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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 off the back of a thumping win over Middlesex on Sunday afternoon
Hampshire Hawks Men v Sussex Sharks
Vitality Blast
Tuesday 2 June
7pm start
Utilita Bowl
Hampshire Hawks Men are in el clasicoast action as they host Sussex Sharks at Utilita Bowl.
The first of two single headers for the Hawks at Utilita Bowl, gates open at 5:30pm with play due to get underway at 7pm.
The Hawks decimated Middlesex in their latest outing on Sunday, winning by eight wickets with six overs to spare.
Up front, Chris Wood was exceptional with the ball as he claimed 2/20 from his four overs, with Liam Dawson also picking up two wickets whilst Scott Currie was miserly for his 1/15 from four overs.
James Vince got the Hawks off to a flyer in their reply, taking 42 runs off the powerplay with the captain going on to make 45.
Joe Weatherley and Hilton Cartwright continued the momentum making 36 and 29 not out respectively, with the Australian finishing the game in style by launching Luke Hollman for three sixes and a four to win the match in just 14 overs.
Sussex Sharks will be looking to bounce back after their defeat to Middlesex on Saturday.
Under the lights at Hove, skipper Tymal Mills – who is no stranger to Utilita Bowl – claimed 3/31 but the Seaxes soared past 200 in their 20 overs.
Tom Clark threatened the chase with a quickfire 31 from 13 deliveries, with former Hampshire man Tom Alsop scoring 43 from 24, but the target of 214 proved too much for the Sharks as they were bowled out in the final over for 182.
Hampshire Hawks Squad
Hampshire Hawks Men have named a 14-player squad for this fixture.
The squad remains unchanged from their victory over Middlesex on Sunday.
Hilton Cartwright featured in his 150th T20 match last time out, and has scored 82 runs without being dismissed so far in this year’s Vitality Blast.
Joe Weatherley is currently on 99 T20 appearances for Hampshire and is set to reach three figures for the club on Tuesday.
Chris Wood has since overtaken David Payne to become the Vitality Blast’s most prolific pace bowler with 215 wickets to his name.
Toby Albert † (15)
Andrew Neal (17)
Hilton Cartwright (35)
Ali Orr † (27)
Scott Currie (44)
Tom Prest (24)
Liam Dawson (8)
Tristan Stubbs (30)
James Fuller (26)
James Vince Captain (14)
Jake Lehmann (33)
Joe Weatherley (5)
Manny Lumsden (43)
Chris Wood (25)
Sussex Sharks
Previewed by Bruce Talbot, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
Captain: Tymal Mills
Overseas players: Daniel Hughes (Australia, all)
Finals Day appearances: Four (2007, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2021, 2024)
Titles: One (2014)
2025 finish: 6th in South Division
2025 leading run-scorer: James Coles (397)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Nathan McAndrew (23)
Key winter moves: The competition’s all-time leading wicket-taker Danny Briggs has returned to Hove and his experience will be crucial while two other recruits – former Gloucestershire all-rounder Tom Price and off-spinning batter Jack Leaning – have good records in the Blast.
The big question: Sussex’s bowling options look plentiful and varied despite the departure of last season’s leading wicket-taker Nathan McAndrew. But there were question marks around the batting in 2025 with too much reliance placed on James Coles with no one else averaging above 27. A collective improvement in that area is needed.
Wildcard watch: Charlie Tear came of age in the 50 overs tournament last year and the keeper-batter might get an extended opportunity this summer to show he has the transferable skills to flourish in the shorter white-ball format.
Final thought: This is Sussex’s best chance of silverware. They have a squad with a lot of experience – Mills and Briggs in particular – as well as some seriously talented youngsters, like the £390k Hundred pick James Coles, who are potential match-winners in their own right. A better collective batting effort than 2025 should enable them to make the knockout stages as a bare minimum, although director of cricket Paul Farbrace is targeting a third appearance at Finals Day in six years.
Head-to-Head:
Hampshire Hawks Men’s record in T20 matches v Sussex Men:
Played
Won
Tied
Lost
No Result
41
21
0
17
8
Recent meetings:
July 13 2025 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by six wickets (with 16 balls remaining)
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
Tickets
Tickets for Hampshire Hawks Vitality Blast double header against Surrey are available here.
Buy the day before the game and save £6 per ticket, with entry for U17s just £5.
Coverage
The match will be live streamed on the Hampshire Cricket YouTube channel with radio commentary available on the BBC Sport website and app, and on BBC Sounds.
Fans can stay updated on the match via the Hampshire Cricket X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, where regular score updates, photos from the game, and match clips will be shared.
