The
winter
blues
During the autumn of my career, I spent
the winters in Wales/Sussex and didn’t
really fancy picking up a bat in October
and November. You don’t want to peak
too early, so to speak! Or that’s what I
said to convince myself. But after a long
season, the indoor school didn’t really
whet my appetite, but come January and
the hunger was always back.
There’s a lovely saying “ I’d rather be
out for 1, than be at my desk at 9”. I have
to be honest I am feeling really envious
in the knowledge that the Sussex CCC
Squad will fly out to Desert Springs in
Spain for some warm weather training
on Saturday March 1st.
Me? I’m sitting at my desk with my
jumper and coat on, looking forward to
my daily run to the Marina. I’m not bitter,
the lads will be back after 10 days and
we’ll be all in the same boat. Oh no! I
forgot, the squad is heading out for their
pre-season training in Dubai on March
18th, where they will begin their defence
of their Emirates Airlines t20 Trophy.
I think you all know I’m kidding, I was
very lucky as a player to experience the
pre-season trips abroad and I can tell
you a Pre-Season Tour is so important
for a team to get a great start to the new
summer.
I absolutely love my football and my
rugby. I’m much more at home on the
seafront in Hove on a cold, wet blustery
day with the waves crashing, than in the
height of summer. But I absolutely hate
January! It really is the Monday of the
Year. I suppose a lot to do with it is that
most of us have had a decent break
filled with drinking and eating too much,
coupled with finding it harder to get out
bed at a decent hour with each passing
day of Christmas Break.
But before you think I’m going to do a
Reginald Perrin and walk off the end
of the Pier, there is light at the end of
the tunnel. The new Cricket season
was always on the Horizon for me once
New Year’s Day had come and gone.
110
I’m really excited about Sussex’s
prospects for the new season. We have
a lot of experience and a lot of local lads
who came to the fore last season. The
Fixture List is exciting too. We host the
Sri Lanka on Sunday May 18th in a t20
match at Hove. T20 will now be played
over 14 matches from May 16th- July
25th, mainly under lights on a Friday
night. We kick off versus our rivals
Surrey on Friday May 18th. I’m really
looking forward to seeing the Ground
full to bursting for all our eight t20 home
matches. I’m sure most will be sold out,
so please get your tickets early
After another competitive Championship
season where we finished third in the
1st Division, we play Warwickshire at
the Horsham Festival on Monday July
21st-24th and a Royal London One
Day 50 over Match v Nottinghamshire
on Sunday July 27th. We also
entertain Yorkshire in the LV County
Championship on Monday June 16th19th and a mouth watering t20 tie
against Somerset on Sunday June 15th
at the Arundel Festival.
All in all I’m sure you’ll agree this year
looks like being a cracker and I’m sure
Sussex will turn the highly competitive
2013 season into another Silverware
season. We’ve been at the top of the tree
for 10 seasons now and set some very
high standards. So I hope all you Sussex
supporters out there get behind the lads
and cheer them on to success.
Last, but certainly not least, I have
secured the services of a fantastic exPremiership footballer and SKY pundit
to speak at my next “Where Cricket
Meets Football Dinner” on Thursday July
3rd at the BrightonandHove Jobs.com
County Ground. Matt Le Tissier will be
entertaining us with tales of his career.
I’m sure he will have plenty to say about
the departing Southampton Chairman
Nicola Cortese
On the Corporate side of things, Sussex
CCC is proud of our fantastic relationship
with Mayo Wynne Baxter, who are the
sponsors of our Executive Suite. In
2014, they will also be Hove Festival
Sponsors for our LV Championship v
Nottinghamshire on Sunday June 1st-4th
and our t20 match v Gloucestershire
on Friday July 6th. These matches also
include our annual Beer Festival at Hove,
situated at the North-East area of the
ground, where you will be able to sample
numerous local Sussex Ales.
Please join me in wishing away my winter
blues. Before you know it the Cricket
Season will be upon us. Best of luck to
The Seagulls and my beloved Swans
over the next couple of months. Brighton
v Swansea at Wembley in the 2014 FA
Cup Final would have been good!
Cheers
Cotts