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County Championship Preview: Sussex v Somerset
THE MATCH
Somerset travel to the 1st Central County Ground, Hove to take on Sussex in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship this week.
Day one of this fixture is tomorrow (Friday April 11th).
SCHEDULED HOURS OF PLAY:
Morning session: 11am to 1pm
Afternoon session: 1:40pm to 3:40pm
Evening session: 4pm to 6pm
Tickets for this match are still available.
HOW CAN I KEEP UP TO DATE?
You can keep up to date using the dedicated Match Centre on this website which will feature a live stream of the action courtesy of Sussex CCC.
In-play updates will also appear on our X feed (formerly Twitter).
In addition to this, a report on the day’s play along with quotes will be posted on this website.
THE OPPOSITION
Captain: John Simpson
Head Coach: Paul Fabrace
2024 finish: Champions (Division Two)
2024 highest run-scorer: John Simpson (1197)
2024 highest wicket-taker: Jack Carson (50)
Key winter moves: Ex-Somerset top-order batter George Thomas spent part of the winter working for a power-tool company in Melbourne. Farbrace regards him as a player with unfulfilled potential. After trials in January, another 21-year-old signed in slow left-armer Troy Henry whose wages for the first year of his contract will be paid by the ACE programme. Medium-fast bowler Nantes Oosthuizen, nurtured at Seaford College by former skipper Chris Adams, joined on a rookie contract.
What we’re looking forward to seeing: Once again Paul Farbrace has recruited a group of solid, proven overseas players with Dan Hughes, Jayden Seales, Nathan McAndrew and Jaydev Unadkat all returning for a second – and in Unadkat’s case third – season while Australian seamer Gurinder Sandhu arrives during June and July. Their contributions will be pivotal to hopes of staying up and having another good run in the Blast, where they were semi-finalists last year.
Player to watch: Opener Tom Haines, who signed a new three-year deal in the winter, averages 37.60 and has made 4,588 first-class runs but none of them against Division One attacks. If he can flourish against better bowlers – and there’s never been any doubt about his technique or temperament – then it will help Sussex’s chances of establishing themselves in Division One a lot and perhaps enhance his claims for a Test place as well.
Final thought: Sussex return to Division One after a ten-year absence and Paul Farbrace has targeted a top-four finish. He’ll have a better idea of whether that’s achievable after the first month when Sussex face Warwickshire, Surrey, Somerset and Nottinghamshire – all established top-flight counties. There shouldn’t be many concerns about their bowling attack, but can Sussex score enough runs? Contributions from skipper John Simpson and a strong middle order may be crucial again.
TEAM NEWS
The following squad has been announced for this match:
VIEW FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Somerset Captain Lewis Gregory said: “We are really looking forward to the challenge of Sussex this week. Naturally the boys were tired after the Worcestershire match but we’ve got an incredibly strong squad and lots of guys waiting for opportunities if required. After Monday we were frustrated and disappointed but I wouldn’t call it a blow. We’ve had a chance to get lots of the guys in really good form and some confidence of scoring runs, and thought the bowlers bowled beautifully in both innings. I’m really happy with where we are at.”
CLASSIC MATCH
We go back to July 1977 for our classic County Championship match between the two sides at Hove.
It was a game that saw match winning performances from Viv Richards and Ian Botham as Somerset claimed the victory by an innings and 37 runs.
Sussex Captain Tony Greig won the toss and elected to bat first.
Mike Buss made 77 but the hosts were dismissed for 270. Botham was the pick of the visiting attack, claiming four for 111. There were also two wickets each for Hallam Moseley, Colin Dredge and Bob Clapp.
In reply, Brian Rose and Brian Close shared an opening stand of 55 before Richards came to the crease.
The brilliant West Indian smashed his way to 204 as Somerset posted a first innings total of 448 for eight from the allotted 100 overs despite five wickets for John Spencer.
Botham was outstanding with the ball again in the Sussex second innings, taking six for 50 to finish with match figures of ten for 161 as the hosts were dismissed for 141.
WPA PREDICTIONS LEAGUE
So, you think you know your cricket do you? Here’s your chance to prove it!
Powered by WPA Health Insurance, the new game allows you to score points on every Somerset matchday.
Collect points throughout the year for correct predictions and make your way up the leaderboard to prove that you are the font of all cricketing knowledge!
The top Scorers for each competition will receive a prize.
Watch. Predict. Win!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you are planning to attend the match, all the information you need can be found on the official Warwickshire CCC Website.
NEXT MATCH
Somerset are next in action when we take on Hampshire in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship at Utilita Bowl.
Day one of this match is on Friday April 18th.
Tickets for this match are still available.
