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: Sussex Sharks vs Hampshire Hawks, Vitality Blast
Match Preview: Sussex Sharks vs Hampshire Hawks, Vitality Blast
Hawks Men travel to Hove in the return leg of el clasicoast with a victory potentially sealing a home quarter-final
Sussex Sharks v Hampshire Hawks Men
Vitality Blast
Sunday 12 July (2:30pm start)
1st Central County Ground, Hove
James Vince's Hampshire Hawks secured a home Vitality Blast quarter-final after edging out Sussex Sharks by four wickets at Hove, chasing down 186 with just one ball to spare.
A stunning 112 run stand in ten overs between Hilton Cartwright and 18 year old Ben Mayes turned the game on its head. Cartwright blasted 70 off just 31 balls, including seven sixes, while Mayes struck a maturity beyond his years with 55 off 36, dragging the Hawks back from 61 for five to victory.
It caps off a memorable finish to the group stage for Hampshire, who had already secured their Quarter Final spot with six straight wins before form dipped slightly in recent weeks. Wednesday's meeting with Essex will be the Hawks' next test as they aim for a record breaking twelfth T20 Finals Day appearance, and the chance to lift a record fourth T20 title.
Tickets for the Quarter Final against Essex, Wednesday 15 July at Utilita Bowl, are on sale now.
Hampshire Hawks Squad
Hampshire Hawks Men have named a 13-player squad for this fixture.
The squad remains unchanged from our trip to Essex.
Liam Dawson remains with England ahead of their ODI series against India.
Joe Weatherley is just one run away from reaching 2,500 T20 runs for Hampshire, with Tristan Stubbs 52 runs shy of 4,000 career T20 runs.
Toby Albert † (15)
Andrew Neal (17)
Sonny Baker (95)
Ali Orr † (27)
Hilton Cartwright (35)
Tristan Stubbs (30)
Scott Currie (44)
James Vince Captain (14)
James Fuller (26)
Joe Weatherley (5)
Eddie Jack (91)
Chris Wood (25)
Ben Mayes (21)
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)
2026 standings: 6th in South Group
2026 leading run-scorer: Daniel Hughes (383)
2026 leading wicket-taker: Tymal Mills (15)
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 Sharks:
Played
Won
Tied
Lost
No Result
42
22
0
17
8
Recent meetings:
June 2 2026 | Utilita Bowl | Hawks won by 29 runs
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
Tickets
Tickets for Sussex Sharks v Hampshire Hawks Men are available here.
Coverage
The match will be live streamed on the Sussex Cricket YouTube channel. Radio commentary will be available on the BBC Sport website and app, and on BBC Sounds.
Fans can stay updated on the match via Hampshire Cricket’s X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts, where regular score updates, photos from the game, and match clips will be shared.
