Book tickets to the various music and other events hosted at Utilita Bowl
Visit Hampshire Cricket and Utilita Bowl's online store to get your hands on official replica and supporter kit as well as a range of other merchandise.
Match Preview: Hampshire Hawks Men v Sussex Sharks, Vitality Blast
Match Preview: Hampshire Hawks Men v Sussex Sharks, Vitality Blast
Hawks Men host Sussex Sharks in el clasicoast as the team look to cement their place in the top four
Hampshire Hawks Men v Sussex Sharks
Vitality Blast
Sunday 13th July (3pm start)
Utilita Bowl
Hawks Men look to go back-to-back as they host Sussex Sharks in the return leg of el clasicoast.
The Hawks come into the game off the back of a comprehensive 95-run victory over Glamorgan on Thursday night, where Toby Albert and Sonny Baker claimed career-best performances of 98* and 4-20 respectively.
In the earlier fixture between the two sides this summer, the Hawks decimated the Sharks on the way to victory by 62 runs.
Chris Lynn made 50 on his debut for the club before wickets were shared around, with four bowlers claiming two-fors and a stunning run out from Hilton Cartwright.
The Sharks have slipped to fifth place having been defeated by the Hawks, Kent, and Essex in their previous three fixtures.
They were bowled out for 145 at Chelmsford despite a rapid-fire 52 (28) from John Simpson, but Michael Pepper smashed 87* from 47 balls to get Essex over the line – Tymal Mills took 2-31 to be the pick of the bowlers.
Hampshire Hawks host a double header at Utilita Bowl, with gates opening at 10am ahead of Hawks Women v Bears at 11am followed by Hawks Men v Sussex Sharks at 3pm.
Overseas players: Nathan McAndrew (Australia, all group stage), Gurinder Sandhu (Australia, all group stage), Daniel Hughes (Australia, full competition).
Finals Day appearances: Six (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2024).
Titles: One (2009)
2024 finish: Semi-finalists
2024 leading run scorer: Daniel Hughes (596)
2024 leading wicket taker: Tymal Mills (24)
Key winter moves: No major changes. Tall Australian seamer Gurinder Sandhu, who has played for three teams in the Big Bash, has mainly been signed for red-ball cricket in June and July but will be another option for Mills.
The big question: Mills was outstanding in his first season as captain. Calm and composed under pressure, he revelled in the responsibility, and rather than affecting his bowling he finished with 24 wickets – more than any other Sussex bowler and his most productive season since debut 14 years earlier. He will relish the opportunity to prove that reaching Finals Day was no fluke and going one better than the semi-finals.
Wildcard watch: Harrison Ward has been on Sussex’s staff since 2021 but until last season didn’t seem to have a defined role and sometimes came in as low as number eight. Mills gave him clarity by making him Hughes’ opening partner and he responded with 350 runs, three fifies and a strike rate of 157.65, form that earned him a chance in The Hundred.
Final thought: Sussex were unexpected semi-finalists last year, having won ten games out of 28 in the previous two seasons, but Mills led them superbly and with virtually the same squad there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be competitive. Head coach Paul Farbrace has set the bar high again, and both he and Mills will regard not reaching the knockout stages at least as failure.
Head-to-Head
Hampshire Hawks Men’s record in Vitality Blast matches v Sussex Sharks:
Played
Won
Tied
Lost
No Result/Abandoned
38
20
0
17
6
Last five meetings:
July 5 2025 | 1st Central County Ground, Hove | Hawks won by 62 runs
July 10 2024 | 1st Central County Ground, Hove | Sussex won by 22 runs
June 21 2024 | Utilita Bowl | Sussex won by seven runs
June 16 2023 | 1st Central County Ground, Hove | Sussex won by six runs
June 3 2023 | Utilita Bowl | Hampshire won by 10 wickets (with 31 balls remaining)
Tickets
Tickets for Hampshire Hawks’ double header against Bears Women and Sharks Men are available here.
A live stream will be available for the match and a link to this stream will be available in the at www.utilitabowl.com/cricket, along with a live match centre with the scorecard, statistics and insight available throughout the match.
