Match Preview: Sussex v Hampshire Men, Rothesay County Championship

Sussex v Hampshire Men

Rothesay County Championship

Friday 19-Monday 22 June (11am start)

1^st Central County Ground, Hove

Hampshire Men head across the A27 to Hove, where they meet title-chasing Sussex in the Rothesay County Championship.

The Rose and Crown secured a hard-fought draw at the Kia Oval last week, as Ali Orr made a gritty half-century whilst Jake Lehman continued to impress with a fifty of his own.

Delano Potgieter made an unbeaten 84 in the first innings and put on over 100 runs for the final two wickets of the first innings to ensure the hosts would have to bat again.

Hampshire claimed 13 points and lifted off the bottom of the table, but are still 32 points adrift of safety in Division One.

Sussex meanwhile completed a dominant victory over Glamorgan on their home ground last week.

James Coles scored a run-a-ball double century and claimed three second innings wickets as the Martlets claimed the win by an innings and 98 runs.

Hampshire

Hampshire have named a 14-player squad for their Rothesay County Championship match away to south coast rivals Sussex.

Sonny Baker has made his Test debut for England against New Zealand at the Kia Oval, and claimed the wicket of Rachin Ravindra as his first in England whites before he removed Daryl Mitchell with a bouncer.

Delano Potgieter is set for the last match of his stint with the Rose and Crown whilst Scott Currie, Eddie Jack, and Ben Mayes all return following England Lions’ series against South Africa A.

Sussex

Previewed by Bruce Talbot, ECB Reporters Network, supported by Rothesay

Captain: Ollie Robinson/Tom Haines

Head coach: Paul Farbrace

2026 standings: 2nd

2026 highest run-scorer: Daniel Hughes (611)

2026 highest wicket-taker: Henry Crocombe (21)

Key winter moves: Sussex added three red-ball players to their Rothesay County Championship squad and have given themselves more options in two key areas: the top order and the all-rounder slot. Jack Leaning is back working with Paul Farbrace, the coach who knows him best, while Tom Price is a genuine all-rounder who will relish the step up to Division One. Seamer Dom Goodman has followed Price from Gloucestershire and will offer good back-up to Ollie Robinson and the other quicks.

What we’re looking forward to seeing: James Coles is likely to get the chance to showcase his undoubted talent in the top four and it’s unlikely to faze him. Can the experienced Jack Leaning rediscoverer his best form after linking up with Farbrace again and how will Ollie Robinson, who now has the twin responsibilities of leading the seam attack and captaining the team, handle the extra responsibility? Tom Price adds beef to an already strong lower-middle order and is a potential match-changer with bat and ball.

Aiming to catch Test selectors’ eye: If Coles makes his England debut this summer it’s likely to be in one-day cricket after he picked up a £390k contract at The Hundred. But the 21-year-old has all the skills to develop into a Test batter too. He scored four centuries last season – his first in Division One – and is capable of kicking on this summer.

Final thought: Sussex start the season with a 12-point deduction for financial misdemeanours, but Farbrace thinks his squad is strong enough to be considered title challengers. Although opener Daniel Hughes is back from Australia, there will be no overseas bowler until Jaydev Unadkat arrives in June and that might stretch bowling resources in the first half of the season. But if they can keep their key players fit and utilise the squad depth, Sussex can improve on last season’s fourth place.

Head-to-Head

Hampshire Men’s record in County Championship matches v Sussex:

Last five meetings:

• September 8-11 2025 | 1^st Central County Ground, Hove | Match Drawn
• 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

Ticketing

Tickets for Sussex v Hampshire Men in the Rothesay County Championship are available by clicking 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.

A live match centre with scorecard, statistics, and insight will be available via www.utilitabowl.com/cricket/news.

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.

Weather Forecast

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