English County Final

[pies4ever]

County Championship preview
History beckons for Sussex
Wisden CricInfo staff - September 16, 2003

Sussex v Leicestershire, Hove

Sussex need to take a mere six points from their final match of the season, against Leicestershire at Hove, to be certain of securing the Championship title for the first time in their history.

But, when 164 years of hurt are on the verge of being healed, nothing is ever as simple as it ought to be. Leicestershire, who were described as "shambolic" during an industrial tribunal last week, are already relegated and have nothing but pride to play for.

But, they somehow beat Kent by an innings in their last match, to record their first victory of the season. Sussex, at the same time, were being thrashed by an innings by their only remaining title rivals, Lancashire.

With James Kirtley ruled out with shin splints, much rests on Mushtaq Ahmed. After a rare barren match at Old Trafford, he needs a solitary scalp to become the first bowler to take 100 wickets in a season since Andrew Caddick in 1998. Sussex will hope he passes that mark with room to spare.

[Donny]

Mushy didn't waste too much time.

He has 3/49 so far. More on this game later.

[London Dave]

They need to score 300 inside 130 overs in the first innings to win the CC. At stups, 1/137, so its 163 to go! Goodwin was 70 odd no

[Donny]

A wonderful innings from Murray Goodwin clinched the County championship title for Sussex with the highest ever score by a Sussex batsman.

He scored 335 n.o. from 390 balls with 52 fours and a six.
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Goodwin leads Sussex to the title while Worcestershire win Division Two
Wisden CricInfo staff - September 18, 2003


At last the wait for Sussex is over.

Twenty minutes after lunch on the second day against Leicestershire, Sussex reached the 300 runs they needed to take the Championship title for the first time in their history.

Murray Goodwin, the county's top run-scorer this summer, led the way with a masterful 335 not out – the highest-ever score for Sussex - and he clinched the title in style by smashing Phil DeFreitas past square-leg for four to start the celebrations.

Play was temporarily interrupted as the Sussex players raced down from the pavilion and onto the pitch to congratulate Goodwin and Chris Adams, who was on 56 at the time, and went on to make 102.

Then followed a lap of honour in front of a packed Hove crowd and it was easy to forget that there was a game was still going on. The Leicestershire players didn't mind though, as they sportingly applauded the jubilant Sussex team.

And Goodwin made sure the party kept on rocking with a barrage of boundaries to put Sussex in total command of a dispirited Leicestershire attack. He thumped a staggering 52 fours and a six and added 267 with Adams along the way. Tim Ambrose then got in the spirit with an entertaining 82 as Sussex declared on a massive 614 for 4 on the biggest day of their 164-year history.

And they still had time to nip out two wickets before the close to put Leicestershire in even deeper trouble. Peter Moores, the coach, said: "It has been a fantastic season for cricket in this country and it's great for us to finish on top.

Mushtaq Ahmed had a great season with over 100 wickets, but there have been too many outstanding performances to mention." More good news for Sussex is that Mushtaq has announced that he is keen to return to the club. "I hope to be back next season. We are having talks and I would like to play for two more seasons," he said. Happy days down by the sea indeed.

[Donny]

Milestones for Murray, Mushtaq and Martyn
Wisden CricInfo staff - September 18, 2003

When you've got a maiden Championship title at stake, there's nothing quite like sealing it in style. And in Mushtaq Ahmed and Murray Goodwin, Sussex found two players with the perfect sense of occasion.

On the first day, Mushtaq became the first bowler for five years to take 100 wickets in a county championship season. He reached the landmark with his first wicket, that of Leicestershire's Brad Hodge with the last ball before lunch, on his way to 4 for 71.

The last players to take 100 wickets in a season were Andrew Caddick for Somerset and Courtney Walsh for Gloucestershire in 1998. The last spinner to take 100 wickets in a season was Northamptonshire's Anil Kumble in 1995.

Mushtaq's efforts put the destiny of the Championship beyond reasonable doubt, but it took a supreme innings from Goodwin to set the champagne corks a-popping. When Chris Adams finally declared on 614 for 4, Goodwin had lamped a wonderful 335 not out. It was the first triple-century of his career, and appropriately enough for such an historic day, the highest first-class score in Sussex's history. The previous record of 333 had belonged to KS Duleepsinhji, as set against Northants at Hove in 1930.

At Headingley there's plenty at stake as well, with Yorkshire needing a victory to secure promotion to the first division. Damien Martyn duly followed up the fastest first-class century of the season by reaching 200 in record time against Gloucestershire. Martyn's hundred came off 65 balls, with 15 fours and four sixes, beating the previous fastest of the season, Bilal Shafayat's 100 in 73 balls for Nottinghamshire against Durham UCCE on the second day of the season.

Martyn's innings looks likely to secure him AON's £5,000 prize and the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the season's fastest hundred. If so, it will be the first time in the history of a competition which started in 1934 that the winning innings has come at Leeds.

Martyn's double-hundred took only 128 balls (including 32 fours and seven sixes) beating the previous best (134 balls) made last week by Ian Blackwell for Somerset against Derbyshire.