Burnett rates Priory in nation's top five

Priory embellished their second successive Sussex Premier League championship with a maximum points final day victory over Chichester to give them the highest points total in the 33-year history of the league.

They won a remarkable 14 of 19 matches, which could well have been 16 had it not been for two washouts, and they were just two runs short of victory in one of their two drawn encounters. But the most incredible statistic of them all lies in the fact they only lost one game - another Sussex League best that speaks volumes for their consistency.

Burnett said: "I would say we would be in the top five in the country. In the National Cup it's very difficult to get a true reflection (because availability problems often distort the outcome). What I would like to see instead of a National Cup is to have a play-off between the southern leagues and the northern leagues.

"I've been very lucky as a coach to have won the league three out of the four years I've been involved. But I suppose to retain it is just a little bit more exciting. We've got very consistent players and a very strong squad. You can have a lot of very good individual players but unless they knit together as a unit you won't get the best out of the side. And Jason (captain Jason Finch) did lead them very well."

Aussie Matt Love has thoroughly enjoyed his summer both on and off the field and Burnett is hopeful he will return next year.