An up to date 60 page "The History of 25 Seasons of the Sussex Invitation Cricket League" is now available. Anyone who would like a copy, just send a cheque for £2.50 to Laurie Claydon, 50 Melrose Avenue, Worthing.
A HISTORY of the LEAGUE
by
Laurie Claydon
LEAGUE OFFICIALS:
President :
2007-to date Neil Lenham
2006 Vacant
1979-2005 Peter Graves
Chairman :
2008 to date Bob Reynolds
2004-2007 Norman Teague
2001-2003 Alan Harris
1994-2000 Geoffrey Longfield
1979-1993 John White
Vice-Chairman :
2008 to date
2007 Bob Warren
2006 Vacant
2004-2005 David Horsman
2001-2003 Norman Teague
1994-2000 Alan Harris
1992-1993 Geoffrey Longfield
1983-1991 Don Masters
Secretary :
2004-to date Nic Nolan
1999-2003 Peggy Chitty
1999(part) Steve Taylor
1990-1998 Barry Jones
1980-1989 Dickie Moore
1979 Brian Jones
Treasurer :
2005-to date Richard Prokopowicz
1989-2004 Don Semmons
1981-1988 Tony Rapley
1979-1980 Ted de Buriatte
Comp. Secretary :
1979-to date Laurie Claydon
Press Secretary :
2005-to date Paul Tolchard
2002-2004 Don Semmons
2001 Charles Hussey
1995-2000 Tom Keeley
1991-1994 Trevor Cox
1979-1990 Ray Potten
1977
League formed following an inaugural meeting in September.
1979
Competition commenced with two divisions comprising the 1st and 2nd X1’s of ten clubs: Arundel, Broadwater, Burgess Hill, Cuckfield, Findon, Henfield, Keymer & Hassocks, Lindfield, Steyning and Storrington.
Points: Win 8, Tie 4, Draw 3 (faster rate) or 1 (slower rate), Cancelled / Abandoned 2. Storrington the first champions.
1980
Entry of Goring, Ifield, Pagham and Petworth Park.
Points respectively 8, 1, 4, 5 or 1, 3, with 3 for an equal-scores draw.
1982
Bonus points introduced plus 20 points for a win.
1983
Entry of Wisborough Green to increase membership to 15 clubs.
1987
Teams batting first and winning to retain bonus points rather than lose them.
1989
Entry of East Preston.
1990
The maximum of 90 overs per match changed to four hours plus 20 overs; Sussex League points system adopted, including double batting points and only bonus points for a draw.
1991
Broadwater withdrew, uncertain of continuing with two teams, to be replaced by Clymping. Teams eligible for double bonus points.
1992
Entry of Crawley brought membership up to 17 clubs.
1994
New 1st and 2nd XI divisions formed for 1995 and promotion / relegation agreed; entry fee no longer to be levied.
1995
Competition commenced in Division 2 with 12 clubs - Ardingly, Barns Green, Billingshurst, Eastergate, Pulborough, Roffey, Rustington, St Andrews, Scaynes Hill, Slinfold, Stirlands and Sun Alliance - each playing five of their opponents twice (and in 1996) to ensure a 16-match programme as in Division 1. Barns Green became the first champions and Crawley the first club to be relegated.
1996
Billingshurst unable to field two teams but permitted to play only in the 2nd XI division of Division 2.
1997
With the withdrawal of Billingshurst, Division 2 membership was raised to 17 by the entry of Ansty, the returning Broadwater, Horsham Trinity, Portslade (the first club accepted from outside West Sussex), Southwater and South Bersted & Bognor, only for Sun Alliance to withdraw pre-season. The number of clubs promoted / relegated between the divisions increased from one to two. Awards introduced for the best grounds in each division.
1998
Entry of Southwick brought membership up to 34 clubs (68 teams) Formation of Disciplinary sub-committee (met twice in three years).
1999
Stirlands joined Sussex League and replaced by Broadbridge Heath.
2000
Steyning joined the Sussex League and were replaced by Selsey.
2001
Cuckfield and Roffey joined the Sussex League and were replaced by Angmering Manor and former members Billingshurst. An Executive Committee was formed which met in June and July instead of the full Management Committee.
The final positions of club 1st XI's determined which of the new, smaller divisions each team would be placed in 2002.
2002
Having at the 2000 AGM decided on reconstruction of the League by converting the four divisions of 17 teams into eight divisions of nine teams, with each playing all opponents twice, home and away, and with 2nd XI's playing for promotion and relegation independent of their 1st XI's, both Crawley Eagles and Felbridge & Sunnyside were accepted into membership to increase numbers to 36 clubs (72 teams).
2003
The League's 25th season saw 1st and 2nd XIs no longer playing in corresponding divisions and brought the entry of Worthing Chippingdale in place of Petworth Park who had disbanded their 2nd XI during season 2002.
2004
Pulborough joined the Sussex League and Ardingly the Mid-Sussex League, being replaced by Aldwick and Ram. Arundel unsuccessfully sought to form a breakaway league for 2005.
Ifield won the inaugral Sunday Cup beating Arundel in the Final at The County Ground, Hove.
2005
Variations made to the awarding of batting and bowling points and the match duration changed from 4 hours and 20 overs to a maximum of 94 overs and of 49 for the first innings.
Billingshurst claimed a League & Cup double in their first season in the top division, wrestling the title away from Findon and beating Broadwater in the Cup final. Findon's 2nd XI won the 1st Division title for a 15th time!
2006
Starting times for all matches became 1.30pm.
Crawley Eagles 1st XI won the League Title in the first season in Division One. Broadwater won the Sunday League Cup beating Findon in the final.
2007
The toss to be forfeited by late arriving teams. Clubs invited to become members of the Sussex League.
Although the League's inaugural meeting was held at Findon CC, Steyning CC became the League's headquarters and remained so until April 2002, but since September 2002 all full meetings have been held at Henfield CC. Inter-League competition matches and friendlies were played from 1980 onwards, with caps awarded from 1992 for three appearances, but no representative cricket has been played since the League scratched a knock out game in 2000; the highlight had been two unbeaten centuries by John Rogers (Findon) in the inter-league competition in 1989. A small division for 3rd X1's existed from 1982 until 1985 and an annual double-wicket tournament, organised by Don Semmons, was held at various venues from 1981 until 1990, with Petworth Park winners four times and Broadwater losing finalists five times. A Sunday Cup competition began in 2004, also initiated by Don Semmons. An annual presentation dinner has been held each season and amongst the guest speakers have been commentator Peter Brackley (1979), astronomer Patrick Moore (1980), Alee Bedser (1987), John Emburey (1993), Derek Randall (2001), Geoff Miller (2003) and Robin Smith (2006). No individual awards were presented to winning teams after 2001.
Arundel and Broadwater were the only clubs to play on the opening Saturday of May 5th 1979 but the 1st XI match was interrupted by snow and a misinterpretation of rule over the time thereby lost necessitated a replay of Arundel's 'win' which Broadwater won. Also controversially, Arundel I declined to take the field after tea against Findon in 1988 because of rain and were deemed to have forfeited the match, and by finding another pitch when Petworth Park was unfit on the final Saturday of 1985, Pagham gained the win needed to pip Goring for the 2nd XI honours prompting a rule change barring any future such switch. The first suspension of a player occurred in 1998 and it needed the ECB to decide the outcome of the Clymping II v Goring II match in 1999. Only in 1990 has no game been cancelled or abandoned whereas not a ball was bowled on one Saturday in May 1981, May 1983 July 1991 and May 1992 and in three of the first five weeks of 1994 when 25% of the season's programme was hit by bad weather, with four 2nd XIs having five cancellations in a row. No fewer than 29 games out of 32 were abandoned on August 18th 2001 and all 31 games on August 13th 2005.
There were different champions in each of the first six seasons, but 1984 winners Goring went on to a hat-trick of League titles and a total of six successes in ten seasons, including the first club double when both their teams were champions in 1986, but their achievements have been eclipsed by Findon as winners of Division 1 five seasons in a row from 2000 to 2004 and nine times in all, with -doubles' in 1989,1996,1998 and 2003 and 2004. Moreover, their 2nd XI have sixteen times been champions. Broadwater and Steyning were joint 1st XI champions in 1987 and Findon's 1992 title came when level on points with Goring but with one more victory.
Records set in 1995 by Andy Pusey (Barns Green 2nds) of 180 and an unbroken stand of 289 a week earlier with Mark Tidey were both beaten in 2006, when a new high total of 350-2 was also set by Crawley 2nd's in 42 overs at East Preston, which included a 2nd wkt stand of 316 between Waqas Hafiz (170 off 113 balls, inc. 14x6's) and Faisal Rehman (154* off 128 balls); Sam Cushing (Horsham Trinity 1st's) hit 197 out of 336-6 v Bognor Regis. A record aggregate of 1,047 runs (including 4 unbeaten centuries) was achieved by Johann Brouwer (Southwater 1st's) in 2005 and Martin Rush (Goring 1st's) captured the most wickets, 70, in 1999. Extraordinarily, the departure of Petworth Park 1st XI players following a rainstorm at Burgess Hill in 1999 left just five men who were shot out for just 4 runs when play resumed.
Ray Tucker (Keymer & Hassocks 2nd's) was the first player with three centuries in a season in 1993 (plus an average of 134.67) and after both Don Stewart (Stirlands 1st's) and Kevin Chamberlain (Lindfield 2nd's) had scored four in 1996, Richard Nichols (Ansty 1st's) surpassed this feat with five centuries in 2000, three successively. Ali Tuck (Horsham Trinity 1st's) has the best of three 10 wicket bowling performances, this for 25 runs v Scaynes Hill in 2000; Ian Poysden (Wisborough Green 1st's) took 10 for 57 in 1990 and Arafath Mohammed (Crawley Eagles 2nd's) 10 for 34 in 2003. Notably, Don Stoner (Pagham 1st's) took 8 for 7 in 1980 when Steyning were dismissed for 15 and 67 year old Phil Deane (Steyning 2nd's) had 7 for 1 in four overs v Pagham in 1989. Pagham 2nd XI players Dick Shrubb in 1985 and Stuart Rutter in 2006 won two individual trophies in one season.