Not a great time for Sussex Sport
With Brighton HAFC losing their last 2 matches thus downgrading their chances of being crowned champions and a stuttering start to the season by Sussex CCC the last fortnight has been troubling for us Sussex sports enthusiasts.
At Sussex CCC there have been significant changes. President David Bowden, a popular and capable man, has stood down for John Abbott, whose running of the Cricket foundation has been assumed by county historian and director Jon Filby, Rob Andrew is the new CEO whilst Bob Warren replaces Jim May as chairman. It’s a challenging time for Sussex with the new T20 franchises coming in 2018 with every likelihood that the southern team will play most of their games at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton. On a macro level fans want to see an effective plan to replicate the years of trophies after winning the championship in 2003.
One person who has held his job is head coach Mark Davis. He has recruited Van Zyl, Philander and Wiese from his native South Africa via the Kolpak procedure,a controversial way for cricketers to abandon chances of representing their own country for an English county. The reason for its dislike is that it is supposed to block the pathway for young English cricketers.
So far there is no evidence of any recovery from Sussex. Yesterday marked our first victory in any competition by winning against Glamorgan, one othe weaker counties in the Royal London Cup on the Duckworth-Lewis, a formula and application only these two mathematicians seem to understand fully. Philander had to return to South Africa with a groin injury replaced by West Indian speedster Jerome Taylor one of the smallest bowlers I have ever seen. Van Zyl scored 96 in Sussex’s total of 296. Watching cricket in May can be a chilling experience and this was. When the teams came off for rain at 5.00pm there was not much enthusiasm to wait for any restart and I went home. With Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills due to return from the IPL I can foresee a stronger white ball performance but no signs as yet that the glory years will return.
The Albion were party poopers last Saturday losing 1-0 at home to Bristol City. The Seagulls if they win at Aston Villa can stiil be champions but even if Newcastle are, it has been a marvellous season especially after such a near miss last season could have resulted in a negative reaction. Chris Hughton must surely be the LMA (League Manager Association) manager of the Year although Nigel Clough has done really well to steer Burton away from relegation.
