Sussex Martlets to meet MCC at Arundel Castle

The Sussex Martlets were founded in 1905 and named after the bird on the Sussex coat of arms. In the 110 years since, the club has brought together club players from across Sussex and the surrounding counties, united by the desire to play a high standard of competitive cricket.

A host of first-class players have worn the club’s dark blue, light blue and pink cap and a number of Martlets have gone on to play Test cricket, among them legends like CB Fry, Ranjitsinhji, the Nawab of Pataudi, John Snow and Hubert Doggart.

In more recent time, the likes of Robin Martin-Jenkins, the Sussex all-rounder, and John Barclay, the former Sussex captain and MCC President, have worn Martlets colours and the amateur club retains strong links with both Sussex County Cricket Club and Marylebone Cricket Club.

As a wandering club, the Martlets have no official home but the association with the ground at Arundel Castle, among the most picturesque in the country, began in the 1930s. The Martlets continue to play half a dozen fixtures at Arundel, as part of a fixture list with upwards of 40 games a season.

The club’s other fixtures at Arundel Castle this season are against Bradman XI (Tuesday, July 7), Brighton Brunswick (Friday, July 17), Ditchling (Thursday, July 30) and Lady Mary Mumford’s XI (Sunday, August 16).