Sussex Cricket announces a ground-breaking new mid-week T20 cricket competition starting in summer 2020: The Sussex Slam.
Developed to be fast, fun and convenient, The Sussex Slam is perfect for anyone who struggles to commit to longer games on the weekend but still wants to play the game they love in an organised competition.
A number of innovative playing regulations mean matches take no longer than 2.5 hours so they can easily be fitted in after work on summer evenings.
Recognising the increasingly busy lives we all live; Sussex Slam matches can be played at any time within a two-week window to give both sides the best chance of securing a pitch and getting a team together. On top of that, team and player administration can all be done on a mobile.
Player eligibility rules, bowler over-limits and not-out retirements for batters will give every team a chance of victory and every player a chance of starring for their team. Each side will also be guaranteed at least four or five matches, initially in a group stage in a competition that keeps fixtures as localised as possible all the way to Finals Day
In line with the best professional T20 leagues around the world, every Sussex Slam team will have a bold, unique identity. Each side can choose a nickname and will have a logo created to match that identity. They’ll even have the option to play in a totally bespoke and affordable sublimated coloured kit.
As well as all the features mentioned above, an entry fee of just £25 per team makes The Sussex Slam one of the most inclusive cricket competitions around.
Sussex Cricket is committed to providing the playing opportunities that meet players’ needs and The Sussex Slam is part of that. To ensure that the competition continues to serve its aim of allowing more cricket to be played by more people, all rules are reviewed on an annual basis via an online voting process.
The Sussex Slam will be the second ‘Slam’ competition following on from a successful launch in neighbouring Surrey in 2018.
In its first year, more than 1,200 players took part in The Surrey Slam with over 20% of those either new or returning to the teams involved. Over 220 potential new players contacted teams directly through the competition website following a targeted social media campaign that the competition runs on behalf of all the teams involved..
For full details of The Sussex Slam, including how to enter a team, visit www.sussexslam.co.uk. Keep up to date with all The Sussex Slam latest news by following @SussexSlam on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Sussex Cricket Foundation territory manager, Carl Tupper: “We are always looking at new and exciting ways of engaging people with a unique playing offer as well as developing ways to allow more people to play cricket that’s suitable to their lifestyle.
“The Sussex Slam is the perfect product to do so. We are working closely to link in and support already existing midweek competitions, with the ultimate aim to encourage people to return to, or play more cricket, with this proven, shorter and exciting format.
“On top of all that, having the chance to play in Finals Day at The 1st Central County Ground is a fantastic opportunity for recreational cricketers to aspire to.”
The Sussex Slam competition manager, Matt Camp: “I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Sussex Cricket to bring this exciting competition to the county. The Slam has had a lot of success in just 16 months north of the border in Surrey with a proven record of both retaining players and encouraging those that had lapsed back to the game we love.
“We are all acutely aware of the challenges we face to ensure the growth of recreational cricket and The Slam is a vehicle that helps with that. It’s a competition that prides itself on being affordable, flexible, fair, inclusive, bold and convenient and is led by the needs and wants of the teams and the players.
“I am looking forward immensely to working with teams of all sorts from across Sussex to at least match, if not exceed the positive impact seen in Surrey.”
Courtesy of Sussex Cricket
