Sussex County Cricket — The Brightonians and James Dean's County, 1840s

Sussex County Cricket Club, formally constituted in 1839, had its roots in the Brighton sporting culture of the Regency era. By the 1840s it had developed a recognisably professional county operation centred on the Hove ground and the circular Old Steine ground in Brighton. James Dean, born at Rotherfield in 1816, was the county's leading bowler — a right-arm medium-fast roundarmer who took 424 first-class wickets at 12.94 and was also a useful lower-order batsman. Dean was as important to Sussex as Alfred Mynn was to Kent: the county's bowling was organised around him through the 1840s and he appeared in representative elevens. Tom Box, Sussex's wicketkeeper and one of the most theatrical keepers in the game, provided the gloves and the personality. The county's batting was less distinguished but competent, and the annual fixtures against Kent and against England representative sides gave the Sussex professionals their living. John Wisden made his first-class debut for Sussex in 1845 and quickly became the county's most famous young cricketer.