Sussex Men v Essex Men
Rothesay County Championship
1st Central County Ground, Brighton & Hove.
Tuesday 22 July – Friday 25 July | 11am start
Upon the conclusion of the Vitality Blast, the focus for the Essex Men now returns to the Rothesay County Championship, with a trip to Sussex on the horizon.
Essex Men travel to Brighton & Hove for round ten of the County Championship to face a Sussex side who have their eyes set on a top three finish in their return to Division One.
It’s been a fair while since the last first-class match between the two sides, previously facing each other back in 2020 in the Bob Willis trophy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All focus now returns to the longer format of the game following the conclusion of the T20 Blast last Friday.
Essex’s last County Championship match was up in York against Yorkshire, where the hosts came from behind to claim a 10 wicket victory after Tea on day four.
The Eagles’ third defeat of the campaign came after being bowled out for 131 in the second innings, which had started with a deficit of 91. Frustrations occurred after letting things slip on day three when Yorkshire were 273 for eight in reply to a first-innings 368.
Squad
Chris Silverwood has named a 13-player squad for the trip up to Brighton to face Sussex.
Overseas signing Khaleel Ahmed is included in a very strong seam attack which includes the return of Sam Cook, Jamie Porter and Shane Snater.
The Opposition
Sussex find themselves in the top three of Division One currently sitting with 123 points, 16 points off Nottinghamshire in second place and 17 adrift from Surry in pole position.
In their last Rothesay County Championship fixture, Sussex shared the honours with Warwickshire as the match at Hove ended in a draw.
Ollie Robinson, Gurinder Sandhu and Henry Crocombe each took three wickets in the first innings, with James Coles taking two in the second innings alongside Jack Carson and Robinson collecting one each.
Only batting once, Sussex produced 533 runs with opener Daniel Hughes scoring 151 and James Coles with 150.
Wicket-keeper batter John Simpson is their leading run-scorer so far in the 2025 campaign, amassing 830 runs at an average of 75.45 with a high score of 181*.
Ollie Robinson is their top wicket-taker with 24 wickets at an average of 29.87 in seven matches.
Sussex squad: John Simpson (c & wk), Tom Alsop, Jack Carson, Oli Carter, James Coles, Henry Crocombe, Tom Haines, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Daniel Hughes, Daniel Ibrahim, Ari Karvelas, Danny Lamb, Gurinder Sandhu.
Last Time We Met
Despite having faced each other numerous times in the Vitality Blast, Essex and Sussex haven’t met in the first-class format for five years.
The last encounter came during the COVID-19-affected 2020 season, in a Bob Willis Trophy ‘South Group’ match held in August at the 1st Central County Ground.
Essex emerged victorious by three wickets, thanks in part to Simon Harmer’s 20th five-wicket haul, as Sussex were bowled out for just 141 in their second innings, setting Essex a target of 196.
Having won the toss and chosen to bowl first, Essex dismissed Sussex for 194 in 77 overs. Jamie Porter led the attack with a five-wicket haul, supported by Aaron Beard (2 wickets) and Harmer (3 wickets).
In reply, Essex were bowled out for just 140 in 55 overs, with Paul Walter top-scoring with 33 and Sir Alastair Cook contributing 20.
Despite the deficit, Essex bounced back by bowling Sussex out for 141 in 56 overs in their second innings. This time, Harmer starred with a five-wicket haul, while Porter claimed three, and Beard and Matt Quinn chipped in with one each.
Chasing 196, Essex reached the target in 52 overs, with Dan Lawrence top-scoring with 60. Paul Walter and Aaron Beard guided the Eagles home with 6.1 overs to spare.
How To Watch
If you are unable to attend any of the match days, the game will be available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone, through the YouTube livestream.
Daily highlights will be available after each day’s play via the Club website and social media. Live updates will also be provided through the Club’s various social platforms and channels.
Tickets
Tickets for all four days at the 1st Central County Ground can be purchased online here or by calling 01273 827 100.
