Through time: Yorkshire v Sussex

So, Sussex were there at the start of the official County Championship in 1890, although they had to wait until 2003 before they laid claim to the title. It presaged a golden era for the southern county, as they finished top of the pile in 2006 and 2007.

However, it had been an inauspicious start to the County Championship in 1890, as they finished bottom of the league, with just one victory from twelve matches. That win was achieved against Gloucestershire at Brighton, when Sussex’s leading batter of that campaign, Walter Quaife hit his highest score, 156 not out.

In that inaugural County Championship season, Sussex suffered a six wicket defeat by Yorkshire at Bradford in early June, and lost the return fixture at Brighton in August by an innings and 78 runs. They also lost to the touring Australian team by an innings, with Test captain Billy Murdoch scoring 158 for the visitors. A low point in 1890 was at Old Trafford, when Lancashire bowled Sussex out for 35 and 24.

Yorkshire finished joint third (with Kent) under the leadership of Lord Hawke, with Surrey claiming that first County Championship.

164 years after being founded, Sussex – under the leadership of coach Peter Moores and captain Chris Adams – claimed their inaugural County Championship in 2003. Zimbabwean opening batsman, Murray Goodwin topped the batting averages and it was fitting that it was he who pulled Leicestershire’s Phil deFreitas for four to earn the bonus point that clinched the title at Hove, sparking joyous celebrations.

Goodwin went on to score 335 not out, a county record. Spinner Mushtaq Ahmed was the season’s leading wicket-taker for Sussex with 103 wickets. Yorkshireman Paul Hutchison played four matches for Sussex that season. To that backdrop, Yorkshire finished fourth in the Division Two in 2003.

In 2006, former Yorkshire player, Mark Robinson was Director of Cricket at Sussex as they claimed the title for the second time, winning nine matches – more than any other county. Yorkshire finished sixth. The prolific Murray Goodwin was again the leading batter with 1,649 runs, achieving his highest score of 235 against Yorkshire at Arundel in June, contributing to a win by an innings and 25 runs.

Chris Adams also scored a century in that match, while for Yorkshire captain Craig White hit a ton in the first innings and Darren Lehmann stroked 130 not out in the second. Jason Lewry took seven wickets in the match for Sussex.

The south coast club achieved the double over Yorkshire in 2006. They won by five wickets in May, with the highest score of the match was achieved by England wicketkeeper–batsman, Matt Prior who amassed 124 in Sussex’s first innings. Yorkshire's current head coach, Anthony McGrath made 80 in Yorkshire’s first innings, while Naved-ul-Hasan, who had spent some time with Yorkshire, took 7-62 when Yorkshire batted for a second time (11-148 in the match).

When Sussex achieved their third title in 2007, the final round of matches had begun with five teams having a chance of lifting the trophy. But it was back-to-back championships for Sussex, as captain Chris Adams once again held the trophy aloft.

Yorkshire had to settle for sixth place. Once again, Murray Goodwin topped the batting averages with just over a thousand runs and Mushtaq Ahmed continued to showcase his prowess with the ball, finishing with 90 wickets, including a match-winning 13 wickets in the final match of the season - an innings victory over relegated Worcestershire at Hove.

Sussex beat Yorkshire at Hove by an innings and 261 runs in early September – Michael Yardy and wicketkeeper- batsman Andrew Hodd both scoring centuries. Yorkshire were rolled over for 89 in their second innings, with Naved-ul-Hasan taking 4-15. The match at Headingley in June was drawn. A low-scoring match saw rain wash out the first day and much of the second, putting paid to any realistic chance of a positive result.

Spectators at Scarborough in 2025 saw Yorkshire gain an impressive win over Sussex by an innings and 128 runs, the match played in late July/early August.. The white rose success was thanks in the main to Adam Lyth (115) and Matt Revis (152 not out), while Matt Milnes took 5-31 in the second innings.

The return match at Hove in mid-September was drawn, with George Hill taking 4-43 in Sussex’s only innings. After Yorkshire slipped to 6-3 in their second innings, James Wharton and Jonny Bairstow shared an unbeaten century partnership to lead Yorkshire to safety.

Sussex players of note include stalwart Ken Suttle, who enjoyed a remarkable career and made made a record County Championship 425 consecutive appearances between 1954 and 1969, while Maurice Tate took 2,211 first-class wickets between 1912 and 1937.

This week's Headingley visitors have produced England captains such as Arthur Gilligan, C.B. Fry, Ted Dexter and Tony Greig. Also, Aubrey Smith had the distinction of captaining England on his only Test appearance. It was in South Africa and he stayed in that country, where he was incorrectly pronounced dead – hence he read his own obituary! Smith became a famous film star and founded the Hollywood Cricket Club.

Other notable players include The Nawab of Pataudi, K.S. Ranjitsinhji (‘Ranji’), John Snow along with Fred and Maurice Tate, along with the aforementioned Suttle.

Another former player who left an indelible mark on the sport of cricket, was John Wisden, who in 1864 founded the ‘bible of cricket’, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. It's the foundation for these articles and its 163rd edition is due out this year.

The emblem of Sussex is the six martlets – a martlet being a mythical and heraldic bird – associated with the county. Sussex...cricket’s oldest county with a colourful history.