Durham v Sussex June 22-25

Seems there's only one reason he would leave - as we are out of the comp, realistically, we have absolutely nothing to lose by giving him a shot and everything to gain. There's a spot right there in our bowler heavy side.

Pretty sure Piolet will come in before Tredwell won't he. Still a long tail though.

Hatchett, although a tad expensive, takes wickets. Jimmy Anyon, who can be equally expensive, has struggled to take wickets. Well done to him, and well done to Jon Lewis. I like the look of Hastings, if it's possible for Magoffin to be registered as a non overseas next season, then Hastings would be my choice for the overseas slot. A steady seamer, who can play in all formats, and who could probably bat as high as 7 or 8. Hastings and Tredwell would both address the issue of a lack of bowling all rounder when Jordan is away.

That is the one and only source I've read, and it got Sussex folk a bit worried and was then picked up by excitable Kent folk.

Dobell claims Wells is out of contract and wants T20 cricket and  that if Sussex will not give it to him he could refuse to sign a new contract and leave at the end of the season.

If he is out of contract at the end of September, one might have expected him to have been offered a new and extended deal by now. That there has been no announcement of a contract extenison as of yet  may well have further excited the envious neighbours.

I think the regulations state that if an out of contract player has not been signed to a new deal by the end of June, other counties can give 30 days notice to the current employer of an intention to make an approach to that player?

Isn't there a kind of precedent here? Didn't Luke's father, Alan, move from Sussex to Kent?

Yes, Luke's father was poached by Kent in 1997, a year after he had his Sussex benefit - but it came at a high price. To entice him away from Sussex, Kent had to offer him a five year contract, which , given that he was 35 at the time, was ludicrous. He made a thousand championship runs in his first season but then age caught up. In his second season he averaged mid-twenties. His third season produced fewer than 500 runs and 2000 was a disaster - 239 run in 11 championship matches at an average of 14. By 2001, when he was 40, he couldn't get in a cracking batting line-up that included Key, Fulton, Ed Smith, Andrew Symonds, Walker, Fleming and Ealham with Paul Nixon at number eight, and didn't play a single game in what should have been the fifth year of his contract.

Over the five years of the deal, which produced a meagre 2,300 runs and three centuries, in terms of value-for-money it was one of the worst signings Kent ever made and Sussex only lost out on one good season from him.

Luke would be a different proposition because he's at the start not the end of his career. But if he moved, it surely wouldn't be to drop down a division with Kent but to join a first division side?

Hopefully, though,  it's just a bit of Gorgeous George 's usual muck-stirring.

Once more Nash is unable to build an innings. Scores 2 fours in a row and then
gets caught in the slips. Another score in the 30s. He is not the batsman of old.

Before today he had scored 298 Championship runs with just 2 fifties. In the past
he would have passed 500 by now. Admittedly, this is after 5 matches due to his
early injury.

But one would hope one of your top senior batsmen, would be averaging over 40 and
not 33. Even Brown has scored 295 runs. Joyce is way ahead with 667.

Another senior batsman Yardy has scored just 264 runs after 5 matches before his injury.
Somerset are top because their top 5 batsmen all average over 40.

And now the batting collapse occurs as one writes. What a surprise. Up to Wrighty to
save the blushes. Unless the senior batsmen (apart from Joyce) start taking responsibility,
Sussex will be in a relegation battle this season.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/county-championship-division-one/averages