Sussex Premier cricket champions Roffey ready to launch title defence

Skipper Matt Davies told the County Times: “There’ll be some changes, as there are very new season.

"We’ll be missing Rohit Jagota, who’s retired, Mike Norris has gone back to Ifield, and Jas Bassan will be playing in Kent.

"But, we’ve got a good young squad and are delighted that Jonny Phelps has joined us from Haywards Heath – he’s coaching the juniors.

"And we’ve signed 23-year-old opening bat Nick Greenwood from Wellington, New Zealand.

"He’s currently playing for Jersey – where he was born - in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Namibia.

"Ben Garrett has been playing in Australia all winter and Will Fenwick and Sam Henderson have been with the Sussex Academy.

"And we’ve got some other impressive players emerging, too, so we’re confident and are looking forward to getting started.”

Roffey coach Simon Fearnley added: “We’ve got an exciting mix of youth and experience.

“Our batting looks strong and there will be healthy competition for places, which is always a good thing.

"We have previously done well in T20 competitions, but have missed out in recent seasons, so that’s something that we’d definitely like to put right!”

Roffey have a pre-season friendly on Saturday, April 22, away to Minster on Kent’s Isle of Sheppey.

They start their Sussex League campaign on Saturday, May 6 with a trip to Cuckfield – who are back in the Premier Division after promotion last season.

Roffey’s first home league fixture is against Middleton on May 13, both those early games on a 50-over-a-side win-or-lose basis.

And Roffey have entered three cup competitions – the Sussex T20 Cup, with the winners of the Hove final going through to next year’s national competition; the ECB National Club Championship (with the final at Lord’s on September 9), and the Conference Cup for the Bertie Joel Trophy. Fixtures for these three competitions will be published nearer to the events.

Meanwhile, having won the Sussex Premier Division six times in the past nine years, nothing is more certain than Roffey’s determination to do so again this season.

PULBOROUGH

Pulborough cricketers are dusting off their pads and laundering their whites getting ready for the first cricket match to be played in the village in almost two years.

The first game of the season is a charity match between the newly resurrected cricket team and the Pulborough football team.

The beneficiary is the Chestnut Tree House hospice for children.

Both teams are affiliated to the Pulborough Sports and Social Club, who are supporting the event by providing a barbecue.

Local business have been very generous in donating prizes for the raffle despite the financial difficulties they are facing with the cost of living crisis and the business lost to the closure of the A29.

CRICKET COVERAGE

We want to cover as many local teams as possible in Sussex Newspapers print titles and online at sussexworld.co.uk/sport when the 2023 season gets started – but we need your help.

We need match reports, skippers’ comments and team and action pictures sent to us via [email protected] or via our new self-submission system – register to send us articles and pictures direct at https://submit.nationalworld.com/?ref=SUWD

Why not start by sending us a season preview for your team? Tell us which division you’ll be playing in, and what your hopes are.