Dave Allen: Tales From Arundel 

Ahead of Hampshire's Bob Willis Trophy match against Surrey at home, at Arundel, Hampshire Cricket's historian Dave Allen delves into his Archive to consider Hampshire's history with the West Sussex venue 

#1

When Hampshire begin their Bob Willis Trophy match against Surrey at Arundel, the Duke of Norfolk’s ground will be the 15th on which Hampshire have played a home first-class match and the 10th home ground in a first-class county competition, although strictly speaking the new competition is distinct from the traditional County Championship.

Arundel will of course be a home ground outside the county boundaries but even that is not quite a first. Hampshire have of course played on the Isle of Wight, and their most recent visit there last year was their third home ground on the island. In addition, after the county boundary changes of the mid-1970s, Bournemouth too became ‘away’ at home, having moved to Dorset. But neither the Isle of Wight nor Bournemouth had previously been the home ground for another first-class county, so this will be an unusual occurrence, although again not unique; among this year’s matches, with Lancashire and Leicestershire meeting at Worcester.

#2

Despite the innovation of Hampshire hosting Surrey in Sussex in a new first-class competition, we have history with this beautiful ground. In late July 1990, Hampshire met Sussex in the inaugural first-class and Championship match, Rupert Cox made his Hampshire debut and on the first morning coach Peter Sainsbury fielded substitute for a period as on a slow pitch, Sussex – at one time 137-6 – declared during the second morning on 383-9 including a century for Colin Wells and a seventh wicket partnership of 139 between Moores & Pigot. Young Shaun Udal in his first match of the season and Championship debut, bowled a marathon spell of 43 overs, taking 4-144.

At close on day two Hampshire had avoided the follow-on with Chris Smith 132*, and Mark Nicholas declared. To their lead of 129 Sussex then added 144-7 in 31.2 overs, setting Hampshire a target of 274 in 66 overs. Chris Smith added 61 but from 76-1 wickets fell regularly, until Cox (35*) and Parks (15*) played out time at 220-6.

Hampshire finished the season in third place while Sussex took the ‘wooden spoon’.

#3

Arundel’s inaugural Championship match in 1990 was not the first time a full Hampshire side took the field at Arundel. During the last century, Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, the 16th Duke of Norfolk was the man who established Arundel as a notable English cricket ground, and he was a guest of honour at the Southampton Dinner held by the club to celebrate winning the County Championship in 1961. He reciprocated by inviting Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie to bring his Champions to represent his XI in what was then the traditional opening game for the visiting tourists – in 1962 that was Pakistan.

It was an ‘old fashioned’, so not ‘limited-overs’ one-day match and after Pakistan won the toss and took the field, Jimmy Gray went for 16, then Roy Marshall (61) and Henry Horton (55) took the score to 97 and Horton and Livingstone to 165-3. Hampshire declared after 63 overs on 204-6 (Farooq 4-42) and in reply the tourists took the opportunity to acclimatise themselves, reaching 173-6 in nine fewer overs – the result, a draw.

Intikhab Alam, later of Surrey top-scored with 45 and five Hampshire bowlers took one wicket each.

#4

Surprisingly Derek Shackleton was not one of the wicket-takers in that 1962 match and he had gone wicketless too in 1960 when the Duke of Norfolk’s XI met the South African tourists, although he finally got his wicket in 1964 – the Australian captain Bobby Simpson.

The Duke of Norfolk’s sides for these curtain-raisers were generally established county cricketers, many from Sussex, with some internationals, and Hampshire’s Roy Marshall played quite often presumably because his dynamic approach suited the Duke’s cricketing tastes.

The first of these one-day tourists’ matches took place in 1954 against a Canadian side and Hampshire men like Bob Cottam, Barry Richards and Richard Gilliat followed Marshall and Shackleton in the Duke’s XIs of the 1960s.

Then in 1976 the tourists – West Indies – were the first to field Hampshire players against the home team, with Andy Roberts having a brief bowl but Gordon Greenidge top-scoring with 84.

This 1976 match was also the first in which the Arundel Castle side appeared as Lavinia Duchess of Norfolk’s XI, following the death of the Duke.

#5

The 15th Duke began organising cricket matches in the 1930s after inheriting the title from Duke Henry who had the ground built – coincidentally it was completed in June 1895 as Hampshire began their first season in the County Championship.

In the early years most Arundel matches were played between the Castle Works XI and their visitors – the first record shows them losing by one wicket to the West Sussex Gazette XI in 1897 while the last recorded match before the First World War was 12-a-side and saw the Duchess of Norfolk’s team beat the 5th London Infantry Brigade by 122 runs.

Duke Henry died in 1917 when Bernard was just nine years old, but in his 20s he began the country-house matches when his XI met and beat Lord Eldon’s XI by 21 runs.

Lord Eldon’s home was Longwood House in Hampshire and his XI included the Hampshire cricketer Lew Harfield who took 6-99 & 2-63. He was outdone by Aidan Crawley an extraordinary man who in later life was a journalist, MP and Prisoner of War but as a young man played cricket for Eton, Oxford University, Kent, MCC – and the Duke of Norfolk. In this two-innings game he scored 147 & 164 and had match figures of 8-127.

#6

The Duke served briefly and was wounded during the Second World War, then after being evacuated at Dunkirk he served in Winston Churchill’s Cabinet. Post-war and despite his busy life, cricket resumed at Arundel Castle with a series of matches against military sides. A week after the first of those in July 1951, the Duke’s XI met a strong Sussex XI, but his team included notable first class and Test cricketers including Sir Learie Constantine, Colin Cowdrey, Jack Crapp, Gubby Allen, Hubert Doggart (who scored a century), the actor Trevor Howard and from Hampshire Desmond Eagar and Derek Shackleton.

For obvious reasons the Duke’s XIs, playing mostly single innings one-day games, called on the cricketers of Sussex and the adjacent counties, Kent and Hampshire.  In addition to those mentioned and the twelve of Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie’s 1961 County Champions, Hampshire’s ‘Norfolk’ players have included Ronnie Aird, David Blake, Norman Cowans, Nigel Cowley, Charles Fry, Chris Goldie, David Gower, Jon Hardy, Bob Herman, Kevan James, Trevor Jesty, Jason Laney, Richard Lewis, Steve Malone, Malcolm Marshall, Raj Maru, Mark Nicholas, Nick Pocock, Barry Reed, Richard Scott, Chris & Robin Smith and Mike Taylor, while one of the most successful was John Rice who scored over 1,000 runs with four centuries at 52.10, although he hardly bowled. Another notable contribution came from Neil Trestrail, our Members’ Committee Chairman, with a highest score of 116*, an average of 65.50 and eight wickets at 27.63.   

#7

Sussex v Hampshire at Arundel (Championship)

1990    Sussex v Hants – The inaugural first-class match – Drawn (274 to win, 65 overs)

Sx        383-9 dec (Wells 107, Udal 4-144)

H         254-5 dec (C Smith 132*)

Sx        144-7 dec

H         220-6

1992    Sussex v Hants – Hants won by 130 runs

H         271 (James 59)

Sx        Forfeit

H         Forfeit

Sx        141 (Maru 4-8)

1996    Sussex v Hants – Drawn

H         270 (M Keech 104)

Sx        193 (Stephenson 6-48, Connor 4-57)

H         238-5 dec (Laney 83, James 72, Lewry 5-73)

Sx        128-5

2007    Sussex v Hants (Div 1) – Sussex won by 166 runs

Sx        341 (Nash 61; Warne 5-91)

H         202 (Lumb 51; Mushtaq 7-72)

Sx        360-5 dec (Adams 103*; Goodwin 99; Montgomerie 82)

H         333 ((Lumb 62, Carberry 53)

2008    Sussex v Hampshire (Div 1) – Sussex won by 10 wkts

Sx        426 (M Goodwin 184, C Hopkinson 106, Tomlinson 5-108) from 25-4

H         257 (J Crawley 70, G Lamb 54*, C Collymore 4-60)

H (fo)   179 (O Rayner 5-49)

Sx        11-0

2009    Sussex v Hampshire (Div 1) – Drawn

Sx        441 (L Wright 104; M Goodwin 65; O Rayner 60; Tahir 5-140)

H         346 (Carberry 112; Collymore 4-66)

Sx        138- 2 dec

#8

Hampshire Records at Arundel

High Score for Hampshire

132*     CL Smith 1990

112      MA Carberry 2009

High Score vs Hampshire

184      MW Goodwin 2008

107      CM Wells 1990

106      CD Hopkinson 2008

104      LJ Wright 2009

103*     CJ Adams 2007

Partnerships for Hampshire

1st wkt: 107     M Carberry & J Adams 2009

2nd wkt: 108    J Laney & K James 1996

3rd wkt: 85       J Crawley & M Lumb 2007

4th wkt: 82       J Crawley & M Carberry 2007

5th wkt: 136     P Terry & M Keech 1996

6th wkt: 64       D Mascarenhas & N Pothas 2007

7th wkt: 44       G Lamb & N Pothas 2008

8th wkt: 41       G Lamb & D Mascarenhas 2008

9th wkt: 36       S Udal & C Tremlett 2007

9th wkt: 36       G Lamb & D Balcombe 2008

10th wkt: 25*    R Maru & C Connor 1992

Best Bowling for Hampshire

J Stephenson 6-48     1996

S Warne          5-91     2007

J Tomlinson    5-108   2008

Imran Tahir     5-140   2009

#9

White Ball Matches 

In 1972 and 1975, Sussex played two John Player Sunday League matches at Arundel Castle, then from 1994-2013 they played a further 20 List A matches, including three against Hampshire in 1996, 1998 and 2009. Hampshire won the first two and Sussex the third by just four runs.

In 2006 Hampshire met Sussex in the first T20 match on the ground, which Sussex won. Between that year and 2017, Sussex played seven T20 matches on the ground although Hampshire did not return.