Sussex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 member clubs of the English County Championship, representing the historic county of Sussex. Although Sussex representative sides had been playing cricket since the mid-eighteenth century and had also played first-class cricket matches since 1815, the County Cricket Club was established on 1 March 1839.[1] They have played first-class matches since 1839, List A matches since 1963, and Twenty20 matches since 2003.[2][3][4][a]
Unlike most professional sports, in which a team usually has a single fixed home ground, county cricket clubs have traditionally used different grounds in various towns and cities within the county for home matches, although the use of minor "out grounds" away from the club's main headquarters has diminished since the 1980s.[8][9] In total, Sussex have played first-class, List A and Twenty20 cricket at 17 different grounds across the county.
The club's first fixture was played at the Royal New Ground, Brighton.[1] The ground was Sussex's main ground until 1848, when the Royal Brunswick Ground in Brunswick, Hove became the main ground.[10] In 1872, the land of the Royal Brunswick Ground was required for the expansion of the town,[11] so the club relocated to the County Ground, which continues to be the main ground for Sussex Cricket Club.[10][12] The County Ground was the venue where Sussex claimed the 2003 and 2007 County Championships.[13][14] It is also the only ground in Sussex to have hosted international cricket; in the 1999 World Cup, a One Day International between India and South Africa was played at the ground.[15]
In 1849, the club used a venue outside Brighton for the first time, when they played a first-class match at Petworth Park New Ground; the match against Surrey is notable for being one of Sussex's lowest aggregate scoring matches of all time, with only 287 runs scored.[16] It was also the only time that Petworth Park hosted a Sussex match. Sussex have frequently used out grounds to host some of their matches, typically as part of cricket festivals. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, their main out grounds were the Central Recreation Ground in Hastings, The Saffrons in Eastbourne, the Cricket Field Road Ground in Horsham, and the Arundel Castle Cricket Ground (from 1972). After the Central Recreation Ground was demolished in 1996, Sussex also played two List A matches at Horntye Park, Hastings' other cricket ground.[b] Eastbourne cancelled its proposed fixture in 2001 and did not host another county match until 2017,[17][18] whilst Horsham was not awarded any matches for the 2016 season, due to financial difficulties.[19] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of Sussex's matches in 2020 and 2021 were played at the County Ground.[20][21] In 2020, Hampshire played some "home" fixtures at Arundel, as the Rose Bowl was being used by England.[22]
The County Ground and Arundel Castle are the only two grounds to have hosted Sussex Twenty20 matches.[19]
Grounds
editBelow is a complete list of grounds used by Sussex County Cricket Club for first-class, List A and Twenty20 matches. Statistics are complete through to the end of the 2020 season. Only matches played by Sussex County Cricket Club since its establishment in 1839 are included in the table. Matches abandoned without any play occurring are not included.
Notes
edit- ^ First-class cricket matches are designed to be contested over multiple days, with each team permitted two innings with no limit to the number of overs in an innings.[5] List A matches, also known as limited overs or one-day matches, are intended to be completed in a single day and restrict each team to a single innings of between 40 and 60 overs, depending on the specific competition.[6] Twenty20 matches restrict each team to a single innings of 20 overs.[7]
- ^ a b Excludes the match on 26 May 2008 between Sussex and Essex where no plauy was possible.
- ^ Excludes matches played by Sussex before it became a County Club.
- ^ Excludes matches played by Sussex before it became a County Club, 1814 Brighton v Epsom match and 1845 Gentlemen v Players match.
- ^ Excludes 1839 Gentlemen of Sussex v MCC match.
- ^ Excludes 1853 Gentlemen of England v United England Eleven match, two matches played by combined Surrey and Sussex team, one match played by combined Kent and Sussex team, and 1871 Gentlemen v Players match.
- ^ Excludes three first-class matches played by Petworth Cricket Club.
- ^ Excludes 1882 United Eleven v Australians match, 1886 Lord March's Eleven v Australians match, and 1889 South v North match.
- ^ Excludes two matches where no play was possible, 39 matches played by the South team, 17 England XI matches, seven Gentlemen v Players matches, two AE Stoddart's XI v The Rest matches, two matches played by a combined Surrey and Sussex team, 1899 Home Counties v The Rest match, 1902 match played by a joint Kent and Sussex team, 1903 The Rest v Lancashire and Yorkshire match, 3 Gentlemen of the South v Players of the South matches, 1912 Gentlemen of the South v South Africans, 1923 Capped v Uncapped match, two Lord Cowdray's XI vs The Rest matches, 1949 Over 30 v Under 30 match, 1951 Over 32 v Under 32 match, 1957 LEG Ames' XI v West Indians, and 8 matches hosted by AER Gilligan's XI.
- ^ Excludes two matches where no play was possible.
- ^ Excludes seven matches where no play was possible, 1881 Gentlemen v Players match, 1884 Cambridge University Past and Present v Australians match, 1886 South v Australians match, and 1973 Marylebone Cricket Club Touring Team v The Rest match.
- ^ Excludes sixteen matches where no play was possible and 1999 Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and India.
- ^ Excludes three matches where no play was possible.
- ^ Excludes two matches where no play was possible, two matches hosted by the South team, three England XI v Australians matches, 41 matches hosted by HDG Leveson-Gower's XI, five matches hosted by the Gentlemen of England, 1922 RAF v The Rest match, two matches hosted by Harlequins, four matches hosted by DR Jardine's XI, two matches hosted by LC Stevens' XI, and eight matches hosted by DH Robin's XI.
- ^ Excludes one match where no play was possible.
- ^ Excludes five matches where no play was possible and 2001 Sussex Cricket Board v Gloucestershire match.
- ^ Excludes 2000 West Indians v Zimbabweans match, three matches hosted by the MCC, 2002 Indians v West Indies match, 2003 India A v South Africans match and two Hampshire matches in 2020.
- ^ Excludes two matches where no play was possible. Includes Unicorns v Sussex 2010 Clydesdale Bank 40 match, where Unicorns were home team, and Sussex were away team.
- ^ Excludes one match where no play was possible and two matches hosted by Sussex Cricket Board.
References
edit- ^ a b Sam, Collis. "A brief history of Sussex". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First Class Matches Played By Sussex". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "List A Matches Played By Sussex". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "Twenty20 Matches Played By Sussex". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "The LV= County Championship, Other First Class Matches and Non-First Class MCC University Matches against Counties" (PDF). England and Wales Cricket Board. pp. 37–38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Knight, Julian (2011). Cricket for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119996569. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "NatWest T20 Blast" (PDF). England and Wales Cricket Board. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ Glover, Andrew (10 April 2013). "Remembering Yorkshire County Cricket Club's out grounds". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
- ^ Stockton, Edward (13 June 2006). "Out of town but not out of favour". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Sussex County Cricket Club". Encyclopaedia of Brighton. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ Gray, James. "Photographic archive". Regency Society. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ "County Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ^ "Sussex win title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Lancashire go down fighting as Sussex secure title". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "One-Day International Matches played on County Ground, Hove (1)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-class records - Sussex - Lowest match aggregate". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Saffrons off Sussex fixture list". The Argus. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Sussex at Saffrons are 'hottest seats in town'". Eastbourne Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
- ^ a b "2016 Fixture List released". Sussex CCC. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Sussex postpone outground visits until 2021". The Cricketer. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Pandemic sadly means another summer without outground visits". Sussex CCC. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Hampshire to prepare for delayed new season at Arundel". The Cricketer. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Royal New Ground, Brighton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Royal New Ground, Brighton (49)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Lillywhite's Ground, Brighton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Lillywhite's Ground, Brighton (1)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Royal Brunswick Ground, Hove". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Royal Brunswick Ground, Hove (64)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Petworth Park New Ground, Petworth". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Petworth Park New Ground, Petworth (4)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Priory Park Ground, Chichester". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ "First-Class matches played on Priory Park Ground, Chichester (19)". Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "E Tredcroft's Ground, Warnham Court, Horsham". Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on E Tredcroft's Ground, Warnham Court, Horsham (3)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Dripping Pan, Lewes". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Dripping Pan, Lewes (1)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "East Sussex Cricket Ground, St Leonards-on-Sea". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on East Sussex Cricket Ground, St Leonards-on-Sea (1)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Central Recreation Ground, Hastings". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Central Recreation Ground, Hastings (228)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "List A Matches played on Central Recreation Ground, Hastings (14)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Ashford Road, Eastbourne". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Ashford Road, Eastbourne (2)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "County Ground, Hove". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on County Ground, Hove (1,222)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "List A Matches played on County Ground, Hove (399)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Twenty20 matches played on County Ground, Hove (96)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "The Saffrons, Eastbourne". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on The Saffrons, Eastbourne (226)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "List A Matches played on The Saffrons, Eastbourne (35)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Cricket Field Road Ground, Horsham". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Cricket Field Road Ground (101)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "List A Matches played on Cricket Field Road Ground, Horsham (35)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Manor Sports Ground, Worthing". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Manor Sports Ground, Worthing (43)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground (29)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "List A Matches played on Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground (19)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Twenty20 matches played on Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground, Arundel (5)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Pagham Cricket Club Ground". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played on Pagham Cricket Club Ground (2)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Horntye Park, Hastings". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "List A Matches played on Horntye Park, Hastings (5)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 August 2012.