There was a good-sized crowd at Hove on Sunday for the game against Kent.

And although no batsman except Yardy really managed to push on to a big score, I thought 245 might just be enough - not that the pitch seemed to have much life in it, but I thought we'd be able to contain the Kent batsmen.

Some of Kent's bowling early on was very untidy, leaking leg-side wides at a shocking rate, so I was hoping for a bit more discipline from Sussex, which they duly showed, bowling tight spells and not giving away too many extras. RMJ and Yardy were especially good, as was James Kirtley at the end.

I hate to say it but the real disappointment was Luke Wright, who gave away 65 runs in ten overs - which is far too costly in this form of the game. When he should have been looking to keep it tight at the death, he served up some quick but poorly directed balls that were smashed around the park by Justin Kemp. His response to this was to try and bowl even faster and he duly received more punishment in an over that cost Sussex the game.

He only needed to glance to the other end to see how to bowl at this stage of a match: Kirtley mixed up his deliveries well, changing his pace and dropping in slower balls, making life difficult for the batsmen.

It might be worth his while to consider curbing his enthusiasm for pace in favour of an approach a little more subtle.

It was a match we should have won.

Right, you'll have to excuse the corny photo, but the excitement of the 1st day against Kent got too much for me.

I took my friend and colleague Mark along with me and we sat there in the cold watching the final session, whilst I explained some of the game's more arcane rules and terminology.

Great to see Matt Prior do exactly what was required of him, playing a really well controlled innings for his fifty - and now going on to reach triple figures today. He's making a strong statement of intent there, and has obviously thought carefully about his game and worked really hard in practice during the winter. I know he's really committed to performing for Sussex this season but if he keeps going like this I'm certain his name will be on the lips of the England selectors again.



Luke Wright was also looking in pretty good touch but seemed to get a ball that kept low. Be interesting to see how he bowls on what's looking like a pretty slow pitch.

I'm wondering if it has a few demons in it though, given the rather strange middle order collpase yesterday. Hopefully something there for our bowlers to exploit.

Whilst at work today I've been keeping abreast of things by dipping into Bruce's excellent commentary. As I write another Kent wicket has fallen, so it's now 20-3!! My colleagues turn and stare as I let out a yelp of delight.

I know it's tough not being in the office, but keep up the good work Bruce!

It was rather odd to keep up with the unfolding saga of Ryan Harris's departure last week.

He was looking like he might be a good asset for the club, until the first hints of something amiss appeard on Bruce's live commentary Wednesday last.

I'm still not sure what exactly happened in terms of timings, but there was certainly a great deal of miscommunication between parties, as Chris Adams freely admits.

I feel sorry for Harris himself because he's going to miss out on being part of a great team, with a real shot at picking up a hat-trick of titles.

Speaking of which, the BBC's Kevin Howells reckons Sussex are still the team to beat, and it's difficult to argue with his logic, especially the point he makes about Hove missing out on a lot of rain last season, whilst other counties ended up being all too often confined to the dressing room.

You only have to consider the flooding at Worcestershire last year to realise how lucky we are in terms of our geographical location.



If we have another summer like this, at least Ryan won't have to confront scenes like the one above, although the Aussies are pretty strong at watersports I believe.

I can only hope that losing a front-line bolwer so early won't have too much of an impact on our chances and that Mr Howell's prediction is an accurate one.

I've just listened to today's podcast with Chris Nash and he seems very positive about the team's chances this season.

He mentions the spirit that exists between the players and their excellent work ethcic. This point is often made about Sussex, but it really has been the difference between them and other Championship teams over the last few years.

Adams talks about being smart - and this is the right approach. By this, I guess he means preparation before the game and flexibility during it.

England's 2005 Ashes winning side provide a rather obvious example of this, in that they had studied their opponents in minute detail prior to the series and continued to do so as it progressed. They were then able to capitalise on the Australians' weaknesses, as well as play to their own strengths. For me, the way they completely neutralised the threat of Adam Gilchrist proved a decisive factor in their eventual victory. His runs could have meant a very different outcome.

Sussex, I'm sure, will adopt the same techniques: studying video footage, working out a batsman's weaknesses (especially early in his innings) and bowling and setting fields in such a way as to exploit them. In the modern game this is nothing new of course, but its importance cannot be overstated.

Players also need to play close attention to their own games - I'm keen to see how Prior gets on. His confidence must have taken a knock last year, despite the fact that it has perhaps been a surfeit of it that has often been the cause of his undoing. You get a sense it's all in the mind with him: he knows what a good player he is and so he continues to play a little too extravagantly sometimes, when perhaps a little circumspection is called for. Similarly, it'll be interesting to see if Luke Wright can bowl to the fields Adams sets him with discipline and patience.

Nash also mentions the new players that have come in this year. And it's good to see that Harris, Aga and Beer have made the squad for the opening day. I'm wondering how Harris might fare on early-season English wickets and how all of them fit into this very tight unit.

So, a fairly solid start at the MCC then. Luke Wright and RMJ put together a solid partnership, with Wrighty looking really good for his unbeaten 155, in what was a strong batting performance in the second innings.

Also, Ryan Harris proved he can bowl at a fairly quick pace, taking both Joyce and Bopara...another good prospect by the look of things.

Bring on Hampshire!

To say that I'm excited at the thought of the new cricket season is a bit of an understatement. To be honest, I think it's taken me this long to calm down after last year.

There were certainly some real highlights, especially Luke Wright's thrilling 125 against Gloucestershire (and of course my adventures in the hot-tub!), but I have to say that being at the ground to hear the roar when the crowd realised Sussex had won the Championship was one of best moments of my cricketing life.

Of course, I'm hoping for a repeat of those scenes this year but it is important to be realistic. There will be strong challenges from the usual contenders, many of whom possess a greater depth to their squads than Sussex now do. We'll miss a player like Richard Montgomerie, for instance, who had the ability anchor an innings and provide that crucial sense of stability so essential to good batting performances. And there is no doubt in my mind that the squad needs further augmentation.

That said, I think many people last year thought it an impossible task to claim back-to-back titles, especially after a patchy start, but they were eventually proved wrong. Adams possesses an indomitable spirit and, despite the creeping years, it would be foolhardy to write-off players of the quality of Mushy, Yardy and Goodwin.

I also think that Luke Wright might be a crucial component of the Sussex team this year, boosted by the confidence he must have gained from his international call-up, it is surely time for him to hone his talents and reach for that ever illusive but utterly essential quality: consistency (with both bat and ball). He certainly has the potential to do this - and to light up games in the manner of a Flintoff or Symonds - but he must show maturity and a sense of judgement in tight situations.

Make no mistakes, a third consecutive title is a very big ask indeed, but Sussex are still in with a good chance if they can maintain the spirit they have demonstrated over the last two seasons. Intangible as it might seem, it is nevertheless this quality that has lifted them above the other teams and this quality that may just do so again.