Post by longstop on Apr 7, 2021 9:37:03 GMT
The snow seems to be passing just in time for Sussex to take the field against Lancashire in the first of this season's County Championship fixtures. The 2021 format organises the 18 counties into three groups of six. In the first phase, each team plays the teams within their group home and away.
Sussex's group includes Yorkshire, Lancashire, Kent, Northants and Glamorgan. This game was originally scheduled to be played at Hove but has switched due to areas of the outfield being blighted by "a leatherjacket grub population". Suffice to say, this does not mean a load of bikers are camping on the outfield at Hove, but my lack of horticultural knowledge would suggest you follow a link to the Royal Horticultural Society's website for more information.
Judging the strength of opponents is difficult enough at the start of a season, but with only five red ball games played last season, it is even harder. In the 2019 County Championship, Lancashire won Division Two comfortably with 8 wins and no defeats from 14 games; the next best, in terms of wins, were Northamptonshire. Gloucestershire and Durham with five wins. In that season, Sussex only met Lancashire once, but were soundly beaten at Old Trafford by an innings and 51 runs. Matt Parkinson did much of the damage in that game with a 10-wicket haul, including 6 for 23 in the Sussex first innings. Delray Rawlins scored 100 in the Sussex second innings but it was nowhere near enough after the first innings total of 127.
Last season, Lancashire finished third in the Northern Group of the Bob Willis Trophy. They ended with two wins and two draws from their five games. The key game was a washed out fixture against Yorkshire which Lancashire needed to win to qualify as Group winner.
Of course, the encounter with Lancashire means that we may be bowling at Luke Wells, who joined Lancashire at the end of last season. Surely, he won't score too many against us. The Sussex batting performed well enough in the two friendlies against Surrey and Hampshire; the bowlers did well against Surrey, but less so at The Ageas Bowl. Lancashire away is a tough start to the campaign. Can Sussex come away with an early season win? We are just going to have to wait and see, I guess.
Sussex's group includes Yorkshire, Lancashire, Kent, Northants and Glamorgan. This game was originally scheduled to be played at Hove but has switched due to areas of the outfield being blighted by "a leatherjacket grub population". Suffice to say, this does not mean a load of bikers are camping on the outfield at Hove, but my lack of horticultural knowledge would suggest you follow a link to the Royal Horticultural Society's website for more information.
Judging the strength of opponents is difficult enough at the start of a season, but with only five red ball games played last season, it is even harder. In the 2019 County Championship, Lancashire won Division Two comfortably with 8 wins and no defeats from 14 games; the next best, in terms of wins, were Northamptonshire. Gloucestershire and Durham with five wins. In that season, Sussex only met Lancashire once, but were soundly beaten at Old Trafford by an innings and 51 runs. Matt Parkinson did much of the damage in that game with a 10-wicket haul, including 6 for 23 in the Sussex first innings. Delray Rawlins scored 100 in the Sussex second innings but it was nowhere near enough after the first innings total of 127.
Last season, Lancashire finished third in the Northern Group of the Bob Willis Trophy. They ended with two wins and two draws from their five games. The key game was a washed out fixture against Yorkshire which Lancashire needed to win to qualify as Group winner.
Of course, the encounter with Lancashire means that we may be bowling at Luke Wells, who joined Lancashire at the end of last season. Surely, he won't score too many against us. The Sussex batting performed well enough in the two friendlies against Surrey and Hampshire; the bowlers did well against Surrey, but less so at The Ageas Bowl. Lancashire away is a tough start to the campaign. Can Sussex come away with an early season win? We are just going to have to wait and see, I guess.
