Fast men hold key to Sussex success

Brian Scovell13 April 2012

Sussex captain Chris Adams is irked by the fact he does not possess a championship-winning medal.

"I was in the Derbyshire side when we came second once and Sussex have been runners-up seven times," he said. "It's time to do it. We think we are good enough."

David Sheppard, the former Bishop of Liverpool who captained Sussex to second in 1953, is also back as club president this year.

After winning promotion last season, the Adams family now feel they are tougher and stronger after their t ragic experience in Grenada when all-rounder Umer Rashid and his brother Burhan were drowned.

Murray Goodwin, their Zimbabwean overseas player, scored 1,521 runs last summer and Richard Montgomerie, who scored 1,461 in the championship, has already compiled three centuries in pre-season.

But Sussex's real strength is their pace bowling battery of James Kirtley, whose 75 wickets was the highest in the country last summer, left-armer Jason Lewry, Robin Martin-Jenkins and Paul Hutchinson, who has joined from Yorkshire.

Playing in the South African Academy side in February, left- armer Hutchinson rattled Steve Waugh and some of the Australian Test stars in the nets.

Adams said: "He bowls what I call a heavy ball. He'll bowl two or three and then, bleep, the fast one comes in and it surprises good batsmen."

Martin-Jenkins also hits the grass hard but may miss the opening game against Surrey tomorrow with a side strain.

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