[Cricket] Sussex CCC - 2024 edition

[Jeremiah]

Lovely stuff - now for the title.

 

[albionalex]

Thoroughly deserved promotion in a thoroughly enjoyable season.

Looking ahead to Div 1 next year, what areas do we need to strengthen?

Possibly 1 batter? I know Farbs loves Clark but his average has been poor this year. And I rate Carter but a big ask for him to perform in Div 1 after not playing much this year.

And then 1 bowler too? Looks like Robbo is well out of favor with England but if he were to get recalled I don't think we would take many wickets with Crocombe/Hunt as our 2nd seamer.

 

[Eeyore]

Yeah I think it’s only 4 more points.

1) Sussex 221
2) Middlesex 186 (can’t catch Sussex)
3) Yorkshire 179

Yorkshire have 6 bonus points to come, plus a potential 16 for a win. So would go to 201. Meaning their max is 225, and level points means Sussex finish higher.

Even Yorkshire failing to make 300 in their next game will also give us the title…

A total flat top for the final match then

 

[Moshe Gariani]

What an incredible season for Sussex?!

T20 Blast Semi-Finalists and likely Winners of Division Two with a very high number of convincing victories. Achieved by blending products of our own Academy with shrewd signings of more experienced domestic and overseas players. Under a brilliant coach, they played in the modern positive style with great skill and commitment.

Off the field, things seem to have also taken an upwards turn. The books will approximately balance for this year and the financial future looks better than for many years. There have been important changes in most of the senior staff, with key new people added from outside and some existing staff reassigned to more suited roles. The club Chair, Jon Filby, deserves a lot of credit for his work over the past two years leading on this recruitment and supporting change.

 

[timbha]

Thoroughly deserved promotion in a thoroughly enjoyable season.

Looking ahead to Div 1 next year, what areas do we need to strengthen?

Possibly 1 batter? I know Farbs loves Clark but his average has been poor this year. And I rate Carter but a big ask for him to perform in Div 1 after not playing much this year.

And then 1 bowler too? Looks like Robbo is well out of favor with England but if he were to get recalled I don't think we would take many wickets with Crocombe/Hunt as our 2nd seamer.

Clark should bat further down the order. He has the talent but not the concentration levels to be an opener.

Re bowling this season we relied on short term contracts in Seales, Mc Andrew and Ukadnat. Need to sign at least one decent quickie for the whole season.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Bitter sweet, but yeah, thoroughly deserved for the club after a great season!

 

[ForestRowSeagull]

Clark should bat further down the order. He has the talent but not the concentration levels to be an opener.

Re bowling this season we relied on short term contracts in Seales, Mc Andrew and Ukadnat. Need to sign at least one decent quickie for the whole season.

with the exception of Abbott at Hants I think the days of overseas doing whole seasons at clubs is long gone (also no Kolpak anymore etc). Would be very surprised if we moved away from the truncated overseas approach

 

[Brian Fantana]

What an incredible season for Sussex?!

T20 Blast Semi-Finalists and likely Winners of Division Two with a very high number of convincing victories. Achieved by blending products of our own Academy with shrewd signings of more experienced domestic and overseas players. Under a brilliant coach, they played in the modern positive style with great skill and commitment.

Off the field, things seem to have also taken an upwards turn. The books will approximately balance for this year and the financial future looks better than for many years. There have been important changes in most of the senior staff, with key new people added from outside and some existing staff reassigned to more suited roles. The club Chair, Jon Filby, deserves a lot of credit for his work over the past two years leading on this recruitment and supporting change.

Great post.

I think I mentioned in elsewhere on NSC at the time, but we ended up standing in the queue for buses at Roma away with Jon Filby. I'd never met him before but he was really open to chatting about Sussex, his hopes for the season etc. He came across as someone really capable, committed and professional. It is fantastic to see what he's leading on and off the pitch. Long may it continue.

 

[ROSM]

Great post.

I think I mentioned in elsewhere on NSC at the time, but we ended up standing in the queue for buses at Roma away with Jon Filby. I'd never met him before but he was really open to chatting about Sussex, his hopes for the season etc. He came across as someone really capable, committed and professional. It is fantastic to see what he's leading on and off the pitch. Long may it continue.

This is good to hear. I have been vocal in my frustration with sussex through the rob andrew era and the unseemly merry go round of coaches and NDAs that the club have relied on as well as losing evans, salt, jordan, briggs and Wells in weird circumstances (some you would assume financial whilst they and their friends say other things) but Filby is clearly working hard to improve things

 

[CHAPPERS]

Clark should bat further down the order. He has the talent but not the concentration levels to be an opener.

Re bowling this season we relied on short term contracts in Seales, Mc Andrew and Ukadnat. Need to sign at least one decent quickie for the whole season.

I thought the overseas bowling worked fine.

Unadkat 20 wickets at 13.8
McAndrew 11 wickets a 17.00
Seales 24 wickets at 24.25

McAndrew also did okay in the Blast from memory and can also hold a bat in that format.

Looking at the averages Carson's return of 47 wickets at 22.9 is very impressive considering how little they get to bowl in the middle of the summer.

 

[Brian Fantana]

I thought the overseas bowling worked fine.

Unadkat 20 wickets at 13.8
McAndrew 11 wickets a 17.00
Seales 24 wickets at 24.25

McAndrew also did okay in the Blast from memory and can also hold a bat in that format.

Looking at the averages Carson's return of 47 wickets at 22.9 is very impressive considering how little they get to bowl in the middle of the summer.

Agreed. Having Robinson a) mostly fit and b) pretty much out of the England reckoning made a big difference too.

For me, the primary signing for next season needs to be a quality number 3.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Looking at the averages Carson's return of 47 wickets at 22.9 is very impressive considering how little they get to bowl in the middle of the summer.

And 458 runs at 25.4

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

And 458 runs at 25.4

And what a good team player he seems to be too

 

[Eeyore]

This is good to hear. I have been vocal in my frustration with sussex through the rob andrew era and the unseemly merry go round of coaches and NDAs that the club have relied on as well as losing evans, salt, jordan, briggs and Wells in weird circumstances (some you would assume financial whilst they and their friends say other things) but Filby is clearly working hard to improve things

I don't think any of us really know what happened. But it was Andrews who appointed Farbrace who I think would have been behind recent signings.

Also important to realise how much of a financial struggle many counties are under. Sussex have been in a good financial position in recent times and that is no easy task. It would have been very helpful in obtaining the latest signatures. Andrew feels a bit like the Hughton before the Potter/De Zerbi

Rob Andrew wouldn't have got the ECB job if he wasn't well respected in cricket circles.

 

[timbha]

with the exception of Abbott at Hants I think the days of overseas doing whole seasons at clubs is long gone (also no Kolpak anymore etc). Would be very surprised if we moved away from the truncated overseas approach

Yes I agree and undoubtedly it has worked and has kept the bowlers fresh. I suppose my thinking is influenced by the sudden and late (?) withdrawal of Hughes and the horror situation had that been Ukadnat leaving Hunt to lead the attack in the final two critical matches.

Hopefully Farbrace and the club had assurances that it wouldn’t happen.

Big year for Bertie Foreman coming up!!

 

[ROSM]

I don't think any of us really know what happened. But it was Andrews who appointed Farbrace who I think would have been behind recent signings.

Also important to realise how much of a financial struggle many counties are under. Sussex have been in a good financial position in recent times and that is no easy task. It would have been very helpful in obtaining the latest signatures. Andrew feels a bit like the Hughton before the Potter/De Zerbi

Rob Andrew wouldn't have got the ECB job if he wasn't well respected in cricket circles.

I think Andrew is one of those people who will always fail upwards

 

[ForestRowSeagull]

Yes I agree and undoubtedly it has worked and has kept the bowlers fresh. I suppose my thinking is influenced by the sudden and late (?) withdrawal of Hughes and the horror situation had that been Ukadnat leaving Hunt to lead the attack in the final two critical matches.

Hopefully Farbrace and the club had assurances that it wouldn’t happen.

Big year for Bertie Foreman coming up!!

yes very true. I also think its in the overseas' interest not to sign the long season deals. Like Seales this year he used us to get in good nick for the test series etc etc. he's probably spent second half of season playing elsewhere and earning some £££

 

[albionalex]

Clark should bat further down the order. He has the talent but not the concentration levels to be an opener.

Re bowling this season we relied on short term contracts in Seales, Mc Andrew and Ukadnat. Need to sign at least one decent quickie for the whole season.

It's tough to get quality overseas players for a full season given the schedule, the test series, T20 franchise leagues etc.

Seales is already confirmed for the first part of the season, so I am sure the club are looking at options to step in for him. Given that the middle part of the season is the Blast, it might make sense to go for a McAndrew type who can play both formats.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Andrew feels a bit like the Hughton before the Potter/De Zerbi

A much better analogy would be to say that Rob Andrew was a bit like Ken Brown before Paul Barber...

In terms of head coaches, Sussex have jumped from Sami Hyypia to a Mullery/Hughton/Potter/Hurzeler hybrid...

 

[Gwylan]

It's tough to get quality overseas players for a full season given the schedule, the test series, T20 franchise leagues etc.

Seales is already confirmed for the first part of the season, so I am sure the club are looking at options to step in for him. Given that the middle part of the season is the Blast, it might make sense to go for a McAndrew type who can play both formats.

I wonder if Uncle Tony has stats on cricket players as well. It would be great to come up with an undiscovered gem as an overseas player - someone at about the third of the price of an established big name but does a lot more. Or an under-appreciated county player: don't forget that when we picked up Robbo, he was without a county.

I wonder what sort of team we'll put out against Middlesex. It wouldn't surprise me to see a couple of kids in it. I think they'll keep the bowling attack but wonder whether we'll see the likes of Ibrahim, Rogers, Tear and ZLC be given a game (not all of them, but a couple of changes).