Disability cricket flourishing in Sussex - and successful 2024 proves it

It has been another excellent year for Disability Cricket at Sussex and we thank all staff, volunteers and clubs who support the development and delivery of our programmes and wider performance pathways.

We’d also like to thank Webtrends Optimize for their continued commitment and sponsorship of the Sussex Disability Pathway and DIScoverABILITY event.

Their support has provided players with increased training opportunities, matchday support and team kit. Their commitment to this year’s DIScoverABILITY Day, saw record breaking numbers of children, young people and adults with SEND have a wonderful day of cricket and sporting opportunities.

SEND Schools Cricket continued to grow this year, reaching over 40 schools - a 21 per cent increase, with over 170 places for table cricket competition in our regional table cricket festival, held at the 1st Central County Ground in February 2024.

It was another excellent year across our Super1s Hubs with over 120 children and young people accessing our county wide offer, with the further development of a newly formed Visually Impaired (VI) Hub and welcomed partnership with Arundel Castle Cricket Club, housing our ‘Arundel’ Super1s Hub, commencing October 2024.

We saw a growth across our network of ‘Disability Champion Clubs’ with eight confirmed hubs, providing opportunities to train, play and socialise within a club environment, supporting the development of players accessing our Sussex Disability Pathway, across recreational cricket leagues.

There was a wonderful start to pre-season in January; Tom Alsop supporting the Disability Pathway teams, with specialist group and one-to-one coaching sessions throughout the winter.

We expanded our D40 offer this season, with the entry to both the ECB Quest and Pursuit leagues, welcoming over 70 players this season with a further increase of over 80 players, as we enter 2025.

The D40 Quest team had a great season – sadly, several games were abandoned due to weather. We played four, won two, and secured 4th place in the table, playing games at Arundel Castle, The Oval and the 1st Central County Ground, this season.

The D40 Pursuit team entered the Pursuit League for the first time, and although faced with some tough challenges, the team played exceptionally well against highly experienced teams and players.

The Super9s Challenge Squad played at several competitive pairs cricket festivals across the south, providing opportunities for both our established pathway and Super1s Development players.

2024 has been another excellent year for the VI Sharks – after an early win in the league, the Sharks played Northants at the 1st Central County Ground in the final of the oldest disability sport competition in the world – the Heindrich Swanepoel Cup.

The Sharks re-wrote the history books scoring 362 for 3 in 30 overs, with Skipper Dan fields scoring 154 off 73, the highest ever individual score. Northants were skittled for 93.

The Sharks’ run in the T20, saw the team stroll to finals day, then it went horribly wrong against a west country side in the semi-final.

The Sharks made the 2024 final against Northants but an injury ravaged side, came up short. However, the team went on to win National League Division 1 by a single point.

Sussex Cricket’s End of Season Awards Night welcomed the wider club, Disability and Women and Girls’ squads, a momentous occasion and a first in the club’s history. It was a huge celebration for our award winners and wider successes of our Disability Pathway. Sussex Cricket ‘first’ Women & Girls DPL player – Meg Loveland.

Also celebrated were the successes of our Male DPL players – Alfie Pyle, Owen Piper, Fred Bridges, Liam O’Brian and Daniel Gee. Further celebrating the successes of our international players, Alfie Pyle (LD), Fred Bridges (PD), Liam O’Brian (PD) and Jake Vosloo (PD) – who has been invited to train with the England PD squad.

Discoverability Weekend saw three days of disability cricket at the County Ground, starting with DIScoverABILITY Day. Over 750 attended a superb day of cricket, alongside golf, football and wheelchair rugby. Thanks to Jolf, Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation and Brighton Buccaneers, for attending.

Next day was the ‘2023’ VI Heindrich Swanepoel VI Cup Final, then came the D40 Quest fixture ‘Sussex vs Lancashire’ Sussex winning by nine wickets.

This coincided with our national leading campaign #disabilitycricketmonth, celebrating the success of our community programmes and county disability pathway players and teams, including captains’ interviews with ex-international blind cricketers – Dan Field and Mark Bond and D40 Quest Captain – James Bunday.

2025 will see a continued growth in Disability Cricket across the country and Sussex will continue to lead the way and ‘Inspire and Generation’ of players, developing opportunities for CYP and adults, to again equal opportunity and access to the game.