"Bonkers"

Well, with eight 20-20 matches played and seven won, Sussex are camped at the top of the southern division, peering down into the gloom to try and see who their nearest rivals are. What a fantastic start to the defence of our title! It's like supporting another team, another really successful and scarily classy team that you know your team will never be like.

But it is my team!

I did not have high hopes for Sussex and 2020 this year, and I think that not having high hopes is exactly how 2020 should be approached as a supporter. As soon as you start having high hopes about 2020 you are destined for a life of heart wrenching, room pacing, finger eating nervous tension which is completely incompatible with getting things done in the real world. Far better to embrace the fact that we will win and we will lose and that the losing part should not be agonised over. Only with this philosophy can I cope with 2020 cricket; I have decided to firmly believe that if we lose it does not matter. Luckily the team are approaching things far more competitively...

On Friday evening I was treated to an utterly delicious evening of 2020 at Hove. The visitors were Hampshire, one of our favourite teams to beat, and we bowled first which means that at least the first half of the match can be viewed in a state nearing relaxation. One exciting addition at Hove was a real live trumpet player who tootled Sussex by the Sea into the PA system at regular intervals - brilliant! The Sussex reply started badly with Matt going for a duck but what happened after that was just - in the words of Dizzee - ''bonkers''. I'm not sure I've ever seen the ball pounded around the ground like that before. It was men versus boys and all credit to Murray and McCullum. The game ended about 40 minutes early, just in time for the football, which could be nothing but an anticlimax after a display of such excitement and skill.
The winning continued on Sunday - albeit in a less sensational way - against another of our favourite teams to beat, Surrey.

So why - bearing in mind this could all change in the blink of an eye - are we doing so well? Because although there is definitely more luck involved in 2020 than in the other forms of the game, to win so consistently suggests we have a formula. I think the answer lies in three things:
1) We don't rely on one or two people to win - we are truly a team and every player is trusted and relied upon. So unlike other teams, we don't just crumble when our 'big' player loses his wicket 2) Most of the team are all-rounders (in the 2020 form of the game) which gives us a depth in both the batting and the bowling and 3) Holding Chris Nash back in the batting means we have a proper quality batter coming in just at the point when other counties would be starting to give up.

We also shouldn't underestimate our overseas players. The fact that two of them, certainly, love Sussex to bits (can't comment on McCullum) is so important. As is the fact that we don't over rely on them - the team is not built around them, they are genuinely part of the team.
Well done, Robbo.

Let's see what happens next...

Sky's the limit...

There are some good things to say about Sky's coverage of county cricket. For starters, they seem to show us an awful lot - more than our share, surely? Not that I'm complaining. Plus these days the pundits usually back Sussex to win when they do their little pre-match polls, which gives me a warm glow (as well, of course, as that sense of doom awaiting around the next corner). I will never be able to reconcile myself to Bob Willis or Paul Allott, but Nick Knight always seems like a lovely man and Ian Ward is reliably decent and occasionally surprising in a good way (e.g. when he's arguing about who's to blame for Yards being run out).

But some serious crimes are being committed.

Let's start with the clothes. Just who is responsible for those sand chinos they are all forced to stuff themselves into? I'm not a great fan of uniforms, but if you're going to have one, why deliberately choose one which just makes your audience think of chedder cheese? It's just not flattering. Please - dark trousers are the way forward when you're on tv and you're the ex-sports people rather than the actual sports people. Accept it.

Next thing: danger men. Before every match, when the teams are put up on the screen, two players' names (one from each side) get coloured in red. This is because they are the danger men, we are told - with special emphasis. (Am I the only person who immediately thinks of Dangermouse?) This title generally goes to the player most likely to hit the ball a long way. Have they noticed yet that this title is also the kiss of death? Why did Luke get out immediately? Because he was Sussex's danger man. Why did Gilchrist get out immediately? (great ball, Yas!) Because he was Middlesex's danger man. Why did Dwayne knock the ball around the ground? Because, on this occasion, since Luke was playing & Sky love Luke (as do we all), Dwayne wasn't the danger man. And why is it that the players who consistently and quietly provide the force to win the matches (& consistently pick up the man of the match awards too) are never the danger man? It's because the allocation of the title danger man is actually the equivalent of cricket's glamour award given to Sky's current cricketer crush. This is why James Kirtley and Michael Yardy will never be the danger men, whilst simultaneously ensuring that if they play well, Sussex will win.

Chedder Cheese

And finally - when will Sky notice that those silly questions they make the players answer before matches, so that 'interesting' facts about them can be displayed when they come out to bat, are treated with the derision they deserve by the players? 'Hmm', said Ward doubtfully at the revelation that Girls Aloud are Chris Nash's favourite band, as though every ounce of Chris Nash was being re-evaluated in the light of that knowledge. 'Dwayne Smith's lookalike is apparently Corey Collymore', stated Allott with the air of a man who really thought this might be possible. I'm going to break it to you gently, boys - they're winding you up.

But none of this detracted from an excellent Sussex win on Thursday night! When we were 30 something for 4, I must admit that I was just hoping we would get to 100 so that it wouldn't be too embassassing. But you know how it is with Sussex, there is also always that voice whispering - you never know, we might still do it. And do it we did, looking thoroughly the business in the field. So well done Sussex, on an emphatic start to the 2020 campaign - great work so far; I'm feeling the pride... (but please play properly against Derby in the CC)...