Horsham Festival 2011

HOrSHAM FeStivAl 2011 Presented by Official Festival Brochure £3

SuSSex COunty CriCket Club

MAJOR SPONSOR GROUND SPONSOR




MAJOR SPONSOR GROUND SPONSOR MAJOR SPONSOR GROUND SPONSOR

Wed Aug 10 - SAt 13: LV=CC diViSion one SuSSex CCC v WorCeSterShire CCC

Sun Aug 14: CB40 LeAgue diViSion 1 SuSSex SharkS v WorCeSterShire royalS

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WelCOMe tO HOrSHAMWe are very pleased to welcome Sussex and Worcestershire to our lovely ground. Sussex first played at Horsham on 15th June 1908, against Essex, and in that time every First Class county except Yorkshire has played here.

In my schooldays at Collyers, Cricket Week began on Founder’s Day, the first Saturday in June, when we marched through the town. Two three-day matches were played with no play on Sunday, of course. We had the whole week off as half term so it was a very popular event. In the 1930s Horsham made a big feature of the Festival with many other activities taking place: dances, plays, films, promotions in the shops and flags and bunting all over the town.

During our long relationship with Sussex, many Horsham cricketers have represented the county. Tim Killick, George Pearce, George Cox (senior and junior), Jack and Charlie Oakes, Paul Parker, Robin Martin-Jenkins, Michael Thornely and, currently, Chris Nash and William Beer are some of the men who began their cricketing lives with us. Our late president, the legendary Dr. John Dew, was a brilliant wicket-keeper and the most charming ambassador any club could have. He was justly rewarded with a posthumous OSCA in recognition of his services to cricket. John created our colts’ section, which now numbers over 200 including about 60 girls and which has produced many players for Sussex representative teams from the 1st XI to the Under-9s. We are, of course, very happy that Sussex play many of their second-team fixtures at Horsham.

The Horsham Cricket Festival would not be possible without our many volunteers, so ably led by Barry Peay. We provide extra ground staff, stewards, gatemen and women, car parkers, bar staff, catering, office administration and all the infrastructure required to stage such an important public event. A special treat for Sunday spectators is our wonderful Ladies Tea Tent.

County Cricket is the only First Class sport that takes place in Horsham; long may it continue. We hope you all enjoy this year’s Festival.

By David Horsman, Chairman Horsham CC.

Contents5 Chrisnash6-7 CMJ:Profile9 FutureoftheFestivals10-11 sixGreatGames13 WayneParnell14-15 Festivaltime17 Horshamrecords19-21 VisitingHorsham25 sussex’streasures26-27 RobinMartin-Jenkins29 Worcestershiresquad31-33 AlanRichardsonprofile35-37 Fore!It’sFrankie39-41 HorshamMemories43-45 theHorshamstory49 ChrisnashQ&A50-51 JonathanAgnew54-57 GeoffGreenidge56 scorecardVouchers58 FixturesandResults59 sussexAverages

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DreAM COMe trueChris nash’s ambition was to play for Sussex on his home ground. As he approaches his fifth Horsham festival he reveals that the surroundings still inspire himPlaying in the Horsham festival was always a dream of mine as a youngster.

I spent many years skiving off school to come and watch the cricket. My mum used to give me the week off which unfortunately led to a visit from social services one year when I was seen at the game by the music teacher who was leading the school band who were playing during the interval!

My mum replied that it was better education for my future than school and, as it turned out, she was proven correct!

This year would have been my fifth Horsham festival as a player but England Lions commitment means I will be absent. Last year

was very special as I scored my first Sussex hundred at my home ground when I got 156 against Derbyshire and was privileged to be part of history as the top four batsman in our first innings scored hundreds for the first time in the county’s history and only the second time since 1920 in the history of first-class cricket in England. It was a very special achievement by all of us and I am very proud to have been part of it.

I have many special memories of playing at Horsham. I grew up at the club with summers playing cricket and winters playing squash so it very much became a second home.

I always receive a warm welcome from the people behind the scenes at Horsham and I regard everyone at the club as a good friend who have helped me achieve my dreams of playing professional cricket.

Unfortunately my biggest influence in cricket is no longer with us. Dr John Dew was a special man, as everyone associated with Horsham will acknowledge, and he was instrumental in making it such a special place. I always miss him when I go back. To score a

century last year and be able to dedicate it to him was very special for me and I know he was watching from up above.

This year’s Festival will see a reunion of many of the players and officials from the Horsham side which won the Cockspur Cup at Lord’s back in 2005.

It would have given me another incentive to score a hundred and as a side I hope we can continue our good form at this wonderful festival ground.

“to score a century last year and be able to dedicate it to Dr John Dew was very special for me and i know he was watching from up above.”


CM-J will be listened to with respect as well as seen on the great ground at lord’s, for he is an accomplished after-dinner speaker, wit and mimicry to the fore.

HOrSHAM FeStivAl 20116

DiStinguiSHeD ServiCeAs a Horsham player, Christopher Martin-Jenkins has played as well as reported at Cricketfield road. His distinguished service to the game has led to him taking on the role of MCC President this year.ivo tennant, of the times, meets himBroadcaster, writer, after dinner speaker and father of a Sussex cricketer, Christopher Martin-Jenkins has taken on one of the honorific roles in the game this year. He will be making speech after speech, entertaining dignitary after dignitary, influencing leading administrators - and taking tea with the Queen. Like Arthur Gilligan, Hubert Doggart, Ted Dexter, Robin Marlar and John Barclay before him, he has been chosen to be president of MCC.

In one sense, CM-J, as he is universally known, is the odd man out. He did not play first-class cricket, for Sussex or any other team. The closest he came to doing so was to be 12th man for Cambridge University in the Varsity match. But then neither did the 16th Duke of Norfolk and countless others going back to when such appointments were first recorded in 1821.

The real difference is that CM-J has been a journalist all his career, unlike Marlar, who took up writing after his days as Sussex captain were over. Hence the honour is accentuated, for it is in effect for his contribution to cricket through the media and in particular Test Match Special. He has been a part of their commentary team since 1973, although looking after the Queen came first at Lord’s this summer.

The role of president is unpaid and

essentially he (there has yet to be a female, although doubtless Rachel Heyhoe-Flint would not turn it down if asked) is a figurehead. Occasionally, it encompasses contending with controversy. Sir William Legge had the misfortune to be in office when MCC’s tour party indulged in ‘Bodyline’ tactics in Australia in 1932-3 and Colin Cowdrey’s health was affected in the bicentenary year of 1987 when the secretary, Jack Bailey, abruptly left office.

CM-J, who says he has never asked his wife, Judy, whether she wanted to become a member, is having to preside over differences of opinion among the committee over whether to pursue the £400m redevelopment of Lord’s – but at least he is not having to cope with a near-diplomatic crisis, as occurred in 1932-3. He will be listened to with respect as well as seen on the great ground, for he is an accomplished after-dinner speaker, wit and mimicry to the fore.

He also wishes to exert some influence over the direction of the game. Hitherto he has been restricted to balanced opinion in his columns for The Times. Any strong views have been restrained by one of his characteristics: a belief in weighing up both sides of a story. “I have to be fairly tactful, but I would like to see a cutting down of excess in the fixture list, particularly the number of

one day internationals. It’s a mess and disobeys the maxim of ‘leaving them wanting more.’

“There was a possibility of the Open clashing with the Lord’s Test against India this year, which would have been foolish, and I made my feelings clear on that to MCC and ECB. And I certainly wouldn’t oppose more occasions when spectators are allowed onto the outfield, or children playing on it during intervals with soft balls. It is very counter-productive not to let them on,” he said.

“If there are two touring teams coming to England each year, then there should be two Tests at Lord’s for them. The Rose Bowl at Hampshire and the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff will have to wait longer to host more matches. Even Rod Bransgrove (the Hampshire chairman) would admit every country would want to play at Lord’s. The whole bidding system has been under review and there has to be a better way than a Dutch auction.

“Can we afford ground re-development? There has to be a feeling of space and greenery and we have to have faith in the architects, but I find it difficult to see how natural light can come into a development below the Nursery End. If that is not feasible, the whole thing isn’t. And I would hate Lord’s to become a concrete stadium.”


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And as someone who has been coming here for many years myself, it is easy to understand its attraction. On a warm, sunny day there is nothing better than cricket in this delightful setting.

It is a tradition of our calendar that we as a club want to maintain and uphold. As Christopher Martin-Jenkins, who knows Horsham better than most, mentions elsewhere in this brochure, 20 years ago some counties thought nothing about taking the game to five or six out-grounds a year.

It is not so long ago that Eastbourne and Hastings were on our own fixture list and I would love to return to either venue in the future, because cricket in the east of the county has always been well supported. If the venue, wicket and facilities meet the standards we require I sincerely hope it will happen.

We are committed to festival cricket as long as it is supported by spectators and the corporate sector. It works financially as long as the grounds can be allocated a one-day match, whether it is Twenty20, as was the case at Arundel this year, or a longer version of the limited overs game which we have at Horsham this week in the CB40.

It is one of the reasons why Sussex strongly opposed the reduction in home Twenty20 and 40 overs games that will

happen in 2012. As a non-Test match ground why wouldn’t we want to open our gates for those matches that make money, whether it’s Hove, Horsham, Arundel or elsewhere, as often as possible? My rather poor analogy is that it is like a High Street retailer closing on Saturdays or not opening for the weeks running up to Christmas.

Test match grounds have the opportunity to make a huge amount of revenue from staging international cricket so staging Twenty20 helps balance that disparity of income for other clubs like Sussex who wish to remain competitive. You only had to be here last year to gauge the Twenty20 popularity. It was probably the first time in the competition’s history that the start had to be delayed to allow everyone to get in. Let’s hope for a repeat this week.

For many people here this week the attraction is the more gentle rhythms of the County Championship and the visit of Worcestershire. I hope our visitors will enjoy the facilities and the town of Horsham itself and all it has to offer.

For the festival to be a continued success we are very appreciative of the work put in by the team here at Cricketfield Road. They do a great job and fortunately it has become a venue where the team has done well in the last few years.

Mushtaq Ahmed always bowled well here but it is such a fast-scoring ground which gives batsmen full value for their shots. Who can forget a year ago when our top four batsmen all made hundreds including two Horsham players, Chris Nash and Ben Brown.

I am planning to experience the Scarborough Festival for the first time when we head to Yorkshire later this month. I love visiting out-ground cricket and Scarborough, of course, has a wonderful reputation. Mind you, it will have to be something special to beat what we have here in Sussex.

Enjoy the week and I hope to bump into as many of you as possible during the next few days.

Jim May, Chairman

For many of our supporters, particularly those in West Sussex, Horsham week is their highlight of the summer

WHy SuSSex Are COMMitteD tO FeStivAl CriCket

9HOrSHAM FeStivAl 2011

Top left: Milestone, Joe Vine Bottom left: The Master, Jack Hobbs Top right: Spin wizard, Eddie Hemmings Bottom right: History maker, Kevin Innes

Six greAt gAMeS At HOrSHAMbruce talbot remembers six of the best games in the long history of first-class cricket at Horsham

1908June 15, 1908 and Sussex play their first county match at Cricketfield Road. For many years June, or even late May, was the traditional time for the county’s first out-ground cricket of the summer and that inevitably meant rain interruptions.There was no play in this game on the last day after Sussex had batted first and made 298. Three of the top four – Joe Vine, who passed 12,000 first-class runs in this match, and the Relf brothers Robert and Albert – made fifties while Charles Benham took 7 for 60 for Essex, the best figures of his career. Essex could only manage two overs of their reply before the rain intervened.

1934Jack Hobbs, acknowledged by many as the finest batsmen in the history of the game, was in search of his 200th first-class hundred when he arrived at Cricketfield Road but at 51 age had finally caught up with The Master. Sussex beat Hobbs’s Surrey by nine wickets and Hobbs made 34 and 79 in the second innings before he was run out. The Times’ journalist Dudley Carew noted: “Where before everything had been free and masterful, there was now an intolerable sense of strain and frustration. For the man that was made for greatness, greatness that day was not in him.” Two centuries were scored, though, by Sussex openers John Langridge and Jim Parks senior.

1983After a gap of 27 years Championship cricket returned to Horsham with a bang as Lancashire won a thrilling three-day tussle by 54 runs. Frank Hayes made 149 as Lancashire scored 312 for 6 and then Mike Watkinson took six wickets as Sussex plunged to 38 for 5 before recovering to make 230. Lancashire built on their lead of 82 by making 172 despite five wickets for Tony Pigott, leaving Sussex to chase 255 to win. They came up well short despite 75 from Paul Parker and were dismissed for 200 in 48.2 overs. Sussex captain John Barclay took his 250th first-class wicket in this game.


1992A game that began a day late because of rain was over by 3.25pm on the third after after Sussex’s veteran off-spinner Eddie Hemmings produced a master class to take match figures of 12 for 58, skillfully exploiting the rough outside the off stump to bemuse a succession of batsmen. Sussex’s 271 looked only par but Franklyn Stephenson removed both openers before stumps on the second day and on the Saturday morning Leicestershire lost seven wickets for 40 runs, five of them to Hemmings. Following on, they were in danger of making their lowest ever score against Sussex when they slumped to 40 for 9 before late resistance from Paul Nixon and Alan Mullally took them to 72 all out. Wisden sadly noted: “Disappointing crowds and poor commercial support increased fears that Sussex might soon scrap their annual visit to the north of the county.”

2004History was made when Sussex all-rounder Kevin Innes (a coach in Northamptonshire’s academy these days) became the first 12th man in first-class cricket to score a century. Under new ECB regulations, counties were allowed to nominate a replacement for England players and before James Kirtley, who had been released from the Test squad, could return to play Innes had become one of three batsmen alongside Richard Montgomerie and Matt Prior to score centuries as Sussex made 619, a new ground record. Prior went from 98 to 133 in ten balls while for opener Monty it was his third successive ton at Horsham. Mushtaq Ahmed then took centre stage, although Kevin Pietersen briefly threatened to upstage him with a 75-ball hundred. Mushy finished with match figures of 12 for 244, the best return by a Sussex spinner since Hemmings wrought havoc on the same ground a decade earlier.

2010One of Sussex’s easiest win in recent years came here a year ago as dispirited Derbyshire was despatched inside three days. And again Cricketfield Road was the scene of a record as Chris Nash, Ed Joyce, Ben Brown and Murray Goodwin all scored centuries, the first instance that had happened to Sussex’s top four batsmen and only the fourth occasion in first-class history and just the second since 1920. Derbyshire were rudderless without ill skipper Chris Rogers whose replacement Andrew Borrington made just two after he had flown down from a second-team game in Manchester to replace him. Derbyshire failed to take a bowling bonus point as Sussex established a lead of 334 before dismissing their visitors for 225 between the showers on the third day, Corey Collymore taking four wickets. “Men against boys” was the assessment of Derbyshire skipper Chris Rogers. He wasn’t wrong.


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Q What’s the best thing about playing for Sussex?A I think firstly the professionalism and that competitive edge. Obviously all teams have it but since I’ve been here I’ve seen real professionalism and that’s been the biggest aspect for me.Q Which cricketer do you play like the most?A I like to think that I’m different, but if I wanted to be someone I think I’d probably want to be skilful like Zaheer Khan. I don’t like to base myself on other people, I want to be the first Wayne Parnell rather than anyone else!Q Who was your cricketing hero as a youngster?A When I was growing up it was actually Gary Kirsten and Matthew Hayden. I think those two guys would be the ones as when I was younger, I was actually more of a batter. When I got into my teen years it was more left-armers like Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.Q Apart from The PROBIZ County Ground, Hove, which is your favourite ground to play at and why?A I think Newlands in Cape Town, that would definitely be right up there. It’s one of the most beautiful grounds in the world. Personally I also like Pretoria, I’ve done really well there internationally and hopefully when I go back there I can continue that.Q Who has the worst dress sense?A Definitely Chris Liddle, with all the cardigans that he wears! I think maybe sometimes he thinks he’s on the golf course rather than at a cricket ground!Q Who has the worst taste in music?A Amjad Khan tries to rival me to try and be a DJ so he’d have to be up there, he’s not as good as me though!

Q Who is the biggest joker in the squad?A Andrew Hodd. No doubt about that one!Q Who is the best trainer?A Probably Amjad, he’s done well as he’s now got a six pack and he didn’t have one before he came here! Q What are your other interests outside cricket?A I like DJ’ing and listening to music. I have an application on my iPad so when I’m chilling at home I like doing a bit of mixing. Q What’s the best advice you could give to an aspiring cricketer?A I think obviously hard work takes you places but also not trying too hard. I think what happens often is because young people are so eager to do well they actually try too hard and the screws come loose. The main thing is to know what you’re about and stay within those boundaries.Q What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far in your career?A Obviously when I first started I did really well but then I got injured and coming back from my injury I wanted to prove to everyone that I was back to where I was but by doing that I tried harder than I actually should have! I didn’t perform that well when I was coming back but now I’ve learned to tone it down, go back to basics and not think too hard.Q Who has been the biggest influence on your career?A Back home growing up it was Christo Esau, who was my junior coach up until under-19 level, then coming into the national team it was Vincent Barnes, the South African bowling coach who helped me a lot, not just on the field but also off the field, being both a friend and a coach. So those two would be the two people who have influenced my career the most.

WAyne’S WOrlD

Sussex’s new overseas player Wayne Parnell gives us his answers. Adam Matthews asks the questions.


All the talk in official cricket circles recently was cutting down the amount of County Championship cricket. To my mind it is foolish talk, for a number of reasons that include the uncertainty of the weather and the danger that festival cricket, the very essence of the county game, will become even rarer than it already is. Oh my Harrogate and my Buxton long ago. There was a time, and still is in the more enlightened counties, when the county coming to town was a big event, anticipated long in advance, relished while the cricket was in progress and reviewed with pleasure months later. Sometimes games are never forgotten, such as the one started and finished after a thunderstorm on the extraordinary opening day of the Tunbridge Wells week in 1960. Kent and Worcester began battle at11.30 am, Kent reaching 80 for four by lunch before being bowled out for 187 at 3.40pm. The left-handed Peter Jones made 73, very nearly as many as Worcestershire managed in their two innings of 25 and 61. Witnesses reported small craters appearing when the ball pitched, much to the liking of Dave Halfyard and Alan Brown, who took nine cheap wickets each. By 7.15 it was all over. Every now and then freak events occur and pitches are not what they should be for top-class cricketers. They are the exceptions to the general rule that county cricket is better tuned to small, intimate grounds than it is to echoing caverns like The Oval or Edgbaston, places that come alive on the big international occasion but that too often seem glum and empty when they play host to the homespun atmosphere of the County Championship game.County cricket flourishes, absorbs and excites in places such as here at Arundel and Abergavenny, Bath and Burton-on-Trent, Colchester and Colwyn Bay, Dover and Dudley, Eastbourne and Ebbw Vale. I shall not try to get to the end of the alphabet but there would not be many letters missing if I did. Many of the places that no longer get the chance to stage county cricket have quite beautiful grounds, and those that remain generally do so still. The cricket is characterised by a strong local spirit, while players and spectators are brought close together to the benefit of both. The surroundings, seldom far from a church or pub or both, are invariably adorned by old and beautiful trees that help the ball to

swing, not to mention shortish boundaries that encourage bats to do the same. Good weather usually guarantees good-sized crowds and a precious amalgam of tension and relaxation. We all know the reasons for the decrease in the number of festival games. All counties have more or less developed their main grounds, at an accelerated rate in recent years. Some of them have got into serious financial difficulties as a result. Once there has been investment at a county’s headquarters it makes sense to use that ground as often as the number of pitches will sensibly allow. Overheads are less expensive that way. The strong counter-arguments are that festival matches spread the gospel around the county, encourage local cricketers and cricket-watchers, make everyone feel part of the family of the game and give a focal point to the season for those clubs on whose grounds the county team comes to play. I know from the experience of my own local club, Horsham, how much that means to the members, many of whom get involved year after year in the nitty-gritty of preparing the pitches, making the teas, watering the flower-baskets, erecting the tents that go up round the ground and organising the arrangements for dealing with an invasion of cars and spectators. More than this, matches on out-grounds can still be great events for the town in question. I suppose I have been to one of these games without seeing the local Mayor in attendance on one or other of the days but if so I cannot remember it. There always seems to be a large black car with a pennant billowing out from the bonnet parked in a position of prominence with a driver at the ready (albeit with an eye and a half on the cricket) to whisk the VIP back to the town hall after a good lunch.At one match in Wales, in the glorious parkland setting of Pontypridd one wet day after play had been called off for the day and everyone had gone home, I promise you that the Mayor went ahead with his prepared lunchtime speech from the balcony, like Hitler at the Nuremberg rally, even though the field in front of him was empty and the handful of people who could actually hear him were all standing behind him, most of them invited journalists anxious not to waste the chance of a drink and some

Christopher Martin-Jenkins, the test Match Special commentator and former cricket correspondent of the times and the Daily telegraph, outlines why he is passionate in his support of the county cricket festival week

FeStivAl tiMe AgAinHOrSHAM FeStivAl 201114

free sandwiches. By the same token the Mayor was not going to miss the opportunity to make a speech. “I’ve prepared it, boy, so I’m damned well going to give it.”It was, of course, at another mining town, Ebbw Vale, that Emrys Davies called his partner Gilbert Parkhouse across at the end of the over to tell him that he had just tapped down the pitch with his bat on a length and had a nasty surprise. “I could have sworn I heard someone answering back from below,” he said.The fact is that if towns, cricket clubs and county executives all co-operate and appreciate the possibilities of festival games, they

will benefit everyone concerned. The local economy gets a boost from an influx of visitors, helping shops, pubs, hotels and garages amongst others; the county gets a guaranteed profit if its officials have negotiated sensibly; and the home club itself gets plenty back in bar takings and prestige. For me the likes of Aigburth and Basingstoke, not to mention more established favourites such as Cheltenham and Scarborough , are quintessential settings for the county game. Like the Championship itself the county festival weeks are a small but precious part of the English way of life.

Main Image: Horsham Left: Cheltenham Right: Tunbridge Wells


penthorpe.indd 1 22/07/2011 11:49:25

reCOrDS At HOrSHAMCounty Championship matchesHighest totals619-7 dec: Sussex v Nottinghamshire 2003600-6 dec: Warwickshire v Sussex 2004593: Derbyshire v Sussex 1998

Lowest totals35: Sussex v Glamorgan 194651: Leicestershire v Sussex 192457: Worcestershire v Sussex 1924

Highest individual scores262* Ian Bell, Warwickshire v Sussex 2004224 Phil Mead, Hampshire v Sussex 1921193 Chris Adams, Sussex v Durham 2007183 Ed Joyce, Sussex v Nottinghamshire 2009179 Dennis Brookes, Northamptonshire v Sussex 1948176 Ted Bowley, Sussex v Warwickshire 1925175* Jim Parks, Sussex v Cambridge University 1955174* David Sheppard, Sussex v Glamorgan 1953There have been a total of 99 first-class hundredsscored at Horsham

Highest partnership for each wicket294 (1st): Ed Joyce and Chris Nash, Sussex v Derbyshire, 2010289 (7th): Ian Bell and Tony Frost, Warwickshire v Sussex 2004254 (4th): Kim Barnett and Matt Cassar, Derbyshire v Sussex 1998243 (3rd): Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe, Surrey v Sussex 1995187 (2nd): Alan Green and Paul Parker, Sussex v Surrey 1985

Most wickets in a match17-106: George Cox, Sussex v Warwickshire 192613-68: Maurice Tate, Sussex v Nottinghamshire 192312-58: Eddie Hemmings, Sussex v Leicestershire, 199312-114: Maurice Tate, Sussex v Worcestershire, 192412-133: George Tribe, Northamptonshire v Sussex, 1952

Best bowling in an innings9-35: Vince Broderick, Northamptonshire v Sussex, 19489-50: George Cox, Sussex v Warwickshire 19268-18: Maurice Tate, Sussex v Worcestershire, 19248-30: Maurice Tate, Sussex v Glamorgan 19238-56: George Cox, Sussex v Warwickshire, 19268-68: Maurice Tate, Sussex v Kent 1927


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HOrSHAM – tiMe Well SPentHorsham is a gem in the very heart of West Sussex. this historic market town offers the best of both worlds with a rich history, architectural heritage, outstanding parkland and beautiful countryside. the other side of Horsham’s coin is its stunning town centre with pavement cafés, award winning floral displays, markets and a superb blend of specialist shops and famous names.produced by Forest, Denne and Trafalgar Neighbourhood Councils in partnership with Horsham District Council

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PlACeS tO StAy There is a superb range of visitor accommodation in and around Horsham from 5* country house hotels to excellent local bed and breakfasts, campsites to self- catering cottages. For further information contact Horsham Visitor Information Centre. Tel: 01403 21166 Email: [email protected] lOCAl AttrACtiOnS Country Houses & Gardens Parham House and Gardens (near Pulborough) www.parhaminsussex.co.uk St Mary’s House and Gardens (near Bramber) www.stmarysbramber.co.uk Petworth House (Petworth) www.nationaltrust.org.uk Nyman’s Gardens (Handcross) www.nationaltrust.org.uk FAMily AttrACtiOnS Holmbush Farm World, near Horsham. www.holmbushfarm.co.uk Huxley’s Birds of Prey Centre, near Horsham. www.flyingfalcons.co.uk Southwater Country Park: www.horsham.gov.uk/leisure/1103.aspx Fishers Farm Park, near Billingshurst. www.fishersfarmpark.co.uk FOr gOlFerS Rookwood, near Horsham. www.rookwoodgolfcourse.co.uk Mannings Heath Golf Club. www.manningsheath.com


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tHe beSt OF HOrSHAM’S PubliC Art 1 The Rising Universe (the Shelley Fountain) Bishopric2 The Horsham Heritage Sundial and bronze plinth The Forum3 Sungod (Sundial) Park House Garden4 St. Leonard’s Forest Dragon Horsham Park, Children’s maze5 William Pirie (the donkey and cart) Piries Place6 War Memorial Roundels Carfax7 Three Swans Sculpture and Mosaic Swan Walk8 Museum Gardens (the Millais Bronze) Horsham Museum9 West Sussex County Times Anniversary Sculpture Carfax, near bus stop10 Human Nature Garden Horsham Park

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The new Sussex Cricket Museum will open at 10.30 on 12th July during the LV Championship match with Hampshire.

Rob Boddie, our archivist is planning an Indian theme to coincide with the Indian tourists’ visit to Hove in August, whilst a more formal opening will take place next year when we will be opening all of our new exhibits, the highlights of which will include an area dedicated to Matt Prior, our double Ashes winning wicketkeeper.

The new museum is located in a wonderfully large space which used to be the groundsman’s headquarters beneath the pavilion at The PROBIZ County Ground. Our plan is to embrace a fresh-looking 21st century facility incorporating state of the

art technology, coupled with the traditional displays of original material and cricket artefacts.

In rough terms, the layout will consist of an office to house a selection of key reference material including Wisdens and our collection of Sussex Year Books. A secured archive area will house our more important and rare books and albums, scorecards, photographs, press cuttings, autographs and letters.

The main body of the museum will consist of the exhibition of the history of Sussex cricket with a people focussed timeline theme, covering cricket played in Sussex from the 18th century to Matt’s heroics in the Ashes 2010. It will cover the evolution of country house cricket to the development of the County Club (1839) through to the modern professional era and the second ‘Golden Age’ of Sussex cricket.

There will be a strong emphasis on participation. Indeed one section of the museum will be dedicated to interactive cricket-related games and skills specifically aimed at kids. Finally, we intend to develop an online virtual tour of the museum linking into both our archive and our interactive displays.

There is no question we are being very ambitious in our desire to have the best cricket museum in the country.

I know, with the enthusiasm and dedication of the Trustees, secretary Jon Filby and our archivist Rob Boddie we have a team to deliver the project to fulfilment. It is critical that we develop a regular income to sustain our annual overheads and with this in mind we have launched our new ‘Friends of SCMET’ programme.

All we ask is a minimum donation of £10 per year. In return, each year Friends will receive a minimum of four editions of “Of Sussex By The Sea”, two Sussex cricket related lectures in the Museum, an invitation to our annual lunch for the Friends of SCMET, priority opportunity to purchase SCMET limited edition publications and a programme of visits to historic cricket locations throughout Sussex and the South-East. If you would like to become a “Friend of SCMET” please contact our secretary, Jon Filby at [email protected].

neW HOMe FOr SuSSex treASureSthe county has the most extensive collection of memorabilia and cricketing artefacts outside lord’s and now they have a home to match as richard barrow explains

SCMET secretary Jon Filby and his team are working hard to get ready for the opening of the new museum on July 12.


nO regretSrobin Martin-Jenkins made his Sussex debut on his home ground at Horsham. A year after retiring, he tells Paul Weaver, of the guardian, that he is enjoying his new career in teaching.

Robin Martin-Jenkins is unlikely to forget his final match for Sussex at Hove in July last year. Supporters sang “RMJ My Lord” to the tune of Kumbaya.

“He’s old, he’s posh, he’s got a lot of dosh,” they chanted. After 16 summers in the county colours he deserved a bit of a fuss. The match was on TV too. “I know what it feels like to be Luke Wright for a day,” he grinned afterwards.

Martin-Jenkins, 35 , who is now teaching geography and religious studies at Hurstpierpoint College, says he doesn’t miss playing cricket that much. But Horsham week always brings a wave of nostalgia for the beanpole all-rounder.

“I used to go up to Cricketfield Road every Wednesday evening from the age of nine,” he says. “They had a junior cricket evening run by the famous Dr John Dew.

“I remember the excitement of playing there for Horsham for the first time, as a teenager, and in some of the Sussex junior matches.

“And then I made my Sussex debut there in a Sunday League match, in 1995. It felt wonderful to make my debut in surroundings that I was so familiar with, going out to bat or field and being cheered on by family and friends.

“It was on Sky TV as well, which was quite exciting in those days. And I remember getting Alec Stewart out, my first wicket for the club. That’s a really good memory. It was a filthy, leg-stump half-volley, from what I can remember, and he played a pretty average shot, straight to Keith Greenfield at midwicket, which was very nice of him.


“My real playing highlight was getting a 7 for 51 against Leicestershire, in 2002. But I never scored a hundred there, which was a disappointment.”

Robin and his wife, Flora, now live in Hove. But Horsham was the family home – his father, Christopher, now president of the MCC, still lives there with his wife, Judy.

“It’s such a lovely, sleepy, peaceful town. It was voted one of the best places to live in the UK some time ago,” said Robin. “And the club has been so well run over the years, largely because of the legendary Dr Dew. Hopefully his legacy will run for a good long time.”

What Robin most likes about Cricketfield Road is the festival atmosphere. “When you play in these out grounds everyone seems in a better mood, for some reason. Not just the players but the umpires and the coaches.

“Everyone seems to cheer up because there is a lighter atmosphere about the place. The same applies when we play

at other out grounds, like Scarborough. Everyone seems to be in a holiday mood.

“The smaller crowds often look bigger than they are and there is a special buzz. At Horsham it often felt like a big crowd because the ground is so compact.”

It helped, of course, that Sussex have enjoyed regular success at the Horsham

ground. “I always enjoyed playing there and Sussex always seemed to do well. I can’t remember losing there - I know we lost against Derbyshire one year, but I didn’t play in that game.

“I quite enjoyed bowling there. It bounced, a tennis ball bounce, and carried more than it did at Hove. And it often turned on the third and fourth days, which was fun when we had Mushy around.”

Robin played for Sussex between 1995 and 2010. He averaged 31.69 with the bat and 31.90 with the ball and the way he was playing at the end he needed only a few more matches to turn those figures the

“right” way round for an all-rounder.“I had the great fortune to land at the

right time. By that, I mean I played for Sussex when they had the best time in their history.

“From the history point of view that first championship in 2003 beat everything else. But the most exciting day was winning in 2007, when we had to hang around all

day waiting for the Surrey game to finish at The Oval before we knew we had won the Championship for the third time.

“I haven’t missed playing that much. I miss the dressing room side of things, to a certain extent. But I haven’t actually missed the playing.

“I’ve been back to watch a few times but I haven’t had the pangs to be out there again. So I think I made the right decision to stop when I did.

“I’m loving my second career, teaching. I come home every evening exhausted, but very happy. I haven’t had to use my brain in an intellectual capacity before.”

“i’ve been back to watch a few times but i haven’t had the pangs to beout there again. So i think i made the right decision to stop when i did.”


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DARYL MITCHELL

Worcesterhsire-born opening batsman who established himself in the side when the Pears won promotion to Division One in 2008, three years after his debut. Aged 27, he has scored nine first-class hundreds and averages just under 40. Appointed captain this season.

MATT PARDOE

20-year-old left-hander establishing himself at New Road this season. Has only played in nine first-class games but is already gaining a reputation as a hard-working batsman difficult to get out.

VIKRAM SOLANKI

Still a class act at 35, the former county captain has been one of the mainstays of Worcestershire’s batting for the last 15 years. Has scored more than 15,000 first-class runs and played 54 times for England: 51 ODIs and three T20 internationals. The prized scalp in the Worcestershire line-up.

MOEEN ALI

The 158 he made at New Road against Somerset a fortnight ago was his first for ten months, a surprising statistic given his

undoubted talent. Stylish left-hander who has been a thorn in Sussex’s side in the past.

ALEX KERVEZEE

One of only four players to have featured in a World Cup aged 17. Now 21, Dutchman Kervezee is establishing a reputation across all three formats as a hard-hitting middle order batsman. Has represented The Netherlands 41 times and domestically has scored four Championship hundreds.

JACK MANUEL

Birmingham-born left-hander who was offered a professional contract last year after impressing in Worcestershire’s Academy. Aged 20, he represented England under-19s against New Zealand in 2010.

GARETH ANDREW

Former Somerset all-rounder who has played some consistently good cricket since switching to New Road in 2007. Bowls seam at a decent pace and is developing into a more than capable lower-order batsman, although a maiden first-class century eludes him. Recently ended speculation about his future by signing a new two-year contract.

BEN SCOTT

Former Middlesex wicketkeeper who had a loan spell at New Road in 2010 before returning again this season. Aged 29, he is a stylish glove-man and capable batsman who narrowly missed out on a hundred in the corresponding fixture at Hove last season. The Pears hope to make his move permanent.

SAEED AJMAL

Pakistan off-spinner, 33, who has played 86 times for his country including 11 Tests. Joined Worcestershire this season as overseas player although his returns in county cricket so far have been fairly modest.

JACK SHANTRY

Shropshire-born seamer, aged 23, whose brother Adam has played for Glamorgan and Warwickshire. Has broken into the Championship side this season as Alan Richardson’s regular new-ball partner.

ALAN RICHARDSON

Veteran seamer finding a new lease of life at New Road after spells with Warwickshire and Middlesex. Has taken more than 40 Championship wickets this season and in the right conditions he will be a handful with his ability to move the ball through the air and off the seam.

JAMES CAMERON

Zimbabwe-born left-hander who has played in eight Championship games this season but struggled for consistency and was left out of the team for Worcestershire’s last two home four-day games against Hampshire and Somerset.

Meet tHe PeArSbruce talbot with the low-down on the Worcestershire squad

L: AndrewM: SolankiR: Mitchel


GLOBAL-FULL_PAGE.indd 2 12/07/2011 14:04

WelCOMe returnAlan richardson is looking forward to his third visit to hospitable Horsham, even if it means plenty of work for theWorcestershire seamer. By Paul BoltonWorcestershire seamer Alan Richardson is expecting a heavy workload over the four days of the LV County Championship match against Sussex if his previous experience of playing at Cricketfield Road is anything to go by.

Richardson was part of the Warwickshire side that specialised in high-scoring draws on their way to the County Championship title in 2004 including one at Horsham that featured 1,350 of them – including a career-best 262 from Ian Bell – but only 18 wickets.

“I remember the pitch being very flat and it was very hard work for the bowlers,” Richardson said. “I sat with my feet up for two days and I didn’t need to put my pads on.

“But the other two days I definitely had my bowling boots on. There was nothing at all in the pitch for the bowlers although it did a bit more when I played a second team match there for Middlesex in 2006 and we got a result in a rain-affected game thanks to some tasty declarations.”

Apart from the flat pitch Richardson remembers Horsham for the hospitality of the host club and the delightful setting.

“On both times I have played at Horsham we have been well looked after and Horsham is one of the better outgrounds on the circuit,” he said.

“During my time at Middlesex we played a lot of cricket at Uxbridge and Southgate which don’t quite evoke the same memories.

“We’ve just got back from playing Yorkshire at Scarborough where we had four fantastic days with big crowds in. I’m looking forward to going back to Horsham. Hopefully there will be more in the pitch for the bowlers this time, otherwise I will be calling for the spinners from an early stage.”

At 36 Richardson is in the twilight of his career but he is enjoying is cricket so much that he has just signed a new one-year contract extension.

He took 55 wickets last season to help Worcestershire secure a surprise immediate return to the top flight of the County Championship and was highly praised by director of cricket Steve Rhodes for the professionalism he brought to the dressing room.


Simon Parsons.indd 1 12/07/2011 09:50:52Simon Parsons.indd 1 12/07/2011 09:50:52

“If I am seen as a senior player it’s only because of my age,” Richardson said modestly. “I don’t get much respect in the dressing room. The youngsters keep reminding me that I am the oldest player in the squad.

“I think that Saeed Ajmal is going to be a key figure in the final weeks of the season if the pitches turn and he is going to be our figurehead.

“Since Damien Wright returned to Australia and Matt Mason retired bowlers like Gareth Andrew and Jack Shantry have taken on more responsibility and they have responded well.

“They’ve had to bowl more overs but we have worked well as a unit and if I am seen as the senior figure in the seam attack it’s just something that has happened.”

Richardson began his county career with Derbyshire in 1995 but he made only one first team appearance and was released at the end of the season after he found himself behind 12 other seam bowlers.

He spent the next three years working part-time as a landscape gardener while playing for Staffordshire in the Minor Counties Championship and club cricket for Little Stoke in the North Staffordshire/South Cheshire League.

Warwickshire spotted Richardson playing for the England Amateur XI and successful trials in 1998 led to him being offered second chance in county cricket.

“I’m enjoying my cricket as much as ever,” Richardson said. “It’s more like a fourth or fifth career than a second but I’m loving it.

“I’m probably going to end up finishing my career with Worcestershire but it’s a good place to be at the moment.”

Richardson was interviewed for the job as cricket professional at Bromsgrove School after he left Middlesex two years ago but is pleased that he accepted Worcestershire’s offer to extend his county career.

“There’s a high level of professionalism at the club at the moment and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time that I have spent with the club,” he said.

“Before I joined Worcestershire they had been in the First Division three times and been relegated after one season each time.

“When we went up last season we probably surprised a few people. We came up with the sole objective of staying up and so far we have been competitive and surprised a few people and we might have won a couple more games than we have.”



Fun tiMe FrAnkie

It was Hollywood fantasy at its star spangled flag-waving best as Kevin Costner - driven by the haunted whispers of former baseball legends telling him: “If you build it, they will come” - constructed a ‘diamond’ amongst the fields on his farm.

On the face of it, the plotline to the 1989 movie Field of Dreams appears far fetched and a touch dewy-eyed. Yet it is the exact same dream that inspired Franklyn Stephenson, the one-time Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Sussex all-rounder, to build his own cricket pitch barely a six-hit from his home in Holders Hill, Barbados. It was 90 degrees in the shade when Franklyn proudly showed me his cricket ground in the making.

Taking up the story that led to the fulfilment of his dream, Franklyn said: “A friend of mine, Tim, came for some golf lessons one day and said he had this little plot of overgrown land that he’d like me to look at. He wanted me to see if there was anything I might do with it because he was told that ‘I could do anything’.

“When I first saw the area I was very excited because I could see immediately the potential of it. There was a big bank that needed taking out and bamboo was growing wild, but I could picture a playing field here and a pavilion over in the corner. I felt it could be nice enough to have kids playing here every night and good enough to attract some touring teams.

“I knew it needed a lot of work, but Tim graciously said he’d finance the project if I’d manage it. Our hope was to have the facilities in place for county teams to come over from England, that’s been my focus, my plan, my dream if you like.

“Having spent a lot of time in England I know the guys don’t have the best weather for pre-season training and felt that Barbados could offer the ideal alternative.

“I had the idea as long ago as 1995 when I spoke to Phil Neale, who was manager at Warwickshire then, who said if the facilities were good enough then counties would come. So this is a dream come true for me and yes, that Kevin Costner film has come into my mind so many times since we started building this place.”

Though he could have been a star baseball player in his own right, Stephenson admits his secret love in sport rests with golf. After first picking up a club at the age of seven at home in Barbados, it needed the east coast links courses of Lancashire to finally inspire him to take up the game in earnest.

He said: “I played all sorts of sports as a kid cricket, soccer, chipping around the sports field with a wedge, and I was tennis champion of my area; mainly because I had a massive serve that could pin guys onto the wire fencing at the back of the court!

the last player to complete the domestic first-class double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season, Franklyn Stephenson won friends the world over for playing combative cricket with a dazzling smile. After three happy years with Sussex the amiable man-mountain retired in 1997 to become a golf professional in his native barbados and eventually fulfil the dream of building his own cricket ground and practice facility. He spoke to Mark Pennell

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“Cricket was my early passion though and I’d gone over to England for the first time in 1984 to play league cricket in Oldham and that’s when I first played golf properly.

“I returned to Barbados after that summer with two sets of golf clubs, a practice net and with the intention to work had at it, but back then golf was a very expensive game here on the island, on certain courses it still is, so I decided to stick with cricket for a while and then, once cricket was done, get so good at golf that the game actually paid me.

“I was already playing off scratch by then and represented Barbados at golf in 1986 and 1987 Caribbean Championships. My performances were good enough to attract a sponsor which, unbeknown to me, contravened the rules. It was an honest mistake, but they took my pro status away for six months because of it.”

Riled by the decision, Stephenson contacted the European branch of the Professional Golfers Association, flew to their headquarters at the Belfry near Birmingham, formulated a

constitution and returned home to found the PGA of Barbados. He added: “From 1988 I had my PGAB playing card and

travelled around the world playing cricket and golf. Then, when cricket was over for me, I returned home and took up a job as resident professional at Sandy Lane.

“I don’t earn a fortune, but I love my golf and it is a very relaxing way of life.”

Banned from Test cricket after taking part in rebel tours to South Africa in the early 1980s, Stephenson reserved his best for the county arena and for Nottinghamshire in particular - he achieved the double for the east Midlands’ side in 1988.

However, he also looks back fondly on his three seasons at Hove, and playing through the pain barrier for Sussex.

“As a fast bowler you’re always going to be hampered by injury but thinking about it now I think I did fantastically well to stay on the park as long as I did,” said Stephenson, the undisputed king of the slower ball.

“I think only Courtney Walsh could match me in that regard, we both found a way of bowling through it and staying out there through thick and thin.

“I remember a game against Leicestershire when I had to strap up my right shoulder to bowl. David Gower and Peter Willey were

batting and as I ran in Willey backed away all of a sudden. The strapping had come loose and was flapping around under my shirt and jumper. I pulled it all off, gave it to the umpire, carried on bowling and took five wickets.

“The game was never dead for me. There was always something to get out of a match, which was the beauty of being an all-rounder I guess.”

As for his three summers in Hove, where he was twice named cricketer of the year by the Sussex branch of the Cricket Society, Stephenson added: “It was always so dry down on the south coast that it seemed like the flattest pitch in England, as a consequence, we had a problem getting positive results there.

“I could never get between Norman Giffford and Alan Wells and get them to try and open up the home games. We beat Surrey at The Oval inside two days when they had seven batters in the top 20 of the averages. The pitch there had some life and a little movement.

“Then we went to Northampton and beat them in two days when Allan Lamb told his team-mates that he reckoned I was trying to kill him. Later on, we beat Leicestershire in two days at Grace Road as well.

“I turned to the management at Sussex and said this is what happens if we play on wickets with a bit of life and bounce, but Alan (Wells) didn’t want that. He wanted flat pitches at Hove and I felt that held us back from winning things.

“The highlight was beating the West Indies inside two days and half-a-session, but we didn’t realise all that we should as a team. I still enjoyed my time there though, we bought youngsters through like James Kirtley and Danny Law and I got on really well with Peter Moores.

“I can’t say I was big mates with David Smith though, there was a clash of two strong minds if ever there was one, and there were times when people had to get between us but, when I reflect on it, I played some of my best cricket there.”

In this era of covered pitches, and Twenty20 overkill it seems unlikely that any cricketer will ever emulate Stephenson’s achievement of completing the first-class double. Maybe that’s why his smile remains as broad as ever.

“As a fast bowler you’re always going to be hampered by injury but thinking about it now i think i did fantastically well to stay on the park as long as i did.”

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HOrSHAM MeMOrieS By John BarnettNow I may not be one of the more celebrated “Dew-drops”, and I never got to play on the main pitch, but passing through Horsham Cricket club’s junior section naturally gives Cricketfield Road and its annual festival a special meaning. A different type of ground from Arundel, it is one of the most picturesque on the circuit, and remains a wonderful advert for out-ground cricket.

My first ever cricket match was at Horsham, in 1989 when Essex comfortably won a Refuge Assurance Sunday League match. Essex featured familiar England names in Graham Gooch, Neil Foster, John Childs, and Derek Pringle was on the card but did not play, however it was with the then-uncapped and lesser known Waugh twin Mark taking four catches that caught my eye, as I wondered if he might play for Australia one day too…

A common factor in my first several years in the county championship was the opposition tail wagging; Lancashire’s Paul Allott and Graeme Fowler - batting at number eight after suffering a head injury fielding on the first morning - turned 224/8 into 320 all out before Sussex collapsed to an eventual nine-wicket defeat. A year later, Essex were back at Cricketfield Road and an excellent fielding display saw them reduced to 173/7, before another former England bowler Neil Foster notched up his maiden first-class century to earn maximum batting points, aided by Alistair Fraser‘s maiden fifty.

1994 saw Lancashire back again and just as captain Alan Wells would have been debating whether or not to enforce the follow-on, last wicket pair Mike Watkinson and Peter Martin’s century stand saved Wells the decision. Sussex won this one, but not before Wasim Akram’s astonishing 98 had turned an apparently tame draw into a thrilling final session, he being the last man out as the Red Rose fell 50 runs short. The following year, the home side needed some late, late resistance of their own as number 11 Jason Lewry survived 71 deliveries to save the match with Surrey. Lewry must have wondered how it had come to this after his three wickets in four balls on day one had reduced the visitors to 117/7.

And most galling of all had to be 1997, when near neighbours Kent wrestled unlikely control on the third afternoon courtesy of last man Ben Phillips and Steve Marsh, to leave Sussex - Richard Montgomerie


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depleted following the turmoil of the winter, but unbeaten in the championship - with just the draw to play for on the final day, which to their credit, they almost managed.

The championship-winning years all featured comprehensive home victories, Mushtaq Ahmed not surprisingly enjoying some very fruitful days, one of the highlights being 2003 when after a run-feast for the first three days, Sussex dismantled the Nottinghamshire batting on the final morning en route to a ten-wicket triumph. Mushy took six scalps, including a brilliant one-handed slip catch from Tony Cottey to dismiss Kevin Pietersen cheaply.

Pietersen produced a typically pugnacious, century in the first innings, but that was eclipsed four years later by a master-class from Chris Adams on the Saturday. The skipper fell seven runs short of a double century as Durham were crushed by an innings.

One man with happy memories of this venue is Richard Montgomerie, having reeled off three centuries and two fifties, including carrying his bat in 2002 against Leicestershire, a match also significant for a bowler from each side taking seven wickets in an innings - Robin Martin-Jenkins on his home patch, and Devon Malcolm.

But they were not the first magnificent sevens in that particular fixture, as a quite phenomenal performance from Eddie Hemmings in 1993 hurried Sussex to an innings victory inside three days, despite the first being washed out. The hosts only recorded a

moderate 271, but just over 24-hours later, the 44-year-old had followed up his 5/27 with 7/31.

For me though, my two most memorable days came in limited overs cricket, and in starkly contrasting weather. The post-revolution team of 1997 had not won a Sunday League game thus far, and would have been outsiders at tea after a strong Kent side had posted 220/9, but a perfectly timed chase on a sun-drenched afternoon was sealed in the final over, with an unbeaten century from “Barnacle” Bill Athey.

Nine years on, and a C&G group game with Somerset was reduced to 24 overs a side and in pursuit of 159, the Sharks were in a mess at 16/4, but recovered to 66/4 when the rain returned. With Somerset well ahead on the Duckworth Lewis and any revised target likely to do Sussex no favours, it looked like the game was up, but a seriously concerted effort by ground staff and plenty of volunteers got the game back on with 122 needed off 17 overs. Matt Prior was out straightaway, but Martin-Jenkins and an emerging Luke Wright launched a thrilling assault to reach the finishing line with 10 balls to spare. They should have engraved Sussex’s name on the trophy there and then.

As with all out-grounds, how much longer the festival will last is unknown, but there can be few in the country that hold that link between junior and county cricket so evidently….but then I might be a little biased.John Barnett commentates on cricket for BBC Radio Sussex

Left Luke WrightRight Bill Athey


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A SPeCiAl exPerienCeCounty cricket has been played at Cricketfield road for 103 years and some of the greats of the game have played here while the club continues to flourish, as Martin read discovered.Horsham has hosted county matches since 1908 when Essex were the first visitors and sizeable crowds have been enthralled by famous players down the years. In 1934 51- year-old Jack Hobbs retired after being run out at Horsham. Much later Viv Richards kept wicket for Somerset in a one-day game. Numerous other international players have provided rich entertainment down the years.

But it is Horsham’s own sons like the Coxes and Oakes that really won local hearts. Long serving Sussex professionals George Cox Senior and Junior between them played over one thousand matches for the county, scoring almost 38,000 runs and taking over 2,000 wickets. Stalwart Sussex all-rounders Charlie and Jack Oakes were born in the cottage on the ground, now sadly derelict. Father, Alfred, played for Horsham and was groundsman for 47 years. Charlie once hit a six into his own garden and on retirement took over his father’s duties.

Horsham has contributed a steady stream of players to the county side. More recently Chris Nash, playing with his brother Mark (their father Nick is the club squash coach), and Will Beer have both captained the club. Andrew Hodd, Robin Martin-Jenkins, Carl Hopkinson and Michael Thornely all played for Horsham and Sussex in the last decade while Australian test cricketers Tim May and David Hussey were overseas players at the club. Horsham has now entered into a partnership with Cricket New Zealand enabling a promising Horsham cricketer to develop his game there during our winter in exchange for Horsham recruiting an emerging Kiwi player for our season.

Horsham Cricket Club was founded in 1771 when George III was on the throne and America was still ours. Bats were curved and heavy, bowling was underarm and scores were notches on a stick. East Grinstead were our first opponents and 240 years later the two sides are still competing in the Sussex Premier League, which Horsham has won eight times. They have also won the cup competition on a record 11 occasions. 2005 was a particularly proud year when they carried off the Cockspur Cup at Lord’s, with all but one of Horsham’s team graduating through the coaching system. Today’s young side uphold the club’s tradition of playing challenging cricket.


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The present ground was established in 1851 when a Sussex team played a side from Surrey. Originally, the pavilion stood by the footbridge over the railway. The ground had previously been covered by Horsham barracks occupying around 12 acres, part of the build-up of military bases during the Napoleonic threat. The range of buildings included eight blocks housing 2,000 troops, surrounded by the parade ground, a hospital, guardhouse and stabling.

Today, four Horsham men’s sides play on Saturdays, one on Sundays and Thursdays and there is a Ladies’ team and matches for colts and girls in age groups from under 9 upwards. The extensive new practice area, opened by Christopher Martin-Jenkins, is very popular with over 200 boys and girls receiving coaching through the week, with mini cricket for 5–8 year olds providing a fun and informal introduction to the game.

Each season Horsham hosts a number of Sussex second XI games, various schools tournaments and local knockout finals. With so much cricket a second ground was essential and in 1971 the John Dew ground was opened alongside the established playing area at Cricketfield Road. The late John Dew, a local

doctor, captained Horsham and was its visionary president for more than 40 years.

Tennis, hockey and squash plus a variety of social functions are also vital elements at this family-orientated club. But it is the annual County Cricket Festival that attracts by far the biggest crowd of any event held in the town. Horsham committee man Barry Peay marshals a 60 strong army of groundsmen, stewards, office staff, caterers, bartenders and volunteers working long

hours to prepare the ground, put up fencing, seating and marquees and provide electricity, water, toilets, first aid and other amenities for the comfort of up to 3,000 spectators. The aim is always to provide a special Horsham experience.

TMS commentator Henry Blofeld was married in nearby St Mary’s Church and there are few more pleasant approaches to any ground from a town centre than down Horsham’s Causeway through the churchyard and across the river. Outground county cricket is an endangered species. Horsham’s festival has an enduring appeal that is well worth preserving. Long may it continue to be savoured.

“there are few more pleasant approaches to any ground from a town centre than down Horsham’s Causeway through the churchyard and across the river.”


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Q What’s the best thing about playing for Sussex?A I live about thirty seconds from the ground, which is quite nice! It’s close to the sea, there’s a good bunch of lads and it’s a great place to play cricket.

Q Which cricketer do you play like the most?A I’d like to say Sachin Tendulkar! But probably somebody like Graeme Swann, as I like to play with a smile on my face and have a bit of a laugh.

Q Who was your cricketing hero as a youngster?A Probably Shane Warne, I used to love watching him as a youngster so he’d definitely be the one. There were a few batsmen too, I enjoyed watching Michael Slater and the way he played and scored quickly. So I used to try and copy him, and I liked his kit!

Q What has been your greatest moment in a Sussex shirt?A I’ve been lucky enough to have a few really. I’d have to say winning the Twenty20 in 2009 was a real highlight. Obviously the Championship in 2007, as well as the

Pro40 in 2009 which was a huge thing for me, as I played a key role in it and made a big contribution.

Q Apart from The PROBIZ County Ground, Hove, which is your favourite ground to play at and why?A Lord’s, even though everybody says it. Just a great place to play, always a great atmosphere even if there’s only a few in the ground. And of course good food!

Q Who is the worst dancer in the squad on a night out?A Chris Liddle. I don’t really need to say anymore than that. He’s Northern and terrible!

Q Who has the worst dress sense?A Ollie Rayner, he wears the worst clothes in the world. He gets everything on mail order and it never quite works out!Q Who has the worst taste in music?A Everyone says me, but that’s rubbish! I reckon Amjad Khan tried to take me down as DJ but he was awful. It was all trancie and cool, that’s not what I’m about!Who is the biggest joker in the squad?I’d say Luke Wright, he’s always mucking about and got a smile on his face.

Q Who is the best trainer?A Probably Amjad, he’s done well as he’s now got a six pack and he didn’t have one before he came here!

Q What are your other interests outside cricket?A I love playing golf, and I love being down here and spending time by the sea. I like playing a bit of squash from time to time too.

Q What’s the best advice you could give to an aspiring cricketer?A Work hard and enjoy your cricket every time you play it, as it really is a great game. Have no regrets.

Q Who has been the biggest influence on your career?A There’s two really, a guy called John Dew who was President at Horsham. He got me into cricket to begin with. And I’d also say Les Lenham here at Sussex, who has worked with me tirelessly since the moment I first started here. Those two guys are quite old school in the way they’ve done things and they’ve given me the best basic advice to get me going.

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greAt Fun tO PlAy AnD greAt Fun tO WAtCHtest Match Special’s Jonathan Agnew remembers his own experience of out-ground cricket and argues that festival cricket has to be nurtured by the counties

I’m a real lover of county festival cricket, for the simple reason that it’s great fun to watch and great fun to play in. During my own playing career with Leicestershire (it’s funny - some people these days have totally forgotten that this ever happened!) I had the great fortune to try to bowl fast on a succession of slow, low club grounds at festival weeks.

Only kidding. The county cricket festival is a traditional part of the English game which needs to be nurtured and supported. It brings the county side to venues at which the staging of senior cricket is important for the continued growth and health of the game. It would be no good to anyone if county teams simply played all the time at their main headquarters.

The very essence of festival cricket is that the county’s best players get closer to their public. I can remember fielding on the boundary during county cricket weeks and the banter and the atmosphere is always different at the more intimate grounds where festival matches are held. Ladies Day at Canterbury Week might not be typical, as most county festivals are more prosaic than that, but tents around the boundary, jazz bands playing in the lunch interval, champagne corks popping and picnic baskets packed with goodies are all part of the fare you still mercifully see on many parts of the county circuit.

I am of course too modest simply to recall here some of my own performances at cricket weeks but I do remember with affection playing at places such as Cheltenham, Scarborough and The Mote in Maidstone. At Tunbridge Wells, in 1981, a certain David Gower made a lovely hundred for Leicestershire against Kent – which I always thought was appropriate, not just because of the beautiful setting but because Gower had been born in Tunbridge Wells, which is not widely known.

The fact that I was very much a bystander in that particular contest – it was rain-affected, two innings were forfeited, I bowled just two overs and was bowled for nought by Derek Underwood in Leicestershire’s only innings – does not lessen my affection at the memory of appearing at the picturesque Nevill Ground.

David Gower in action


There are other festival grounds I recall fondly from my playing days: The Saffrons in Eastbourne, the Pen-y-pound ground at Abergavenny, Dean Park in Bournemouth, Queen’s Park in Chesterfield, and the Wagon Works Ground at Gloucester where, in 1988, Leicestershire won a fierce low-scoring game on a seaming pitch against a Gloucestershire side who were spearheaded by David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, Terry Alderman and Kevin Curran.

Our first innings score of 189 remained the highest of the match, but luckily our seam attack in those days was not too bad – Phillip DeFreitas, the rapid West Indian George Ferris, Chris Lewis plus myself – and we ended up winning by 60-odd runs.

North Marine Road, Scarborough, will always be a favourite ground of mine for the simple reason that I made my highest first-class score of 90 there in 1987, against Yorkshire obviously, before being denied a maiden hundred by Paul Jarvis, who had me caught at the wicket by dear old David Bairstow.

They are great memories to have, though, and it is the spirit of festival week cricket which I think best sums up its timeless appeal. During rain interruptions on Test Match Special, the conversation often turns to incidents during games past. One of the funny stories I’ll always remember is of the time a match was held up by a mole burrowing up through the surface of the pitch. I’m sure it didn’t happen during a festival week first-class game… but perhaps it could easily have done.

Jonathan Agnew


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MADe in SuSSexOn April 11, 1973 Sussex and barbados opening batsman geoff greenidge set an unwanted record by becoming the last white, Caribbean-born player to appear for the West indies - some 38 years on the softly-spoken bajan is still hoping to see an end to the trend. He spoke about West indies’ cricket and his eight seasons with the Martlets to Mark Pennell

Geoff Greenidge gets to enjoy the best view in the ground whenever cricket is played at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

As a former Test player he merits a seat right behind the arm in the CLOBI corporate hospitality box on the top tier of the 3Ws Stand.

As a Cricket Legend of Barbados inductee, the 63-year-old appears right at home sipping a rum and coke, sharing banter with former team-mates and casting an eye over proceedings.

It all seems a million miles away from a blustery spring day in Hove, yet Greenidge recalls his time on the south coast fondly, and with a smile accentuated by his Barbados tan.

“My move to play for Sussex all came about through Jim Parks,” he recalled. “England were over in Bridgetown in early 1968 and Jim was keeping wicket.

“I opened the innings for Barbados against the MCC, as they were then, and he obviously liked what he saw. Jim and a couple of Sussex committee men later approached me and asked if I’d like to play county cricket. I decided I’d love to give it a go, it would be a new experience and, as it turned out, they were a wonderful club to play for, real friendly.

“The adjustment the first week or so was incredible, it was much, much colder than I’d imagined but the ball did so much more and I struggled a bit that first season. The travelling and the sheer number of matches took me aback, it was a real learning experience, but the players made me feel really welcome.

“Toward the end of that first summer I spent a lot of time in the indoor school with Les Lenham just trying to change my technique to suit the English conditions and after that, things went pretty good. Geoff Greenidge in his heyday

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“The one game for Sussex that really stood out for me was our five-wicket win over the Australians at Hove in 1972. I scored 99 in the first innings but followed it up with 125 not out. It was the third time I’d been out on 99, but I made up for it by helping us to beat the tourists. It was a great day, but an even better evening.

“They were good people at Sussex. The likes of Peter Graves, John Snow, Antony and Mike Buss, Roger Prideaux, Tony Greig and Mike Griffiths, they were all great to be around. Peter and I became very close friends.

“We came close to winning the Gillette Cup, but it proved a big disappointment to lose to Gloucestershire at Lord’s. I scored 70-odd against Mike Procter steaming in. We had a good start but our middle-order fell away. To this day I still day dream about the what-ifs.

“Both my children, Steven and Amanda, were born in England and we toyed with the idea of making Sussex our home, but my dad wanted me to play a bigger role in our family business Greenidge Inc. - a wholesale plumbing and electrical distributors in Barbados – I’m still working for the firm to this day, more of a figurehead now though as my son is the No1.”

During his time with Sussex Greenidge was called up by the West Indies’ selectors and was rightly proud to have played alongside some of his nation’s greats. It still irks, however, that he was cast aside after five appearances and never given an opportunity to play on their tour to England in 1973.

“I’d played all three Tests of the home series against Australia in ‘72/73 and they were going to the UK next up,” added Greenidge, in his soft Bajan drawl.

“I hoped I’d just done enough to get in the touring party, but went back to play for Sussex after being left out. Oddly enough, Lawrence Rowe picked up an injury and went home early, and again, I hoped I’d get the call as I was actually over in England by then.

“But they (the selectors) called up Ron Headley from Worcestershire instead. I knew then my Test days were probably over. It was very upsetting and in some ways I lost a bit of an edge from my game after

Recalling happier memories of his top-flight appearances, Greenidge said: “My first Test cap was in Guyana against New Zealand. I’d made some runs in the lead up and had an inkling I might be in with a chance. That still didn’t prepare me for when I actually got the call from the selectors though, it was still a wonderful surprise and a great honour to be called up.

“I went out to Guyana and felt very nervous, but Sir Garfield, he was plain old Gary then of course, put me at ease straight away. He was a great captain and has always been a good man and a friend to me.

“When we arrived at Bourda for the game the ground was packed and we decided to bat first. I walked out with Roy Fredericks, he was the senior pro of course, and the ovation was remarkable.

“Roy was a great batsman. He was light on his feet and played the ball very late, which made him good against the quicks. He was such a nice person and very helpful to the youngsters coming into the side like me.

“Their attack was useful, but not outstanding, and it turned out to be quite a good series. In that first game I managed to get into line for my first ball, work it away and get off the mark straight away, which helped settle the nerves a great deal.

“It was a good wicket and a high-scoring game. I got a half-century and 30-odd not out second time around and I remember Glenn Turner getting a very big score for them [259] as it ended up in a draw.”

Greenidge posted 38 and 21 in his second Test appearance, another hard fought draw in Port-of-Spain, and felt he had done enough to win selection for the squad to take on the Australian touring team in February 1973. It was, he recalled, a very different proposition to taking on the Kiwi attack.

“This was a totally different ball game altogether,” said Geoff. “We pitched up at Sabina Park and they had Max Walker and Jeff Hammond and this other wiry ‘fella’ called Dennis Lillee, who had this enormous great run-up. Some say it’s an old housewives’ tale, but he truly was pushing off from the sightscreen. It was quite a sight and an amazing experience to face up to.

“They got a decent score on the board, 400-odd, then, after about three overs I got a duck in my only innings of the game. Oddly enough though, it was Walker who got me out and who gave us most trouble as a team. He was deceptively quick off a much shorter run-up than Lillee, but he also got the ball to swing.”

“the one game for Sussex that really stood out for me was our five-wicket win over the Australians at Hove in 1972. i scored 99 in the first innings but followed it up with 125 not out.”


Back on his home island for the second Test of that series at Bridgetown, Greenidge mustered nine and 10 not out, in another creditable draw for the West Indies against an Aussie side that boasted the Chappell brother, Keith Stackpole, Ian Redpath and Rod Marsh in their number.

“They were an impressive outfit in terms of their cricket ability, but talk about sledging - they were the masters of it!” said Greenidge with a wry smile.

“Most of what they hurled at you was unprintable, but that was all part and parcel of the game and I quickly had to get used to it. I soon learned it was best not to take them on at it too. But to be fair to them, we all shared a beer at the end of the day. ”

Geoff and the West Indies returned to Guyana for the third and final rubber of the series, which also proved to be his final appearance for the Test side. He chalked up 22 and 24 as the hosts went down by 10 wickets to lose the series. The hurt of defeat and being cast aside by the selectors lingers to this day.

And as for the record he so wants to be rid of, Geoff concludes: “The white guys over here have genuine ability, but many of them leave the Caribbean to study in the States where they take up squash, golf or soccer, they don’t seem to follow up on their cricket careers.

“It’s disappointing because it’s a record I’d really like to lose. It’s not a stigma as such, but it would be a big boost for the white lads at schools all over the islands to see a white player back in the West Indies’ team. I hope it happens for them, more than for me.”

Geoff Greenidge faced a young Dennis Lillee during his brief Test career in the early 1970s

Inset: Geoff pictured in Barbados earlier this year.

SuSSex reSultS & FixtureS 2011ResultsLV=CC Lancashire A L inns & 55 runsLV=CC durham A W 2 wktsCB40 Lancashire H drawnCB40 derbyshire A L 6 wktsCB40 netherlands H W 5 wktsLV=CC Hampshire A drawnCB40 Middlesex H W 9 wktsLV=CC nottinghamshire H W 9 wktsCB40 derbyshire H W 8 wktsLV=CC Somerset H W 8 wktsCB40 Kent A W 19 runs

uni oxford MCCu A drawnLV=CC Yorkshire H drawnt20 essex H W 32 runst20 gloucestershire A W 7 wktst20 essex A W 17 runst20 Middlesex H L 5 wktst20 Somerset H W 4 wktst20 Middlesex A W 49 runst20 Kent no resultLV=CC Warwickshire h Lost by 8 wktst 20 gloucestershire h Won by 6 wkts

t 20 Surrey a Lost by 18 runst 20 glamorgan h Won by 4 wktst 20 Kent a Won by 15 runst 20 Hampshire h Lost by 112 runst 20 Surrey h Won by 11 runsLV=CC Warwickshire a Lost by an innings & 43 runsCB40 Worcestershire a Won by 8 wktsCB40 Yorkshire h Won by 76 runsCB40 netherlands a

Date Type Opponent H/A VenueAugust Tue 2nd - Fri 5th LV=CC Somerset Away TauntonSat 6th - Mon 8th t20 t20 Quarter-Finals Wed 10th - Sat 13th LV=CC Worcestershire Home Horsham Sun 14th CB40 Worcestershire Home HorshamWed 17th - Sat 20th LV=CC Yorkshire Away ScarboroughSun 21st CB40 Yorkshire Away ScarboroughTue 23rd FL CB40 Kent Home HoveThu 25th TOM1 India Home HoveSat 27th t20 t20 Finals Day Edgbaston Mon 29th CB40 Middlesex Away Lord’sWed 31st - Sat 3rd LV=CC Durham Home HoveSeptember Sun 4th Sep CB40 CB40 Semi-Finals Wed 7th - Sat 10th LV=CC Worcestershire Away WorcesterMon 12th - Thu 15th LV=CC Nottinghamshire Away Trent BridgeSat 17th Sep CB40 CB40 Final Lord’s

Fixtures

LV=CC LV= County Championship | t20 Friends Life t20 | CB40 CB40 Clydesdale Bank 40 | toM 1 tourist match | uni university | FL Floodlit


SuSSex AverAgeS 2011Sussex batting averagesPlayer Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 0 4s 6sMW Goodwin 10 18 3 806 274* 53.73 1588 50.75 2 2 1 96 0MJ Prior 3 4 1 148 97* 49.33 232 63.79 0 1 0 19 0EC Joyce 10 18 1 838 140 49.29 1582 52.97 2 5 1 119 1OP Rayner 3 6 2 173 62* 43.25 359 48.18 0 2 0 22 0LWP Wells 10 19 2 730 174 42.94 1565 46.64 3 0 2 109 3CD Nash 10 19 0 799 120 42.05 1406 56.82 1 7 1 109 3LJ Wright 4 7 0 237 116 33.85 376 63.03 1 0 1 33 1Naved Arif 3 6 2 135 100* 33.75 277 48.73 1 0 1 11 4JS Gatting 3 5 0 154 90 30.80 262 58.77 0 1 1 21 0WA Adkin 1 2 1 29 29* 29.00 102 28.43 0 0 1 3 0MH Yardy 4 5 1 103 62* 25.75 280 36.78 0 1 0 8 2AJ Hodd 8 14 3 270 67 24.54 668 40.41 0 1 1 26 0Naved-ul-Hasan 9 13 1 186 43* 15.50 239 77.82 0 0 1 19 8BC Brown 4 8 0 92 61 11.50 240 38.33 0 1 4 10 0JE Anyon 9 12 1 104 51 9.45 277 37.54 0 1 4 13 0A Khan 8 11 3 74 13 9.25 231 32.03 0 0 0 6 0MS Panesar 10 13 5 66 17* 8.25 303 21.78 0 0 0 5 0WD Parnell 1 - - - - - - - - - - - -KO Wernars 1 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sussex bowling averagesPlayer Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 5 10 Ct StKO Wernars 1 1 8.5 5 13 2 2/13 2/13 6.50 1.47 26.5 0 0 1 0MS Panesar 10 15 481.4 145 1168 42 5/89 7/134 27.80 2.42 68.8 1 0 2 0LJ Wright 4 3 49.0 8 146 5 3/54 3/54 29.20 2.97 58.8 0 0 0 0JE Anyon 9 15 262.1 24 1034 35 5/136 8/156 29.54 3.94 44.9 1 0 2 0WD Parnell 1 2 38.0 6 120 4 3/60 4/120 30.00 3.15 57.0 0 0 0 0Naved Arif 3 3 62.4 8 261 8 4/70 4/70 32.62 4.16 47.0 0 0 0 0Naved-ul-Hasan 9 13 279.4 58 921 27 5/79 10/161 34.11 3.29 62.1 2 1 1 0A Khan 8 13 249.4 46 842 20 3/35 4/61 42.10 3.37 74.9 0 0 6 0CD Nash 10 6 35.0 5 100 2 1/14 1/14 50.00 2.85 105.0 0 0 5 0OP Rayner 3 5 53.0 13 168 1 1/28 1/89 168.00 3.16 318.0 0 0 1 0JS Gatting 3 1 1.0 0 1 0 - - - 1.00 - 0 0 1 0WA Adkin 1 1 17.0 3 63 0 - - - 3.70 - 0 0 1 0LWP Wells 10 4 18.0 2 65 0 - - - 3.61 - 0 0 2 0BC Brown 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 0MW Goodwin 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 0AJ Hodd 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - 19 1EC Joyce 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 0MJ Prior 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 2MH Yardy 4 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 0


Documents

Horsham Festival 2011