Pre-season nets with knobs on. But it was great to see cricket again at Hove
19.03.26, 18:57 Updated 21.03.26, 08:30 3 Minute Read
Paul Weaver
Let there be cricket. And there was cricket. After the most punishing of winters – both meteorologically and financially – the sound of bat on ball felt like a blessing, an embrocation for the soul.
Sussex started a two-day friendly game against Kent at the County Ground at Hove on Thursday. It was the first cricket here in half a year and the gods smiled on this small but significant occasion by serving up a cloudless sky and the warmest day felt here in 2026.
Play didn’t start until 12 noon to allow Kent’s players time to travel over in the morning. Before play started the few spectators looked shifty and solitary – like dissidents in some totalitarian state where meetings and mutterings are not allowed.
It was as if no-one really trusted the weather. Perhaps people were frightened of someone bringing meningitis in from Kent.
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