I am going to base my review of Sussex Cricket Club on my experiences there over the last 2 years, sadly not as a player which if I was anywhere need good enough I would love but as a spectator and more recently as a member.

I am a huge fan of cricket and love to go and see my local team, the mighty Sussex, they are based at the County Ground in Hove, which although not one of the biggest grounds around the country has a reasonable capacity and in my opinion a great atmosphere. In the one day format Sussex are known as the Sussex Sharks, watch out for Sid.

The History:

For anyone that doesn't know which I imagine is most people Sussex have been a relatively unsuccessful club at least until that last 10 years or so, the millennium struck and the Sharks rose from the depths to demolish everyone in their sights. They won the county championship 3 times in 2003, 2006 and 2007 with a lot of gratitude to Mushtaq Ahmed who played fantastically and went a long way to win those matches and titles. They were also promoted from division 2 in 2001 and 2010, though of course this also means they were relegated in the preceding years just to bounce right back up. At the same time as this they also were hugely successful in the one day format of the game where they won the Friends Provident Title in 2006, the Pro 40 Tournament in 2008 and 2009 and the newest format Twenty20 in 2009 making that decade surely the decade of the Shark, grrr.

The Stadium/ The Pitch and the Members:

The County ground is, as I previously said, pretty small and I can say this with some confidence having been to both Lords and the Oval which are huge grounds that host international games. It may be small but it also has a very close nit feel you are always near to the ground and the players and constantly wonder whether the next big six is coming in your direction so you need to be prepared to catch it.

The pitch itself, at least as well an amateur like me can tell, is pretty decent; most of the scores seem to be pretty competitive but not so high that results cannot be achieved in a four day game. The whole atmosphere of the place and the enjoyment of the game are enhanced by being a member, you get to sit with other members that you therefore know also love the game and in most cases the same team as you. It is great fun to chat with different people at different games and talk about the players and past performance, I have already talked about past performances so onto...

The Players:

Ok so there is not much that I can say about the players really, it is kind of cool when you can spot one of them from the other end of the ground and go yeah that's xxx and the person beside you has to pull out their binoculars and still isn't really sure if it is the right person. There have been loads of good players to visit Sussex while I have been there. For any cricket fans I have seen the likes of Alistair Cook, Marcus Trescothick, Dwayne Smith (who has hit some mighty sixes and taking some unbelievable catches not to mention the 4 wickets in an over) and of course how can I write this list without including the legend that is oh Monty Monty, Monty Monty Panesar. There have been more famous names, more international names than those I have mentioned but I think that those are the players that I have most appreciated seeing.

The Food:

Well as you can imagine the prices are crazy and why not after all once you are in you are in and that is it. I have to admit that we have indulged a few times, the hot dogs and burgers are nice, the ice creams are cold but even more overpriced than they should be but they cake is great. As members we have access to the Pavilion in which they sell extra little goodies like Cake and even some proper hot food like lasagne and casserole. Being a member is great.

Overall:

Overall it has been fantastic being a member of Sussex County Cricket Club and long may it continue hopefully with more success. I have enjoy the highs and the lows (not so much) and me and my partner have cherished the time we have spent together at these games, bring back the summer.

My Favourite Cricketing Moments:

-Dwayne Smith taking a great one handed catch on the boundary rope.
-Ryan Sidebottom getting hit for 26 in an over.
-My partner saying why are they bowling him when referring to Ollie Rayner as his best was 1 wicket for 20 runs or something, me saying that maybe he will get 2 today well I then thoroughly enjoyed watching him run through the opposition line up taking 5-16(or something like that).

My favourite thing:
-The hours and hours spent watching Sussex play whilst cuddling my partner who was keeping score and enjoying every second of it together.