Written by Peter Hartland
A few years ago the Club historian of the time, David Gibbs, wrote:
There have been three key figures in the first hundred years of the Sussex Martlets and coincidentally all of them were fine medium-paced bowlers.
It was a perfect summing-up. Gerry Campbell, Eddie Harrison and Sandy Ross are the Club’s leading all-time wicket-takers by a country mile. But that is not the only reason, or even the main reason, why they loom so large in the story of the Martlets. What they contributed off the field, through their wholehearted endeavour, boundless energy, shrewd management and force of personality, was just as important.
Wandering clubs need strong characters to hold everything together. Incogniti had Oliver Battcock; Wanderers Stanley Colman; Eton Ramblers “Buns” Cartwright; Buccaneers Geoffrey Moore. Sussex Martlets were extremely fortunate to have three such men in succession.
The next three pages cover each of these notable Martlets in turn. Years in brackets indicate when they were members of the Club.