Match Preview: Sussex v Hampshire Men, Rothesay County Championship

Sussex v Hampshire Men

Rothesay County Championship

Monday 8^th-Thursday 11^th September (10:30am start)

1^st Central County Ground, Hove

Hampshire Men return to the County Championship, along with the Dukes ball, with the final three rounds spanning the next three weeks, with a visit to south coast rivals Sussex running from Monday 8-Thusday 11 September.

Ben Brown’s side currently sit in fifth place in Division One just two points ahead of the Martlets and three points ahead of Yorkshire and Essex.

Hampshire failed to pick up a win in the four rounds with the Kookaburra ball, with a thrilling climax at Worcestershire as the team were just two wickets away from victory.

Sussex have lost their last two County Championship matches by an innings, with defeat coming at the hands of Yorkshire in their previous match by an innings and 128-run loss at Scarborough. Against Essex the previous week, they lost by an innings and 39 runs at Hove.

Hampshire

Hampshire have named a 15-player squad for their County Championship match against Sussex at Hove.

Keith Barker is set for his first County Championship match of the season whilst Hampshire’s joint leading One Day Cup wicket takers, Eddie Jack and Andrew Neal, are also included.

South African spinner Bjorn Fortuin, who featured for Hampshire Hawks in three Vitality Blast matches, will also join up with the squad.

Sonny Baker and Liam Dawson are unavailable due to international commitments whilst Joe Weatherley is out for the remainder of the season with a broken arm.

Full Hampshire squad

Sussex

Captain: John Simpson

Head Coach: Paul Farbrace

2024 finish: Champions (Division Two)

2025 highest run-scorer: James Coles (890)

2025 highest wicket-taker: Ollie Robinson (24)

Key winter moves: Ex-Somerset top-order batter George Thomas spent part of the winter working for a power-tool company in Melbourne. Farbrace regards him as a player with unfulfilled potential. After trials in January, another 21-year-old signed in slow left-armer Troy Henry whose wages for the first year of his contract will be paid by the ACE programme. Medium-fast bowler Nantes Oosthuizen, nurtured at Seaford College by former skipper Chris Adams, joined on a rookie contract.

What we’re looking forward to seeing: Once again Paul Farbrace has recruited a group of solid, proven overseas players with Dan Hughes, Jayden Seales, Nathan McAndrew and Jaydev Unadkat all returning for a second - and in Unadkat’s case third – season while Australian seamer Gurinder Sandhu arrives during June and July. Their contributions will be pivotal to hopes of staying up and having another good run in the Blast, where they were semi-finalists last year.

Player to watch: Opener Tom Haines, who signed a new three-year deal in the winter, averages 37.60 and has made 4,588 first-class runs but none of them against Division One attacks. If he can flourish against better bowlers – and there’s never been any doubt about his technique or temperament – then it will help Sussex’s chances of establishing themselves in Division One a lot and perhaps enhance his claims for a Test place as well.

Final thought: Sussex return to Division One after a ten-year absence and Paul Farbrace has targeted a top-four finish. He’ll have a better idea of whether that’s achievable after the first month when Sussex face Warwickshire, Surrey, Somerset and Nottinghamshire – all established top-flight counties. There shouldn’t be many concerns about their bowling attack, but can Sussex score enough runs? Contributions from skipper John Simpson and a strong middle order may be crucial again.

Head-to-Head

Hampshire Men’s record in County Championship matches v Sussex

Last five meetings:

• May 23-26 2025 | Utilita Bowl | Sussex won by nine wickets
• August 1-4 2020 | 1^st Central County Ground, Hove | Sussex won by 94 runs
• June 7-10 2015 | 1^st Central County Ground, Hove | Hampshire won by six wickets
• April 12-15 2015 | Utilita Bowl | Sussex won by 92 runs
• July 11-14 2011 | 1^st Central County Ground, Hove | Sussex won by five wickets

Tickets

Tickets for Hampshire Men’s County Championship match against Sussex are available here.

Coverage

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.

Weather Forecast

Please follow the link to view the latest weather forecast for Hove: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2646504.