Sussex Sharks have, sadly, not reached Finals Day in this season’s Twenty20 competition, having been knocked out in the quarter finals by Lancashire at Hove last week.
Sussex won the Twenty20 Final in 2009, but unless we win the 40 over title this year, we will have to live on memories, and living longest in my memory is the C&G 50 over Final at Lords on 26th August 2006 when Sussex beat Lancashire by 15 runs.
That amazing day started badly with Sussex struggling at one stage at 72 for 6. But scores of 37 from both Michael Yardy and Yasir Arafat, who shared a partnership of 56, gave Sussex some hope. A precious 19 from Luke Wright and even 9 from Mushtaq Ahmed saw the Sharks reach 172 all out in 47.1 overs.
Few thought that was a total that could be defended against a team as strong as Lancashire. Representing Lancashire that day was the Australian, Stuart Law, who had developed a habit of scoring big hundreds against Sussex, and another bogeyman for the Sharks, the ageless Dominic Cork, now with Hampshire.
But Sussex had its own not-so-secret weapons in Mushtaq and James Kirtley. Kirtley claimed three wickets in seven balls and Mushtaq struck twice to halt Lancashire’s solid start. Mushy was characteristically miserly, with his 10 overs going for just 19 runs.
It was to be Kirtley’s day, taking 5 wickets for just 27 runs, allowing Sussex to bowl Lancashire out for 157. Kirtley’s five wickets were all given leg before wicket, a record in domestic cricket. Sussex had some luck when Law was given out LBW first ball. Replays showed he had got a big inside edge – he had actually hit the ball – and should not have been given out.
None of that mattered to Sussex’s players or supporters, but it probably changed the outcome of the match.
Kirtley was named Man of the Match, probably one of his proudest moments in a glittering career. He received a similar accolade in his debut Test match for England.
One of my abiding memories of the day was the reaction of my wife, not used to big match occasions, to the singing by the Sussex supporters. After a hesitant start, she joined in renditions of Sussex by the Sea, but by the time Sussex were on the verge of victory, she was singing, with some venom directed at the Lancashire supporters, “You’re not singing, you’re not singing, you’re not singing anymore …”.
So come Finals Day at Edgbaston on 27th August, there will be no Sussex supporters singing their hearts out for Sussex by the Sea, but that victory in 2006, and my wife’s singing, still lives long in the memory.
(This article first appeared in Latest Homes magazine in August 2011).
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