Duke of Richmond’s XI score narrow victory over Sussex in Priory Park centenary cricket match
On Saturday 29 September, a team representing the Duke of Richmond scored two runs with the final ball to defeat Sussex County Cricket Club in a historic cricket match played in Priory Park, Chichester.
As part of the ‘PP100’ celebrations marking 100 years since the 7th Duke of Richmond gifted Priory Park to the people of Chichester, the Sussex County cricket team brought both male and female first team players – including a number of their internationals – to take on The Duke’s XI, comprising keen amateurs from various levels of the sport and other Sussex players.
On a beautiful sunny day, around 1,500 people arrived to watch the free-to-attend match, and none were left disappointed with the action. Sussex were first to bat and quickly hit their stride, Luke Wells scoring 43 runs from 18 balls and Harry Finch collecting 57 from 29 balls. The eagle-eyed would have noticed that The Duke’s team were fielding with 12 players, an anomaly that was allowed owing to the original rules of 1727 stating that; ‘the rules did not apply’ to The Duke’s team.
With a score of 239-6 to beat, Georgia Adams and Luke Wright opened for The Duke of Richmond’s XI, with Wright delivering a magnificent 85 from 27 balls. Not in any way intimidated by their high-profile opposition, the amateur players continued to make great progress, with senior Andy Barnes making 26 runs from 24 balls and team captain Charlie March (The Duke’s son) far from disgraced with 16 from 15 balls.
It didn’t always go the way of the home side though, and their borrowed Sussex player Jofra Archer was bowled out on his first ball, while former Australian international Jason Gillespie was out with the penultimate ball of the match. It therefore fell to Goodwood Cricket Club’s captain James Mayne to decide the fate of the home side and a dramatic late dive saw Mayne return to the stumps after two runs, meaning The Duke’s XI had won with the last ball. The final score was Sussex CCC 239-6, Duke of Richmond’s XI 240-8.
Richard Geffen, Chairman of Goodwood Cricket Club and part of the team who helped organise the event, said; “There was a real community feel. It is not often that one gets the opportunity to see international and county players for free in such a historic setting. Thanks must go to Sussex, Allan Green and Richard Plowman of the PP100 committee for inviting Sussex to play in the Park, to the Duke of Richmond and his team at Goodwood who helped make this wonderful event happen, to Ian Sanger for scoring in this match and to Mick Page and the outfield team.”
ENDS
For press information on Goodwood Cricket Club, please contact Sam Hanson;
T: 07790 921688
For press information on Sussex CCC, please contact Sam Keir;
E: sam.keir@sussexcricket.co.uk
T: 07733 078904
