Bexhill end poor run in thrilling clash

All results were possible going into the final over and Bexhill so nearly claimed the 10th and final wicket off the first ball but a sliced shot just evaded the dive of Aussie Jesse Lewis at square cover.

"Neither side deserved to lose," said skipper Steve Phillimore. "I was delighted with the performance on the back of three defeats."

Phillimore was full of praise for the three players - Jack Munro, Stuart Holland and Ian May - who came into the side for this match. "They all did a good job. Stuart bowled the last six overs from one end and didn't concede a single boundary and took two wickets after having been dismissed for nought with the bat. He was pleased and so was I."

Bexhill won the toss and elected to bat on a testing wicket that had taken a battering from the previous night's thunderstorm.

The impressive Lewis (53) and Neil Blatchly (49) scored the bulk of the runs, with the latter's innings ending with a run out. "It was a good bit of fielding," said the captain who remained undefeated on 16 as the innings closed on 191-8.

"We were pleased with that score," he went on. "We thought it would be a competitive total if we bowled better than we had done in recent weeks and we did."

Opening bowlers Blatchly and Lewis kept things tight in an effort to build up the pressure on the Roffey batsmen. Most successful bowler was Adam Wickenden who finished with 3-38, while Holland picked up 2-27 as Roffey ended the day on 191-9.