Sussex begin 2025 cricket season at Edgbaston, but what does Division 1 return have in store?

The opening-round fixture at Edgbaston also sets up a coaching reunion, with Paul Farbrace formerly a director of cricket at Warwickshire, while the Bears’ Mark Robinson has long-standing Sussex connections.

Warwickshire are stern opponents, featuring several internationally capped players including current England players Chris Woakes, Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley, and will be a huge test for Sussex’s young squad on their return to the top tier.

Nonetheless, Farbrace will know Robinson’s set-up well, having overseen the operation from 2019 to 2022.

Whilst the calendar shapes up and signings get finalised, there is no better time to assess the challenges Sussex will face in 2025 in the full-length guide below.

DURHAM

Head coach: Ryan Campbell

Captain: Scott Borthwick

2024 Finish: 5th

Having been promoted from Division Two in 2023 at a canter, there was expectation for big-hitting Durham to make an immediate impact in Division One.

Under former Netherlands head coach Ryan Campbell, the Chester-le-Street-based side had a mixed season, with four wins, four defeats, five draws and an abandonment.

They were predictably strong at home, using their ground's northern extremities to lose only one County Championship match against an inspired Worcestershire.

Injuries, the international selection of Matthew Potts and a three-month ban for fellow seamer Brydon Carse's historic gambling offences took their toll, but with batsman David Bedingham scoring the most runs of anyone in the County Championship (1,331, at an average of 78.29), they survived comfortably.

With the additions of Northamptonshire opener Emilio Gay, former Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes and Derbyshire fast bowler Sam Conners, Durham will be expected to push hard for silverware in the 2025 season.

Home: N/A

Away: Sunday 22 – Wednesday 25 June, Chester-le-Street

ESSEX

Head coach: Vacant

Captain: Tom Westley

2024 Finish: 4th

For the early part of the 2024 season, Essex appeared to be best placed to stop Surrey’s title charge.

The East Anglian county won four of their first eight fixtures to ride high at the top, only for a defeat at The Oval in early July to swing the momentum in Surrey’s favour.

A 12-point deduction for 25-year-old opener Feroze Khushi’s use of an oversized bat ended the county’s title challenge, but there were highlights to their season.

Jamie Porter and Sam Cook were Division One’s best new-ball partnership with 56 and 43 wickets respectively, while spinner Simon Harmer (45) and seamer Shane Snater (41) also consistently contributed.

With Dean Elgar returning after a run-laden debut season, Matt Critchley offering huge threat with bat and ball and youngsters like Luc Benkenstein, Noah Thain and Charlie Allison coming through, there is huge potential at Essex in 2025.

However, they will be without head coach Anthony McGrath, who returned to former county Yorkshire in the winter. A replacement is yet to be announced.

Home: Tuesday 22 – Friday 25 July, Hove

Away: N/A

HAMPSHIRE

Head coach: Adrian Birrell

Captain: James Vince

2024 Finish: 2nd

Sussex’s noisy neighbours enjoyed their best finish in the County Championship since 2005 last season, ending as runners-up to Surrey.

For much of the season, that did not look possible, with the Southampton-based side failing to win any of their first five matches.

Kick-started by a cool run chase at Trent Bridge and a whopping innings win over Surrey, the county went on to be undefeated in their remaining nine games, including a low-scoring win to leapfrog Somerset in the final round.

Adrian Birrell’s side relied on their old stagers for this excellent run, with captain James Vince providing consistent runs and the ageing seam attack of Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott still able to run through County Championship batters.

Much of their success came from Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Men’s Domestic MVP, Liam Dawson, too.

34-year-old Dawson made a mockery of his exclusion from the England squad by scoring 956 runs and taking 54 wickets – placing him in Division One’s top 10 for both metrics.

With Hampshire’s late-season surge in 2015 one of the deciding factors in Sussex’s relegation to Division Two and subsequent decade in the second tier, those at Hove will be keen to get one over on the now privately-owned county.

Plenty of familiar faces will line up when they face each other, with Ben Brown and Ali Orr now representing Hampshire, while Tom Alsop went the other way in 2022.

Home: Monday 8 – Thursday 11 September, Hove

Away: Friday 23 – Monday 26 May, Utilita Bowl

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Head coach: Peter Moores

Captain: Haseeb Hameed

2024 Finish: 8th

Despite boasting enviable resources, Nottinghamshire had a poor season in 2024, with former Sussex icon Peter Moores narrowly holding onto his job as head coach.

The Trent Bridge-based county won just two County Championship matches and were ultimately saved by Kent and Lancashire being even worse.

Their most promising signs came in their last two matches – a win over Kent and a genteel draw against Hampshire – when the performances of 19-year-old batsman Freddie McCann and 16-year-old spinner Farhan Ahmed were instrumental.

Elsewhere, an experienced squad failed to live up to expectations.

The county’s controversial triple raid of Worcestershire for Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington and Jack Haynes failed to pay off, with Tongue injured for the entire season, Pennington pulling up in June and Haynes only scoring 622 runs with the bat.

They will expect much more of the trio in 2025, while also hoping to resolve a muddled middle order and an injury-riddled seam attack, with only the performances of Haseeb Hameed, Ben Slater and Joe Clarke doing much to brighten last season.

Home: N/A

Away: Friday 25 – Monday 28 April, Trent Bridge

SOMERSET

Head coach: Jason Kerr

Captain: Lewis Gregory

2024 Finish: 3rd

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

That has been the sum of it for the past decade in the West Country, with Somerset coming close to a maiden County Championship title on several occasions but never quite tasting glory.

The county had sight of a historic treble last season, reaching Vitality Blast Finals Day and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Final, but ultimately came up short in all three competitions.

For a side with nothing like the resources of Surrey, such success is hugely encouraging for English cricket.

With Lewis Gregory leading the side with typical verve, the experience of Craig Overton in the bowling attack and the four Toms – Abell, Banton, Kohler-Cadmore and Lammonby – rivalling Sussex’s similarly Tom-heavy top order, Somerset should pose a threat again in 2025.

Look out, too, for the continuing development of wicketkeeper James Rew and all-rounder Archie Vaughan. Both youngsters could force their way into England contention in 2025.

Home: Friday 11 – Monday 14 April, Hove

Away: Friday 16 – Monday 19 May, Taunton

SURREY

Head coach: Gareth Batty

Captain: Rory Burns

2024 Finish: 1st (champions)

The target on Surrey’s backs only got bigger as they won their third straight County Championship title in 2024.

Emulating a feat that had only been achieved twice since World War Two – by the 1966-68 Yorkshire side and Surrey themselves, dominating between 1952 and 1958 – the side assembled by Gareth Batty and director of cricket, Alec Stewart, showed their strength yet again.

The capture of Dan Lawrence from Essex inevitably helped this, but the form of captain Rory Burns and seamer Dan Worrall – who is months away from qualifying to play for England – was also pivotal.

Their ability to drop in international-quality players at short notice has been targeted – with Shakib Al Hasan’s ill-fated one-match spell panned – but Surrey are beneficiaries of investing in their ground and squad.

While Stewart takes a step back this winter, becoming a high-performance cricket adviser as he focuses on caring for his wife during her cancer treatment, the Surrey behemoth will not relent.

They have added Yorkshire and England seamer Matthew Fisher to their ranks, and all eyes will be on who is available in 2025.

England selection is the tightrope Surrey walk, and with the likes of Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Dan Lawrence and potential Worrall missing for Test matches, while Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Reece Topley, Jamie Overton and Chris Jordan will be involved in limited-overs matches, the continuation of Surrey’s success would be even more remarkable.

Home: Friday 18 – Monday 21 April, Hove

Away: N/A

WARWICKSHIRE

Head coach: Mark Robinson

Captain: Alex Davies

2024 Finish: 7th

Warwickshire are stern opening opponents for Sussex despite an underwhelming 2024 season, and in Edgbaston, they boast one of the most impressive venues in English cricket.

The stadium holds tough recent memories for Sussex, with defeat in the Vitality Blast Semi-Final against Gloucestershire in September 2024 and a Blast Final defeat to Worcestershire Rapids in 2018.

Mark Robinson’s Bears, meanwhile, won the Bob Willis Trophy in 2021 but have since had mixed fortunes.

They finished 8th in 2022, 4th in 2023 and 7th in 2024, and last season won just one game but drew nine.

Their obdurate batting was led by captain Alex Davies, who scored 1,115 runs, while Rhodes, all-rounder Ed Barnard and former Sussex wicketkeeper Michael Burgess also chipped in.

With Burgess retiring this winter, the gloves may pass to 19-year-old Kai Smith, while the signing of Ethan Bamber refreshes an ageing bowling attack which will hope to have Olly Hannon-Dalby, Chris Rushworth and Craig Miles all available in 2025.

Look out, too, for former Sussex players George Garton and Danny Briggs, with the former still seeking his first Championship run-out for the Bears.

Home: Sunday 29 June – Wednesday 2 July, Hove

Away: Friday 4 – Monday 7 April, Edgbaston

WORCESTERSHIRE

Head coach: Alan Richardson

Captain: Brett D’Oliveira

2024 Finish: 6th

Against all odds, Worcestershire’s 2024 season was a truly remarkable achievement.

The season began with New Road underwater, and issues getting their second ground at Kidderminster up and running.

Then came the tragedy of 20-year-old spin bowler Josh Baker’s death from an undiagnosed heart defect, with his teammates having to return to action eight days after hearing the news.

With performances throughout the season that showed their determination to fight for Baker’s memory and everyone connected to the club, the Pears secured their place in Division One for 2025 with a round to spare.

Long-serving former captain Joe Leach has since retired aged 33, and without huge funds to replace him, the Pears will need to think on their feet again.

A potential wildcard in their squad will be 21-year-old Tom Hinley, who made one first-class appearance for Sussex in 2021 and returned to county cricket last summer.

Home: Friday 9 – Monday 12 May, Hove

Away: Wednesday 24 – Saturday 27 September, New Road

YORKSHIRE

Head coach: Anthony McGrath

Captain: Vacant

2024 Finish: 2nd, Division Two (promoted)

Sussex’s promotion rivals of 2024 took the controversial decision this winter to remove head coach Ottis Gibson and replace him with McGrath, who played for the Tykes from 1995 to 2012.

Despite losing Fisher to Surrey, they have added seamer Jack White from Northamptonshire and added former Northants head coach John Sadler as batting coach too.

Yorkshire’s internal issues have been well-documented in recent seasons but the club’s expectation of winning has not changed, and they will look to attack Division One.

They could benefit from the availability of Jonny Bairstow after the 35-year-old was left out of recent England squads, but will not expect to see much of Joe Root or Harry Brook.

It will be an important season for youngsters Finlay Bean, George Hill and James Wharton too, who Sussex will look forward to taking on again.

Home: Monday 15 – Thursday 18 September, Hove

Away: Tuesday 29 July – Friday 1 August, Scarborough

Metro Bank One-Day Cup

In addition to the County Championship fixtures, Sussex’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup matches for both their men’s and women’s sides were announced on Tuesday.

The women’s side begin their competition on Saturday 26 April, with three fixtures taking place before their Vitality Blast campaign takes place in June and July.

They then place another six fixtures in August in the Women’s League 2, which will whittle ten counties down to four for the Semi-Finals. The Final then takes place on Sunday 14 September at New Road.

Following the creation of a two-tier system in women’s cricket from 2025 onwards, Sussex Sharks will also be in the Vitality Blast Women’s League 2.

This competition will work in the same way as the ODC, with nine matches for Sussex’s women before League 2 Finals Day takes place at Wantage Road on Saturday 26 July.

Sussex’s men, meanwhile, have a tough draw in the ODC, with four other Division One sides in Group B alongside them.

They welcome Kent Spitfires to Arundel in their first home match of the competition on Thursday 7 August, while also hosting Lancashire, Somerset and Yorkshire to Hove. They travel to Durham, Middlesex, Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Warwickshire in their away matches.

The men’s match against Kent Spitfires forms part of the four-day Festival of Cricket at Arundel Castle from 6-9 August 2025, with Sussex Sharks Women also playing against Leicestershire there on Saturday 9 August.

With Sussex Sharks Women playing nine matches at Hove during the season, including three home double-headers against Gloucestershire on Sunday 1 June, Glamorgan on Sunday 8 June), and Hampshire Hawks (Men) and Middlesex (Women) on Saturday 5 July, the use of the 1st Central County Ground is only expanding.

Despite Sussex’s disappointment at not being one of the counties chosen to be a Tier 1 women’s side for 2025-28, this is an encouraging sign for the growth of the sport in the county.

Vitality T20 Blast

Like the One-Day Cup, Sussex men’s and women’s sides will play concurrently in the Vitality Blast in 2025 after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced aligned events.

In the fixtures released a week prior to the County Championship and ODC schedule, it was announced that Sussex Sharks would begin the entire tournament, with both their men’s and women’s sides taking on Middlesex at Lord’s on Thursday 29 May.

Sussex’s men will play 14 South Group fixtures in the space of 51 days with County Championship matches against Durham and Warwickshire during that time too, while Sussex’s women will play eight fixtures.

For both sides, the aim will be to finish in the top four in their group, with those who do so progressing to the Quarter-Finals of the men’s competition and Finals Day in the Women’s League 2.

Full Sussex CCC and Sussex CCC Women’s 2025 Fixture List

(All games Rothesay County Championship Division One, unless stated)

Friday 4 April – Warwickshire vs Sussex

Friday 11 April – Sussex vs Somerset

Friday 18 April – Sussex vs Surrey

Friday 25 April – Nottinghamshire vs Sussex

Saturday 26 April – Sussex Sharks vs Yorkshire (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Saturday 3 May – Worcestershire Rapids vs Sussex Sharks (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Monday 5 May – Sussex Sharks vs Buckinghamshire Women (Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup)

Friday 9 May – Sussex vs Worcestershire

Thursday 15 May – Sussex Sharks vs Kent (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Friday 16 May – Somerset vs Sussex

Friday 23 May – Hampshire vs Sussex

Monday 26 May – Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup – Finals Day

Thursday 29 May – Middlesex vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Thursday 29 May – Middlesex vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Sunday 1 June – Sussex Sharks vs Gloucestershire (Vitality Blast – Men)

Sunday 1 June – Sussex Sharks vs Gloucestershire (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Friday 6 June – Sussex Sharks vs Somerset (Vitality Blast – Men)

Sunday 8 June – Sussex Sharks vs Glamorgan (Vitality Blast – Men)

Sunday 8 June – Sussex Sharks vs Glamorgan (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Friday 13 June – Sussex Sharks vs Essex (Vitality Blast – Men)

Saturday 14 June – Glamorgan vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Wednesday 18 June – Surrey vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Sunday 22 June – Durham vs Sussex

Sunday 22 June – Sussex Sharks vs Kent (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Friday 27 June – Glamorgan vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Sunday 29 June – Sussex vs Warwickshire

Friday 4 July – Kent Spitfires vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Saturday 5 July – Sussex Sharks vs Hampshire Hawks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Saturday 5 July – Sussex Sharks vs Middlesex (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Wednesday 9 July – Sussex Sharks vs Kent Spitfires (Vitality Blast – Men)

Friday 11 July – Essex vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Sunday 13 July – Hampshire Hawks vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Thursday 17 July – Gloucestershire vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Men)

Thursday 17 July – Gloucestershire vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Friday 18 July – Sussex Sharks vs Surrey (Vitality Blast – Men)

Sunday 20 July – Kent vs Sussex Sharks (Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2)

Tuesday 22 July – Sussex vs Essex

Saturday 26 July – Vitality Blast – Women’s League 2 Finals Day

Tuesday 29 July – Yorkshire vs Sussex

Saturday 2 August – Sussex Sharks vs Gloucestershire (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Tuesday 5 August – Durham vs Sussex Sharks (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Thursday 7 August – Sussex Sharks vs Kent Spitfires (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Saturday 9 August – Sussex Sharks vs Leicestershire (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Sunday 10 August – Middlesex vs Sussex Sharks (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Friday 15 August – Sussex Sharks vs Lancashire (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Saturday 16 August – Northamptonshire Steelbacks vs Sussex Sharks (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Sunday 17 August – Northamptonshire Steelbacks vs Sussex Sharks (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Thursday 21 August – Sussex Sharks vs Somerset (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Sunday 24 August – Sussex Sharks vs Yorkshire (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Monday 25 August – Sussex Sharks vs Middlesex (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Tuesday 26 August – Warwickshire vs Sussex Sharks (Metro Bank ODC – Men)

Thursday 28 August – Metro Bank ODC – Men’s Quarter-Finals

Saturday 30 August – Derbyshire Falcons vs Sussex Sharks (Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2)

Sunday 31 August – Metro Bank ODC – Men’s Semi-Finals

Wednesday 3 September – Vitality Blast – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Match 1)

Friday 5 September - Vitality Blast – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Match 2)

Saturday 6 September – Metro Bank ODC Women’s League 2 – Semi-Finals

Saturday 6 September – Vitality Blast – Men’s Quarter-Finals (Matches 3 and 4)

Monday 8 September – Sussex vs Hampshire

Saturday 13 September – Vitality Blast – Men’s Finals Day

Sunday 14 September – Metro Bank ODC – Women’s League 2 Final

Monday 15 September – Sussex vs Yorkshire

Saturday 20 September – Metro Bank ODC – Men’s Final

Wednesday 24 September – Worcestershire vs Sussex