take on Group B leaders Middlesex.

Sunday saw the Sharks' sixth defeat of the competition at the hands of Hampshire, though there were moments of brilliance in what was an impressive chase from Sussex, ultimately coming up 51 runs short of the visitors' mammoth total of 383-9.

Ollie Kirtley picked up his first wickets for Sussex, taking three in total as Ollie Robinson chipped in with a few, too. It was a fine start for Hampshire, with the openers putting on a partnership of 225 before losing nine wickets for 158 runs. Ali Orr and Ben Mayes both recorded centuries, before Toby Albert blasted 86 off 37 to leave the Sharks with a hefty total to chase.

Charlie Tear, who has been in excellent form this tournament, recorded a magnificent century of his own. He departed, but Jack Leaning (92) and Dan Ibrahim (55) both gave the hosts a glimmer of hope, but it was to be a total too tall as Sussex ended their white ball campaign with defeat at Hove.

Team News

Paul Farbrace has made a few changes to the squad that were defeated by Hampshire on Friday, with Jack Carson rested for this trip to Middlesex. Jack Leaning will captain the side for the first time.

Tom Haines features in the Professional County Club Select XI vs Pakistan, and so is an absentee. George Thomas suffered an injury on the boundary rope yesterday, so misses this final One Day Cup fixture. Ollie Robinson, meanwhile, is absent due to the imminent birth of his child.

Tom Clark returns to a Sussex squad for the first time since 30 May, where he suffered a knee injury in the Vitality Blast defeat to Middlesex.

Squad: Carter, Clark, Henry, Hudson-Prentice, Ibrahim, Johnson, Kirtley, Leaning (c), Munt, Oosthuizen, F Price, Simpson, Tear

The Opposition

It's been a fruitful campaign for Middlesex this year, with the side top of Group B and having qualified for the latter stages of the tournament.

Winning six of their seven matches - that line defeat coming in narrow defeat at Worcestershire Rapids' New Road - they arrive into this final fixture at Radlett unbeaten at home and on a three win streak as they prepare for the knockout phase.

With the runs shared around the side, Sunday's victory over Derbyshire saw captain Ben Geddes thunder a century in a convincing 87-run win, but it's been the bat of Josh De Caires which has been most effective: 368 runs at an average of 61.33 - a fine tournament for the now 24-year-old.

How to Watch

You can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. 

The game gets underway at 11am at Brunton Memorial Ground, Radlett.

Tickets

Tickets for this final Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture are available to purchase here. 

By Paul Weaver, ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay

Hampshire’s Toby Albert struck six sixes from six deliveries as he powered his side to a total of 383 for nine in their Metro Bank One Day Cup match against the Sussex Sharks at Hove.

It was Hampshire’s second best score in List A cricket, beaten only by their 396 for five against Kent at Beckenham in 2022, and equalled the highest score in the competition this season. It also brought them their fourth victory.

The Sharks chased bravely, led by Charlie Tear’s sublime 94-ball 111, but were beaten by 51 runs.  

It was as if Albert was paying tribute to the great Sir Garfield Sobers, who died last month just 11 days short of his 90th birthday. But while Sobers famously made his 36 off one Malcolm Nash over Albert’s effort was spread over two overs, with two sixes off Nantes Oosthuizen followed by four maximums in the following over, bowled by Ollie Kirtley, after Jake Lehmann had faced the first two balls.

At one point Hampshire were 225 without loss with both openers, Sussex old boy Ali Orr and the clearly gifted 18-year-old Ben Mayes, making centuries. Mayes was making his first ODC appearance of the season.

Orr came to his previous home ground with a best score of 31 in the competition this season. But here he made his fifth List A century, scoring a run a ball 105 with 14 fours and a six.

Mayes’ 109, his maiden List A century, came from 115 deliveries, with a dozen fours and a six. When the pair raised the hundred partnership from 92 balls a total of over 400 seemed possible.

But the 200 came up from 189 deliveries and there was no acceleration until Albert’s brutal 86 from 37 balls, with five fours and eight sixes, although he was badly dropped on 21. There was then a thumping cameo from Eddie Jack, who hit 20 from five balls, including a vast straight six over the sightscreen on the north end of the ground before he gave Ollie Kirtley the second of his first three wickets in professional cricket.

But Kirtley’s ten overs went for 95 and Oosthuizen eight cost 79 and the two youngsters also bowled the majority of the 20 wides sent down by the Sharks.

That set Sussex a record chase, beating the 339 they required against Lancashire at Hove last year. They made a poor start when Tom Haines and Oli Carter fell cheaply.

But Tear’s timing was sweet as he reached his third fifty in the campaign from 40 balls, with eight fours. Then he hit an eye-catching inside-out six over extra cover off spinner Andrew Neal. At halfway Sussex, on 146-2, were run ahead of Hampshire.

Tear’s other six (in addition to his 13 fours) was swatted over square-leg off Ollie Williams and crashed into the LED scoreboard on the east side of the ground. But next ball, attempting another maximum, he holed out to long-on.

There was some determined hitting from Jack Leaning (92) and Dan Ibrahim (55) but Sussex fell well short.  

Sussex Sharks host Hampshire on Sunday, looking to put Friday's defeat behind them and end the Metro Bank One Day Cup on a high at Hove.

A frustrating Friday saw the Sharks in a commanding position on a number of occasions against Worcestershire Rapids, only for Jake Libby's unbeaten and unflappable knock of 109* guiding the visitors to victory with 10 balls to spare.

It's still the one victory, then, that Sussex have to their name in this competition, as they look to end things in a positive fashion on home soil as Hampshire head west, before the Sharks head up to Middlesex's Radlett for the final match of the group stage.

There were a wealth of solid scores for Sussex on Friday, as Jack Leaning (50) and Fynn Hudson-Prentice (68) both raised the bat as they put on a strong total of 333-9. Captain Jack Carson claimed two wickets and Henry Crocombe and Ollie Robinson both bowled economically, but it proved to a total a touch short as Libby's ton thundered the Rapids to a fourth win in the tournament.

Hampshire next, and a side in vital need of maximum points if they are to qualify to the latter stages with Hove the stage for one final white ball game of the campaign.

Team News

There are two changes to Friday's squad, with Fynn Hudson-Prentice (rested) and Henry Crocombe (back with London Spirit) dropping out, as Ollie Kirtley and Toby Munt come in to replace them for Sunday's 15-player squad.

Squad: Carson (c), Carter, Haines, Henry, Ibrahim, Johnson, Kirtley, Leaning, Munt, Oosthuizen, F Price, Robinson, Simpson, Tear, Thomas

The Opposition

The success of their Vitality Blast run - in which the Hawks made it all the way to the Final - hasn't quite been replicated in the other white ball competition, as Hampshire occupy sixth position with three wins and three losses heading in to the final two rounds of fixtures.

They arrive on the back of a fine win, though, over Glamorgan on Friday - a game that saw Manny Lumsden take four wickets as they won by a convincing 90 runs. Although not the most fluid display with the bat, there were runs for Jake Lehmann (68) and Ben Brown (54) as they posted what proved to be a strong total of 263.

Both Lehmann and Tom Prest have been in impressive form throughout this competition with the bat, combining for 521 runs. And with the ball, Ashutosh Sharma has shone thus far, taking 14 wickets - the joint-fourth highest in the whole tournament.

How to Watch

You can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. 

The game gets underway at 11am at The County Ground, Hove.

Tickets

Tickets for this Metro Bank One Day Cup fixture are available to purchase here. 

Independent Business Management Consultancy firm, Campbell Tickell, has concluded its External Governance Review of Sussex Cricket Limited.

In acknowledgement of the report's findings and recommendations, Sussex Cricket Chair, Ed Warner said, "as required by the ECB Exceptional Funding Agreement and ECB County Partnership Agreement Sussex Cricket Ltd commissioned Campbell Tickell to undertake an independent Board Governance Review”.

“We felt it was important to understand clearly where governance had fallen short, contributing to the financial position that led to the Exceptional Funding Agreement with the ECB and points deductions for our men’s team this season, and what needed to change”

"The report makes difficult reading in places, but it provides us with an independent and constructive assessment of the issues the Club has faced, and the steps required to strengthen Sussex Cricket for the future”

"Our focus is now firmly on the future. There is much work to do, but also much to be positive about as we strengthen the Club’s governance and create the platform for Sussex Cricket to succeed on and off the field, while helping cricket across the county to thrive at every level"

You can review the executive summary of Campbell Tickell's findings and recommendations here.

  A third century in as many innings by Worcestershire Rapids captain Jake Libby guided his side to victory over Sussex Sharks and kept alive their chances of progressing in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

Their victory, with ten balls to spare, was built on a fourth wicket partnership of 118 in 15 overs between Libby (109 not out) and Kashif Ali (73) and was their fourth in six matches while Sussex have now lost five of their six outings.

The impressive left-hander Isaac Mohammed and Brett D’Oliveira had put on 60 for the first wicket in 11 overs before D’Oliveira skied Jack Carson to Ollie Robinson at long-on.

Isaac was second out at 83 when he top-edged to midwicket and Sussex were on top when Rehaan Edavalath, sweeping, had his off stump knocked by Carson; 105 for three in the 20th.

But Libby and Kashif turned the match, targeting 19-year-old seamer Freddie Price, who conceded 20  in the 33rd over to bring up the Worcestershire 200 and the 100 partnership.

Sussex hit back with the wickets of Kashif and the gifted Henry Cullen but Libby remained to his side home with the big-hitting Ben Allison, who struck 20 off nine balls.

At one point Sussex looked capable of reaching 350. Haines and Charlie Tear got the Sharks off to a flyer after the Rapids had won the toss and chosen to bowl, although Haines on nine was missed at first slip off  Ben Allsison.

Both men drove fluently to bring up the fifty from 54 balls and at the end of the ten-over powerplay they had shared 13 boundaries in a score of 66.

Worcestershire broke through in the 11th over when Tear, who had scored a run-a-ball 30, clipped Ben Gibbon to midwicket where Isaac  took a good low catch.

Four overs later his opening partner fell, Haines playing a flat-footed drive and edging Gibbon to the keeper for a 48-ball 40.

George Thomas and Oli Carter then put on 40 for the third wicket in six overs. But not for the first time this season the Sharks were struggling to find a top-order batter capable of playing a definitive innings.

Carter had made just 22 from 24 balls when he spooned a gentle catch to mid-on. Thomas hit three fours and the first six of the day when he hit left-arm spinner Fateh Singh back over his head. But then he was yorked by the clever leg-spinner D’Oliveira for 39.

Simpson hit a 28-ball 30 but when he was fifth out at 198, failing to clear long-on with his lofted drive, it brought in Hudson-Prentice to play the star innings for his side. He scored at almost 200, finding the boundary on both sides of the wicket and making it difficult for Rapids captain Jake Libby to set a field.

With Jack Leaning (50) sheet-anchoring the innings, much as he had done in the previous game at Arundel, the Sharks were able to set a challenging total.

Sussex Sharks Women face Gloucestershire Women at 10:30am on Saturday 8th August as the Towergate Cheltenham Cricket Festival kicks off on a day that Alexia Walker's side will look to bounce back following a narrow defeat to an in-form Middlesex at Arundel Castle last week.

Chiara Green and her team's fantastic victory in South Wales against a previously unbeaten Glamorgan upon the Sharks' return to the 50 over competition last week had helped to extend the hopes of a top 4 finish for the south coast unit. The Welsh county elected to bat first in sunny Neath and despite giving the Sharks 240 to chase thanks to runs from the top of their order, the total was reached inside 48 with just 2 wickets remaining.

However, Sussex were on the other side of a 2 wicket loss last Sunday as high flying Middlesex visited Arundel Castle. Green elected to bat on a dry wicket, and thanks to an emphatic 91 from Nancy Harman, the hosts made their way to 248 in their 50 overs. Three wickets apiece for the bowling pair gave the Londoners a chance of holding onto their 2nd place spot. A half century from 20 year old Artemis Downer and an explosive 49 from Abbie Whybrow batting at 7, led the visitors to a 4th win in the competition having been inflicted their first defeat just a weak prior in Canterbury.

Despite Sunday's defeat, Alexia Walker and her staff will remain hopeful of securing a spot in the semi finals thanks to their 2 wins in the opening block of games in the competition.

Team News

Alexia Walker has made one change to her squad for the fixture in Cheltenham on Saturday as Phoebe Wilkinson bows out to make way for youngster Darcey Clarke.

Squad: Mollie Adams (wk), Anna Buckle, Izzy Collis, Kali-Ann Docherty, Chiara Green (c), Nancy Harman, Bella Johnson, Anna Lewis, Faye Mullins, Shristi Patil, Talitha Stanley, Poppy Tulloch, Darcey Clarke. 

The Opposition

Gloucestershire welcome the Sharks off the back of their first victory in the competition over bottom placed side, Derbyshire at the Seat Unique Stadium last Sunday. The low scoring thriller saw Chloe Brewer's 71 enough to muscle her side to 196, before a Charlie Phillips 4-fer meant the visitors fell 19 runs short in the west country. 

The win gave Emily Geach's side their first points in the competition and lifted them above their counterparts Derbyshire into 8th position. However, results elsewhere left Gloucestershire's efforts in vain as they now find the task of reaching the semi finals impossible. They will be hoping to bow out of the tournament with their heads held high on Saturday though as Sussex face a challenging battle to secure their knockout spot. 

How to Watch

You can watch every ball, free of charge, via our Match Centre. You will need to register for a free account to access the stream, statistics, replays and live scorecard. 

The game gets underway at 10:30am at the College Ground, Cheltenham on Saturday.