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April 29, 2008
Journalists get on their bike
Posted on 04/29/2008 in Miscellaneous
How do you get from the Brit Oval to Lord's without crossing the Thames? Six intrepid cyclists are about to prove it can be done and all in a good cause.
They are cycling from Kennington to St John's Wood the long way round, taking in all 18 first-class county headquarters - a trip of more than 1,000 miles over 16 days.
The tour has been devised by two cricket writers who spend most of their time pedalling opinions on the game: David Lloyd of the London Evening Standard and Colin Bateman of the Daily Express.
Continue reading "Journalists get on their bike"
April 10, 2008
Bedson elected Sussex president
Posted on 04/10/2008 in Sussex
Bryan Bedson has been elected as president of Sussex. He was chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion for five years, and he told the BBC that he was "delighted and honoured" with this appointment. "I'm a lifelong Sussex fan and to hold the presidency in a year when we are defending our title as county champions makes the post even more prestigious."
March 7, 2008
Cancer Tests for England cricketers
Posted on 03/07/2008 in Miscellaneous
All first-class cricketers in England will be tested for skin cancer this season. In an initiative by the Professional Cricketers Association about 400 players will have checks for the disease.
March 6, 2008
Mushtaq 'would not have risked Sussex place for ICL deal'
Posted on 03/06/2008 in Sussex
Chris Adams has said that Mushtaq Ahmed would not have signed for the unauthorised Indian Cricket League if he thought it would cost him his Sussex place.
"Knowing Mushy I can categorically say that if he knew he was going to be banned from playing for Sussex he would not have joined the ICL,. Adams told the Argus newspaper. "This is his second home now. He has played for Sussex for longer than any other team and he would not have put his Sussex career in jeopardy..
Adams admitted that the county might have to look for a last-minute replacement for Mushtaq. "That's the worst-case scenario and we hope something can be sorted out before then . but I find it hard to understand why it has taken ECB so long to come up with this ruling with regards overseas players when the ICL has already been up and running since October."
Murray Goodwin has also been recruited for the ICL on a two-year contract but as a Kolpak registration, he will not be barred.
January 15, 2008
Wright extends contract
Posted on 01/15/2008 in Sussex
Luke Wright, the England allrounder, has signed a new three-year deal with Sussex which will keep him at the club until 2011.
Wright, who made his ODI debut against India last year and was part of the ICC World Twenty20 squad, scored 347 runs at 49 in the Championship during 2007 and 269 runs at 30 in one-day matches. He is part of England's one-day squad for the tour of New Zealand next month.
..I..m delighted to have extended my contract and I..m very excited about having the opportunity to carry on here at Sussex, " said Wright. "I feel I..ve got a lot to give and I can..t wait to start our defence of the County Championship title. Next season is going to be an important time for the club and it..s a privilege to know I..m going to be part of that..
October 3, 2007
Sussex sign two young players and keep Smith
Posted on 10/03/2007 in Sussex
Sussex have extended Tom Smith's contract for one year and have also signed two new young players, Ben Brown and Will Beer. All three players have come up through the ranks of the Sussex Academy.
Continue reading "Sussex sign two young players and keep Smith"
October 2, 2007
Thornely signs two-year Sussex deal
Posted on 10/02/2007 in Sussex
Michael Thornely has signed a two-year deal with Sussex. Thornely, the 19-year-old batsman, scored 800 runs in the Second XI Championship this season.
Their manager Mark Robinson said: "What has impressed us most is that he has grown in stature as a person as well as a player. If he continues this rate of improvement he will have a very bright future with the club."
Continue reading "Thornely signs two-year Sussex deal"
September 19, 2007
Time for salary caps?
Posted on 09/19/2007 in
A fascinating report in The Guardian looks into how county cricket pays for itself. if it does. and whether or not salary capping is a good idea.
August 15, 2007
Villages close in on Lord's
Posted on 08/15/2007 in Derbyshire
Village cricketers from Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Oxfordshire and Sussex meet in the semi-finals of the npower Village Cup this Sunday (August 19). Woodhouse Grange (north Yorkshire) meet Hathersage from Derbyshire, while Oxford Downs take on Findon from Sussex in the matches to decide which two teams go through to the national final at Lord's on Sunday, September 9.
August 14, 2007
Lancashire and Sussex's Pro40 abandoned
Posted on 08/14/2007 in
Lancashire..s Pro40 against Sussex Sharks at Old Trafford has been abandoned. Although the weather has been dry over the past week, Old Trafford has still not fully recovered from nearly two months.. of rain - and persistent showers today have made the ground unsafe.
Spectators with tickets for this match will be able to exchange them for another Lancashire home game during this season.
July 23, 2007
Some county players earn less than minimum wage
Posted on 07/23/2007 in Miscellaneous
In The Sunday Telegraph , Steve James highlights the disparity between the high earners in English cricket and those at the bottom of the food chain.
The Professional Cricketers' Association estimates that a cricketer works about 50 hours a week (including play, travel, training and time spent away from home). This means, in broad terms, that a player needs to earn more than £7,000 per season to be over the minimum wage. There are definitely players earning less than that; indeed there are players earning as little as £3,000 per season.
May 5, 2007
Robinson: Sussex have no excuses
Posted on 05/05/2007 in Sussex
Mark Robinson, the director of cricket as Sussex, refuses to excuse his side - the Championship holders - for their poor start to the season.
..We have not played well as a team - it..s as simple as that. We have played on two average wickets, which is disappointing, but we haven..t bowled well enough or batted well enough.
..It is pretty simple really - we have let them get a hundred too many and we have been a hundred runs short in each innings with the bat.
..We have also suffered with injuries and we only have 13 fit players, but that is part of the game and we have to cope with that. We have no excuses..
More at the ECB.
March 28, 2007
Sussex return to Horsham
Posted on 03/28/2007 in Sussex
The Horsham Festival of Cricket will take place from Friday 13 to Monday 16 July and Sussex will take on Durham in the County Championship, a match originally planned for Hove.
The festival is possible after the club found financial backing from EMCEL Filters Ltd. Sussex chief executive Gus Mackay said: "It is a highlight of our home fixture list and I am keen to promote outground cricket in Sussex. We also extend our thanks to our hosts Horsham Sports and Cricket Club and Horsham District Council, who have also contributed to ensure the return of the Festival. It promises to be an exciting match and with the second and third day taking place over the weekend it will allow a greater number of the cricket-watching public to attend."
December 1, 2006
Kirtley signs two-year contract
Posted on 12/01/2006 in Sussex
Sussex have announced that James Kirtley has signed a new contract that will commit him to the county until the end of the 2008 season.
Continue reading "Kirtley signs two-year contract"
October 19, 2006
Nash and Hopkinson commit to Sussex
Posted on 10/19/2006 in Sussex
Carl Hopkinson and Chris Nash have both extended their contracts with Sussex until 2008.
Hopkinson joined the club in 2002 after graduating from the Sussex Academy. ..This extension is for all the hard work Carl has done in winning a place as an opening batter in a double-trophy winning team,. Mark Robinson, Cricket Manager, commented. ..We cannot understate Carl's contribution in this fantastic year. In the first half of the summer he glued together our upper order in four-day batting and played some match winning roles in the one-day season..
Nash is another Academy graduate and became a professional in 2005. Robinson added, ..It is a great compliment to Chris that when key first XI players were missing he was a more than able replacement, ensuring that player's absence was not felt. In two pressure games Chris gave a calmness to the team in the same manner that Michael does. He has genuine leadership qualities and an aptitude to use any feedback or criticism as a positive to make himself a better player. He is an exciting prospect and is now ready to make a major contribution in the next season..
October 17, 2006
Robinson reaps where Moores sowed
Posted on 10/17/2006 in Sussex
Wait 164 years for a Championship, then two pop along at once. Sussex hoped the transfer from Peter Moores to Mark Robinson as coach would be invisible; in fact it was conspicuous for the right reasons: more wins than any county (26), fewest defeats (11) and an old-fashioned double, which was one batting collapse short of a treble. Not even Moores managed that. But, as Robinson ungrudgingly admits, he reaped the benefits of the workethic, unity and empathy for individuality sowed by Moores. Only three mainstays of the 2003 Championship-winning side .. Tony Cottey, Mark Davis and Tim Ambrose .. were not around this year. And with Mike Yardy..s all-round devotion, Matt Prior..s vigorous self-belief, the first-half irrepressibility of Rana Naved-ul- Hasan and the second-half brio of Yasir Arafat, this was a step up, as Moores concedes. If Luke Wright..s stats were a mild let-down, he can only benefit from an apprenticeship in a largely homegrown side featuring the world..s foremost googlier (even Chris Adams thanked Allah for Mushie, the first bowler to top the Championship wicket-takers.. list four seasons running since Tich Freeman in 1935, Freeman..s eighth in a row), the circuit..s most competitive captain in Adams, least-sung left-armer in Jason Lewry and grittiest Zimbabwean in Murray Goodwin .. plus James Kirtley, an ageing comeback kid who won a Lord..s final.
Rob Steen The Wisden Cricketer
Robinson reaps where Moores sowed
Posted on 10/17/2006 in Sussex
Wait 164 years for a Championship, then two pop along at once. Sussex hoped the transfer from Peter Moores to Mark Robinson as coach would be invisible; in fact it was conspicuous for the right reasons: more wins than any county (26), fewest defeats (11) and an old-fashioned double, which was one batting collapse short of a treble. Not even Moores managed that. But, as Robinson ungrudgingly admits, he reaped the benefits of the workethic, unity and empathy for individuality sowed by Moores. Only three mainstays of the 2003 Championship-winning side .. Tony Cottey, Mark Davis and Tim Ambrose .. were not around this year. And with Mike Yardy..s all-round devotion, Matt Prior..s vigorous self-belief, the first-half irrepressibility of Rana Naved-ul- Hasan and the second-half brio of Yasir Arafat, this was a step up, as Moores concedes. If Luke Wright..s stats were a mild let-down, he can only benefit from an apprenticeship in a largely homegrown side featuring the world..s foremost googlier (even Chris Adams thanked Allah for Mushie, the first bowler to top the Championship wicket-takers.. list four seasons running since Tich Freeman in 1935, Freeman..s eighth in a row), the circuit..s most competitive captain in Adams, least-sung left-armer in Jason Lewry and grittiest Zimbabwean in Murray Goodwin .. plus James Kirtley, an ageing comeback kid who won a Lord..s final.
Rob Steen The Wisden Cricketer
October 3, 2006
Sussex stick with winners
Posted on 10/03/2006 in Sussex
On the back of their County Championship and C&G double, Sussex have offered a clutch of their stars new deals.
Matt Prior, Michael Yardy, Murray Goodwin Robin Martin-Jenkins, Chris Nash and Carl Hopkinson have all been handed extensions with a new one-year contract being offered to Tom Smith, a graduate from the highly successful Sussex/ECB Academy.
Luke Wright, Andrew Hodd, Mushtaq Ahmed, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Chris Adams are all still within contract.
Mark Robinson, the cricket manager, said: "We are keen to ensure the club continues to be successful not only next year but for years to come. We are looking to settle all negotiations as quickly as we can."
September 22, 2006
A chance to atone
Posted on 09/22/2006 in Sussex
Richard Montgomerie had two reasons to celebrate at the end of August. After 16 summers divided equally between Northampton and Hove he was awarded a benefit, then avoided the chastening experience of becoming known as the man who dropped the C&G Trophy, which might have made chequebooks harder to prise open.
Kyle Hogg and Dominic Cork had hauled Lancashire back into contention when Montgomerie dropped Hogg at mid-on. Remarkably, six runs later, in the same Luke Wright over, came redemption. ..The first one came very quickly,. he says. ..I didn..t pick up the pace and I didn..t pick the ball up at all until it was too late, probably because of the crowd in the background. I thought to myself, ..I hope this doesn..t mean we don..t win.., or something like that, so I was lucky to get the chance to redeem myself so soon. This time he didn..t get hold of it and it came relatively slowly. It was a bit of a relief, yes. And a lovely ending for James [Kirtley]..
After that C&G triumph, says Montgomerie, hair was duly let down, albeit ..for 12 hours rather than 24.. Chris Adams is understood to have slept with the trophy on the Saturday night. ..I can..t confirm that I..m afraid,. deadpans Montgomerie.
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer
September 8, 2006
Rana returns to Hove
Posted on 09/08/2006 in Sussex
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is on his way back to Hove for the end of the season. Rana has been with the Pakistan team since recovering from an earlier groin injury. He is due back early next week in time to join Sussex in their bid to win the Championship.
Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manger, said: "Rana will be back with us next week to replace Yasir Arafat. He's due back in Sussex on Tuesday and he'll be playing a full part in the squad until the end of the season."
Arafat plays his last game for Sussex on September 10 but will be back as a guest of the Sussex team at Trent Bridge for the Championship match.
August 24, 2006
Mick Lewis reprimanded for outburst
Posted on 08/24/2006 in Durham
Mick Lewis, the Australia fast bowler playing for Durham, has been reprimanded for an outburst during their Championship match against Sussex last week.
He was found guilty of using obscene, offensive or insulting language and the penalty will remain on the seamer's record for a further two years.
August 23, 2006
The other Monty
Posted on 08/23/2006 in Sussex
Perhaps the summer..s most refreshing and least predictable rebirth has been that of The Other Monty, Richard Montgomerie. The habitually sedate opener..s return to biff-bang duty saw him emerge as the club..s second-top scorer in the C&G group phase and even play in the Twenty20.
..You can be an old 24 or a young 35,. says cricket manager Mark Robinson. ..He..s been more improvisational and expressed himself well.. In the last year of his contract but playing well enough to crave another, Montgomerie is hoping for third time lucky against Lancashire at Lord..s: he lost there with Northants in 1995 and 1996. ..It was still 60 overs then,. he says. ..I always hoped I..d get another chance, so I tried to expand my game, particularly against the spinners. The difference now, I suppose, is I have a bit more belief and because, as Peter Moores said, I know you need match-winning scores not pretty fifties..
The Wisden Cricketer, Rob Steen
August 17, 2006
Montgomerie awarded benefit
Posted on 08/17/2006 in Sussex
Richard Montgomerie has been awarded a benefit by Sussex for 2007 after sixteen years' service to first-class cricket.
Montgomerie made his debut for Northamptonshire in 1991 and was awarded his county cap in 1995. He then moved to Sussex in the winter of 1998 and was awarded his Sussex cap a year later
Montgomerie said he was delighted with the decision: "I feel very privileged to have been awarded a benefit by Sussex. I am extremely lucky to have played 16 years in professional cricket and particularly the last eight in this thriving Sussex side.
"I look forward to an enjoyable year where Sussex continue to be successful and where supporters will also be able to enjoy the events in my benefit calendar. "
Hugh Griffiths, the chief executive, added: "Richard's batting has been a major influence as a first XI player over the seasons since he joined us in 1999. He has contributed generally to the improvements on the field of play in that time, and specifically to our Championship success in 2003. Off the field he has won many friends amongst members, sponsors, supporters, and staff, and I know they will all join me in wishing him a successful 2007 benefit season."
July 30, 2006
Players thrive on steep earning curve
Posted on 07/30/2006 in Derbyshire
Steve James, the former Glamorgan and England opener, has revealed that the average salary for a county player is around £40,000. Surrey top the pay league, with their players earning an average salary of £60,000, and that excludes the bumper earnings of their overseas recruits. Yorkshire are at the bottom of the pay league, with an average salary of £30,000.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, James's article has gone a long way to dispelling the belief that county cricketers are sports paupers. While they still might to be able to hold a candle to any footballers in the Premier League, their pay is not as bad as it once was.
Click here for the full story.
July 29, 2006
Prior injury for Sussex
Posted on 07/29/2006 in Sussex
Sussex were forced to call up their replacement keeper, Andrew Hodd, when Matt Prior pulled a hamstring during their Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. However, it didn't stop Prior striking an aggressive half-century although he might struggle to be fit for the key clash against Lancashire next week.
June 20, 2006
Perks from Pakistan
Posted on 06/20/2006 in Sussex
By late May Sussex were pinching themselves. In four successive Championship wins, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mushtaq Ahmed did their usual unfair share by taking 63 of the 80 wickets. Collectively they harvested seven five-fors and two of the country..s five first-class 10-fors (as of May 30), averaging 13. But rumours that Mushie is trying to qualify for England are charmingly but firmly quashed. ..No,. he says with a grin. ..Where..d that come from?.
The cricket manager Mark Robinson praised his wristspinner..s forbearance at Hove after the Nottinghamshire keeper Chris Read, riled by Mushtaq..s not infrequent appealing, attacked him on the boundary. ..What did Read mean when he apologized for ..my part in the incident..?. wonders Robinson. ..He was the incident. But Mushie went out of his way to speak on his behalf. All he wanted to do was to talk about God and love..
And what, apart from skill, brains and unquenchable enthusiasm, is Naved..s secret? Colleagues believe they may have spotted something Duncan Fletcher might care to note. Just before delivering the ball he rotates it with a sturdy right thumb, deceiving batsmen trying to detect which side he soaks for reverse-swing.
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer
Video nasty
Posted on 06/20/2006 in Durham
Durham are not the first side to fall under the spell of Mushtaq Ahmed. Nor will they be the last. But their coach Martyn Moxon declines to blame his side..s two-day innings defeat by Sussex on a well-documented failure to obtain pre-match video footage of Mushtaq.
Had the proposed ECB video library been up and running, Durham could have studied their destroyers Mushtaq and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan before the game. Instead the pair took 19 wickets, with Mushtaq baffling all with his googly and top-spinner. ..It would have been useful to have a look,. says Moxon. ..The ECB have spent a lot of money for every county to video matches. Every game will be held in a central bank and we will all have access to it..
Mushtaq, of course, has played 52 Tests and first appeared on the county scene 13 years ago, so he is hardly an unknown quantity. ..Look, we..re not making excuses,. says Moxon. ..After all, we had a good look at him in the first innings and didn..t do any better in the second..
Andrew Collomosse, The Wisden Cricketer
April 28, 2006
Fans and Family Day at Hove
Posted on 04/28/2006 in Sussex
Sussex begin their C&G campaign on Sunday, April 30 when they play Surrey at The Oval. They play Middlesex the following day, Monday, May 1, at Hove. Both games start at 10.45am. On the Bank Holiday Monday the day has been called "Fans and Family Day" with discounted tickets for everyone at Hove. Those attending wearing a sporting shirt will gain entrance for just £5 while all Under 16s will get in free.
April 12, 2006
Sussex cruise past Surrey
Posted on 04/12/2006 in Sussex
Surrey were beaten by eight wickets in a pre-season friendly against Sussex.
Surrey's 211 for 9 in 50 overs always looked below par, all the more so when Richard Montgomerie (98) and Carl Hopkinson (89) added 185 for Sussex's first wicket. They crusied home with more than an over to spare.
Kirtley free to play for Sussex
Posted on 04/12/2006 in Sussex
James Kirtley has had his action cleared by the ECB and is free to play for Sussex this season. Kirtley was suspended last October following reports from umpires in two Championship games last season but has since remodelled his action so that his elbow does not exceed the 15 degrees of permitted fl exion. Kirtley has also stepped down as vice-captain to concentrate on his bowling.
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