The Sussex Sharks are playing the Lancashire Lightning in the new NatWest Pro40 competition, both are unbeaten in this format and are equally determined to get the psychological upper hand over their opponents.   The result will have a far-reaching effect on both sides.

There’ll be grim determination on the field but off the field the emphasis is on fun and entertainment for the whole family.  We’ll have a special Family Area from which to watch the match, there’ll be face-painting, magic tricks, a bouncy castle and crowd entertainment as well as cricket coaching for juniors throughout the match.

During the interval we are proud to be hosting the Wacky Mascot Relay Race in which Sid the Shark takes on Lanky the Giraffe.  This is our second year of holding this race and it promises to be just as funny as last year’s.  They may look cute and cuddly but teeth and fur fly when these mascots get together!  It’s an unmissable event.

The match starts at 1.45pm on Sunday 6 August at the County Ground, Hove and the gates open at 12.15pm.  As it is our Family Fun Day we are making a special ticket offer to families attending the match.  A family ticket will cost just £20 for two adults and two children, that’s a massive 50% discount!  General prices are £15 adults, £10 seniors and students, £5 Under 16s and Under 5s get in for free.  Should anyone wish to upgrade to the Members’ pavilion a transfer is available for £5 extra.

On Sunday 6 August it’ll be a dress rehearsal for the Sharks and Lightning’s C&G Cup Final, which takes place twenty days later at Lord’s.  Make no mistake these are vital games for both teams and victories will give us the psychological edge over this season’s closest rivals.

This is also going to be our Sussex Family Fun Day.  Not only will there be the exciting entertainment on the field but there’ll be activities off it as well.  There’ll be a bouncy castle, face painting, coaching for kids and a whole lot more.  To top the entertainment we’ll be hosting a grudge relay between the two teams’ mascots, Sid the Shark and Lanky Giraffe.  Sid is a top athlete with a passion for winning and defeat simply isn’t an option.   It’s going to be a wonderful day out for the whole family.

St Lucien’s Steel Band are helping us get the week off to the right start on Wednesday 2 August and will be handing out free rum punch. Proof of age may be required!

The Visually Impaired cricket team will be giving a demonstration during the lunch break on Thursday 3 August.

The Club Shop will be selling a range of C&G Final branded clothing throughout the week.

It’s going to be a great Festival Week and the Sussex team would love to see you down at Hove supporting them against Lancashire!

Liverpool Victoria Championship  2-5 August Gates open 9.30am, play starts 11am
Nat West Pro40 6 August  Gates open 12.15pm, play starts 1.45pm..

The festivals, which offer a Liverpool Victoria Championship Match and a One-Day match, taking place at both Whitgift School and Guildford Cricket Club have brought in over 17,000 people over the course of the 10 days of cricket.

The success can be attributed in part to the excellent weather we have had this summer, combined with the Surrey team’s winning ways.  This has provided the crowd with spectacular entertainment, which has ultimately increased attendances by 4,000 from last year.

Surrey County Cricket Club’s Sales and Marketing Director, Paul Blanchard said: “It has always been a wonderful tradition having our side play at these picturesque outgounds and I am delighted that the festivals continue to be a success. It is great that we are able to take Surrey Cricket out into the County on these two occasions during the season and that many of our members and supporters in Croydon and Guildford have attended this year”.

Blanchard also added: “Festival cricket offers the spectators, particularly the younger generation, a unique opportunity to get close to the action, in a fashion that is not normally possible when the team play at the Brit Oval. I would like to thank everyone at Whitgift School, Guildford Borough Council and Guildford Cricket Club in contributing so much towards the success of the festivals this year.”

Despite rain marring the start of the event, reducing the game to ten overs a side, over 20,000 people were present to witness some of the world’s best cricketers on display in a match that went right down to the last ball. Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni were all in blistering form with the bat but it was Pakistan who eventually stole the show by reaching the required target off the very last ball.

The Club’s major sponsors, Brit Insurance donated £100,000 of the money raised, which will go towards helping those affected by the disaster that struck Pakistan last October.

Dane Douetil, Chief Executive of Brit Insurance, said, “To have raised over a quarter of a million pounds for the President’s Earthquake Relief Fund is a remarkable accomplishment and further evidence of what can be achieved when the cricket community pulls together in support such worthy causes. To have attracted a crowd of over 20,000 to the Brit Insurance Oval was a tremendous effort and the players, public and media should be applauded for their valuable support”.

He added, “As match sponsor, Brit Insurance is extremely proud to have played a significant part in the overall fundraising effort and hope that the monies raised will make a major difference to the lives of many people affected by the catastrophic events in northern Pakistan last October.”

Paul Sheldon, Surrey Chief Executive added, “Brit Insurance’s generous sponsorship of the Pakistan Charity Twenty20 match made a significant impact on our fund raising efforts. We are deeply grateful to some of the world’s greatest stars for making themselves available. It was marvellous to have the ground packed with supporters cheering on their heroes.”

This was a major project taken on by Sussex County Cricket Club, Marshall Arts, Brighton & Hove City Council and the Emergency Services and it was a massive achievement for all concerned.

Inspector Kevin Claxton of Sussex Police said, “We are very pleased that the Elton John concert was a huge success. Many  parties were involved and consulted, from Sir Elton’s management and the promoters, to the Cricket Club, various City Council departments, Stewarding and the emergency services. It is clear that all agencies worked excellently together, in planning and running the event. This resulted in an absolute minimum of disruptive behaviour, no arrests, and a first-class event for those attending. It demonstrates to us the value of successful multi-agency working in running top-rate events in the city, in a safe and crime-free way.”

A council spokesperson said: “The event went smoothly and was a great success .  The council received only very few number of noise-related complaints in comparison to the large number of people who enjoyed the evening.”

Barrie Marshall of Marshall Arts said, “Elton John is a superb artist of whom there are very few. He has attained an extraordinary level of achievement both musically and as an entertainer throughout his career.

“His performance yesterday at the County Ground gave a crowd of 18,000 the opportunity to experience this for themselves.

“As promoters we have been very privileged to have been able to promote Elton John at such a wonderful ground, whose staff, led by Ian Waring and Brian Jeffries, have worked tirelessly with us to make the show a success. We look forward to being able to bring more artists  of this calibre to Hove in the future.”

This concert is the first that Sussex CCC has ever staged and to have such a high profile performer as our inaugural guest artist was an ambitious move.  Having been so closely involved with the set-up, the event and break down we can see exactly what such an event entails.  For example:  there were over 150 workers on site for six days, nine kilometres of cabling was used and on the day itself 500 gallons of Pimms was consumed, 4000 punnets of strawberries eaten and over 1000 buckets of ice used.