Bexhill eager to bounce straight back

The Polegrove-based outfit was relegated to Division Two last weekend after a valiant effort to consolidate last summer’s promotion, but Bexhill are itching to come straight back up.

Bexhill captain Malcolm Johnson said: “All of us are very eager to play back in the Premier League. We’re a young side and we’re gradually going to get better.”

Bexhill eventually finished bottom of the table and 21 points from safety after losing their last game away to East Grinstead on Saturday. Local rivals Eastbourne went down with them despite winning their final fixture.

“We wanted to be in with a chance of staying up playing the last game of the season and we did that,” Johnson went on. “There’s a few games that we should’ve won, but we played with no fear.”

Bexhill accrued 18 more points and two more wins than in their last Premier League season two years ago, as well as reaching the Gray-Nicolls Sussex T20 Cup final at the PROBIZ County Ground.

“I’ve been at the club 11 years now and this has been the most enjoyable year I’ve had,” continued Johnson. “The highlight was getting to the Twenty20 final at Hove.”

Johnson says he will be staying at Bexhill even though he would ideally like to be playing in the Premier League to enhance his hopes of breaking into the county set-up.

See tomorrow’s Bexhill Observer for the full article.