Sussex v Notts (Away) 21st-24th April

It is days like today that I have sympathy for the club media officer who writes the tweets on the Sussex Twitter. And then
to have to upload the Facebook page on the two day loss and experience an onslaught of negative comments.

The match only ended less than an hour ago and already 60 mostly negative comments have appeared during the last two days
including calls for Mark Davis's head and a return of Grizz. 

en-gb.facebook.com/sussexccc/

The new signings have been abysmal. Why were Garton and Sakande overlooked for Barton? When was the last time Wright scored any runs in the county championship? I'm not convinced he is right man to be captain of the four day team. How long before Mark Davis and Keith Greenfield are replaced? I can't see Rob Andrew standing for this rubbish.

Sussex have a Director of Cricket, a full time coach, a new CX, but don't have a cricket team. Chiefs/Indians?

Yes, I noticed that too. Are these press releases proof read or signed off by anyone else? As you say, yet another area where Sussex are found wanting.

I have read this website, and its predecessor, for years, but have never really felt impelled to contribute before. I used to be a member of the club for decades, until I moved away from the area and haven’t watched any cricket at Hove for perhaps five years. But despite watching my cricket elsewhere, it is Sussex cricket that has always ranked first with me. I thank those of you who do write here for being such a valuable source for helping me to keep up with the Club and its activities. Sometimes in the past, I‘ve seriously considered making a small contribution here, perhaps a relevant anecdote or observation that may stimulate or entertain. I think now may be a good first time.


It has seemed clear to me for a few years that SCCC was in decline. We can all have our opinions on fact and cause, but I am certainly not arguing with hindsight. Perhaps my comments should appear in a different place, not in these entrails of the match with Notts. But it is the performance in this match and the comments in this thread that have finally made me want to write.


Writing from a distance, Sussex does seem to get much right: the Club’s financial management looks sounder than many; and I have always applauded the Rob Andrew appointment. But, this “Sussex family” notion needs to be measured. The historic contributions of so many families to the Club deserve to be treasured; and I’m sure a sense of “belonging” can foster team spirit; but when does in-breeding start to impair, bringing complacency and inadequately sourcing ideas from outside? I’ve just spent the last two days watching Kent versus Derby at Canterbury, certainly a more balanced match than the one at Trent Bridge. I suspect Kent are rather more of a team than Sussex, and I’ll watch Jason Gillespie’s impact with interest.


Like henryr two days ago, I have wondered about Chris Adams’s managerial experiences at Surrey and his decision-making. Frankly, I don’t know if he is the right man now for Sussex. I am not close enough. But his recent record doesn’t seem compelling to me for his return to SCCC.


I have watched that Keith Greenfield interview. Three times. Perhaps anyone learning media presentation skills should watch it, as a text-book case of how not to run an interview? I thought it was full of business jargon, the man looked petrified, and then and now I am not sure what he does.


hhsussex rightly identifies the Jofra Archer age as a minor point, but one so indicative of what seems a slapdash approach at the Club. I will give you another example. I am interested in cricket history, and have noted the horrible mistakes on the Sussex Museum site. I remember writing two or three years ago to Jon Filby, and many were eventually corrected. But, apparently, the Club’s foremost historians were occupied on a project. So, even now, take a look at

www.sussexcricketmuseum.com/exhibits/4562372929


“High” Bartlett, or actually Hugh Bartlett, is an important man in the Club’s history, scorer of a notable 57-minute hundred against the 1938 Australians. “Headley” Verity was infact Hedley Verity, one of England’s greatest, classic left-arm spinners. And then the “Lilywhites”, as the site calls them, not knowing its Lillywhites?! OK, it’s a long time ago, not everyone’s cup of tea. But Lillywhite is an important, extended family in Sussex and England cricketing history. Two examples:

www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/16296.html

www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/16580.html


And this proud “family” county club is sufficiently inept to spell the Lillywhite name wrongly on our website, probably for years. Does anyone actually care? Of course in itself it’s trivial, but I’d argue it’s symptomatic of a club that has been losing its way in recent years.

soothsayer,

I echo Mod’s sentiment. Always a pleasure to read a Forum Member’s first post when they have been ‘a lurker’ for many years.

But I must make a point: Those who work for the Museum are all volunteers. While dedicated and hard working, they have little media experience and are neither trained journalists or professional writers. And that is the problem with employing a group of volunteers. Understandably, you expect them to behave like professionals; yet, their inexperience can lead to the errors you point out. Even so, the standard of their published Museum booklets is impressive. I recommend the latest tome on Jim Parks senior, researched/written by Norman Epps and produced by Phil Barnes.