County Championship Preview: Somerset v Sussex
THE MATCH
Somerset welcome Sussex to the Cooper Associates County Ground this week in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Friday May 15th).
Tickets are available now and as part of County Cricket Day junior tickets cost just £1 for day two. That’s kids for a quid on Saturday!
Somerset are currently sixth in the Division One table with 64 points from five matches whilst Sussex are fourth 69 points from the same number of fixtures.
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 11am to 1pm
Afternoon session: 1:40pm to 3:40pm
Evening session: 4pm to 6pm
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Gates will open at 10am.
Bag searches will be in operation and spectators are reminded that no glass or sharp implements will be permitted within the Cooper Associates County Ground.
For full Ground Regulations please visit the link below:
Ticket buyers can download their online tickets via their SCCC account.
All ticket or Membership collections or queries will be managed at the Jack White Gates (St James Street).
The Club Reception Desk is based in the Reception of the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion.
Due to the busy nature of a matchday, our telephone lines will reopen at 10am on Tuesday May 19th.
Information on everything that you will need for a matchday at SCCC, including how to redeem your guest passes, how to download your e-tickets and how to use the SCCC Ticket App can all be found in our Visiting Guide.
The Brian Rose Gates will be open as follows:
- between 10am and 11:15am
- between 12.50pm and 1:50pm
- for the duration of the tea interval
- at the close of play
Block 1 of the Somerset Stand will be open to the public for this fixture.
The concourse behind the Somerset is now open following renovation works.
Scorecards will be available from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion. Completed scorecards can be downloaded after the match via the Membership section of this website.
CATERING
Matchday food and drink will be available from Stragglers Coffee House and from additional third-party concessions in the St James Street Fan Village.
The bar in the Lord Botham Stand will be open on days one and two of this fixture.
Matchday dining is also available in the County Room. We offer breakfast, a lunch and afternoon tea, subject to availability.
More information on County Room dining can be found via the link below:
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
Our award winning live stream is available for fans to watch via this website and our YouTube channel.
You can also keep up to date by using our dedicated matchday blog via this website’s Match Centre and on our X feed.
Somerset County Cricket Club will be providing radio ear pieces to enable Members and supporters to enjoy our live ball-by-ball match commentary. These will be available to purchase from Reception in the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion at a cost of £12 and these will last all season.
A report on the day’s play will also be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: Ollie Robinson
Head coach: Paul Farbrace
2025 finish: 4th
2025 highest run-scorer: John Simpson (1,086 runs)
2025 highest wicket-taker: Ollie Robinson (39 wickets)
Key winter moves: Sussex added three red-ball players to their Rothesay County Championship squad and have given themselves more options in two key areas: the top order and the all-rounder slot. Jack Leaning is back working with Paul Farbrace, the coach who knows him best, while Tom Price is a genuine all-rounder who will relish the step up to Division One. Seamer Dom Goodman has followed Price from Gloucestershire and will offer good back-up to Ollie Robinson and the other quicks.
What can we expect?: James Coles is likely to get the chance to showcase his undoubted talent in the top four and it’s unlikely to faze him. Can the experienced Jack Leaning rediscoverer his best form after linking up with Farbrace again and how will Ollie Robinson, who now has the twin responsibilities of leading the seam attack and captaining the team, handle the extra responsibility? Tom Price adds beef to an already strong lower-middle order and is a potential match-changer with bat and ball.
Aiming to catch Test selectors’ eye: If Coles makes his England debut this summer it’s likely to be in one-day cricket after he picked up a £390k contract at The Hundred. But the 21-year-old has all the skills to develop into a Test batter too. He scored four centuries last season – his first in Division One – and is capable of kicking on this summer.
Final thought: Sussex start the season with a 12-point deduction for financial misdemeanours, but Farbrace thinks his squad is strong enough to be considered title challengers. Although opener Daniel Hughes is back from Australia, there will be no overseas bowler until Jaydev Unadkat arrives in June and that might stretch bowling resources in the first half of the season. But if they can keep their key players fit and utilise the squad depth, Sussex can improve on last season’s fourth place.
TEAM NEWS
Somerset will be without Tom Kohler Cadmore (thumb), Tom Banton (finger) and Lewis Goldsworthy (hamstring).
Jordan Hermann is named in the squad and is in line to make his Somerset debut.
The starting XI will be picked from the following players:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ahead of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Jason Kerr said: “Obviously, it was incredibly frustrating to leave Cardiff with that result but the mood in the camp is still really good. Apart from about 45 minutes, we were incredible for huge parts of that game. I guess that’s the level of confidence that’s in the dressing room right now. The guys recognised that for a period of time, it wasn’t good enough and not where we needed to be.
“We want to get a positive result against Sussex and we need to ensure that we go about business in the right way for longer. We need to recognise that when we’re under pressure, we have to absorb that for a little bit longer and then try and put that back on the opposition when the time’s right.
“If we can learn from the last two games where we’ve had opportunities to really nail the opposition and not let them into the game, then we’ll be in a strong position come Monday. Confidence in the dressing room is really strong, and I can’t fault the guys’ efforts.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to 1989 for the classic First Class match between the two sides at Taunton.
It was a game that Somerset won by five wickets thanks in no small part to 12 wickets from Neil Mallender.
Somerset Captain, Vic Marks won the toss and elected to field.
Mallender claimed two early victims as the visitors slipped to 21 for three but Ian Gould (84) and Alan Wells (48) helped their side rebuild. Sussex were eventually dismissed for 234, Mallender taking five for 30.
In reply, Jimmy Cook made 91 and Marks contributed a vital 59 not out as the hosts posted a total of 229 to give Sussex a narrow first innings lead.
The Sussex second innings saw Wells top score with 58, but it was Mallender who gave Somerset the upper hand. He claimed seven for 62 as the visitors were all out for 232.
Chris Tavare led the Somerset run chase. His 90 not out helped to ensure that the home side reached the required total and claimed the victory.
Mallender’s match figures were 12 for 92.
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Try before you buy!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Member of Somerset County Cricket Club?
Well, now you can find out!
On any day of Rothesay County Championship cricket we are offering our Member For The Day ticket.
For just £26 (£32 on the day) you will receive a special ticket which will provide you with Member benefits for the day.
You will receive:
- Access to our Member Stands and Member Bar
To experience a matchday as a Somerset County Cricket Club Member, take advantage of this special offer now!
Already a Member? Tell your friends about this offer and they could join you in the Members areas for this fixture.
*2026 Associate Membership, Somerset Women Membership, Somerset Nation Membership and Junior Membership does not qualify in this offer.
MEMBER FORUM
In order to keep Members up to date with everything that is happening at the Club throughout the year, we will be holding a number of Member forums.
The event will take place in the County Room 20 minutes after the close of play on Saturday May 16th (day two of this match).
2026 Membership cards will be required to gain entry to the Member forum.
COUNTY CRICKET DAY 2026
County Cricket Day is a fan-led campaign designed to celebrate County Championship cricket, and encourage as many people as possible to attend on Saturday May 16th.
As part of the initiative, tickets cost just £1 for juniors on day two of this match. That’s kids for a quid on Saturday!
Whether you’ve played cricket, are a committed fan, or have never experienced the game live before, we want to show people that the fixtures on County Cricket Day promise a joyful and memorable day out for everyone.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset’s next match is on Friday May 22nd when we take on Hampshire Hawks in this year’s Vitality Blast.
Somerset Men begin the defence of the Blast title with a repeat of last year’s final.
This match is a double header with Somerset Women also taking on their Hampshire counterparts.
There are less than 500 tickets remaining for this matchday, so buy now before it’s too late!
