Cricket: Heartbreak for Hastings – joy for Hailsham – excitement for Sidley

They had to beat Horsham to survive, but the visitors’ last pair got them home with ONE ball to spare to seal Priory’s fate.

Skipper Harry Scowen said: “The year has been a real challenge. We’ve used 23 different players in the first XI.

“But I do feel we’ve been unlucky to go down – 250 points normally keeps you in the league and we have accumulated 272. It was a freak year, almost.

“I’m incredibly proud of the group. Our young players have begun to establish themselves and despite difficult moments we have stuck together incredibly well.

“I’m hopeful we can keep a similar core of players together and maybe recruit some more throughout the club.

“We will sit together as a leadership group and look to plan – not just for next year but for the next two to three years.”

Scowen admitted relegation might have been easier to take had they lost the final game more conclusively.

“Against a side that would probably have won the league if they hadn’t had four games rained off, in isolation we’d have been happy with the performance, but the overall outcome makes it very disappointing.

“It was a rainy day on a difficult pitch that ultimately was underprepared due to the week’s bad weather.

“Losing the toss and being put in was difficult – the pitch had a few demons and it was hard to score. The Horsham bowlers were disciplined, especially pro spinners Bertie Foreman and Will Beer.

“We got up to 165 thanks to a good 39 not out from Tom Gillespie, 33 from me and a cameo 27 from John Morgan – a score that was under par but one we thought would be competitive.

“We grabbed a couple of early wickets but it ultimately went down to the last over, Horsham needing eight, us needing one wicket or a very tight over. An edge for four and an incredible shot for four second-last ball determined our fate."

Hailsham CC are reflecting on a grest season – which has ended with their first XI winning promotion to their highest ever level.

They finished in second place in Division 4 East to secure promotion to Division 3 East, a new high for them.

They notched 15 wins out of 17, with 4,258 runs scored, six centuries from four different players, 17 50s from eight different players, 162 wickets. 19 players used with four debutants among them.

Officials say the club is heading in the right direction on and off the field, and it’s been a thrilling season to watch from start to finish.

They finished the campaign last Saturday with an intense match against Dome Mission.

The game swung one way then the other, culminating in a thrilling final over where Dome Mission clinched victory by just one wicket.

Hailsham’s innings started on shaky ground as openers Matt Maritz (2 off 6) and Ollie McDonald (1 off 9) were sent back early, leaving them 13-2.

The momentum shifted when Ciaran Peacock (34 off 33) and Jason Tibble (50 off 51) stabilised the innings with a crucial partnership, smashing boundaries and rotating the strike to bring the total to 94-3.

A flurry of quick wickets followed, as Hemanth Maddela (2-19) and Rohit Miglani (2-13) bowled tight lines to peg back the middle order.

Despite the collapse, Tom McDonald (26 off 50) and Andrew Anthony (29 off 28) kept the scoreboard ticking, ensuring Hailsham reached a respectable total of 182-8 in 35 overs.

Dome Mission’s bowling attack was led by Miglani, who bowled with precision, conceding just 13 runs in his 7 overs. Maddela’s economy rate of 2.71 was equally impressive, strangling Hailsham's middle order. Anshul Singh Sikarwar (2-28) and Nachiket Parande (2-45) also contributed.

Chasing 183, Dome Mission had a rocky start, with Ollie McDonald producing a stunning spell.

McDonald’s fiery bowling claimed four top-order wickets, including Ashutosh Sharma (19), Hemanth Maddela (23), and Joe Gatford (18), leaving Dome Mission struggling at 66-4. McDonald’s impressive figures of 4-18 in 7 overs put Hailsham in a commanding position.

However, a resilient knock from Atish More (28) and a late surge from Joshith G (51* off 55) brought Dome Mission back into it.

Joshith held his nerve, expertly managing the strike and guiding the lower order through a tense chase.

Tom Crouch (2-47) and Hollie Young (1-42) provided crucial breakthroughs, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Dome Mission from closing in on the target.

As wickets tumbled, Dome Mission found themselves at 173-9, needing 10 runs with just one wicket remaining. Joshith, determined and calm under pressure, steered his team over the line with a gritty half-century, finishing the chase in 33 overs.

The match had everything: early collapses, late partnerships, and a nail-biting finish – a fitting way to end the season.

SEAFORD III 63 (1pt); SIDLEY 64-3 (30pts)

Sidley Cricket Club's first team secured the final-day win they needed to finish runners-up and set up a promotion play-off clash.

A seven-wicket victory away to Seaford thirds meant Sidley ended up second in Sussex Cricket League Division 11 East (South) and they will meet Chiddingly seconds at Buxted Park CC tomorrow (Saturday) in a play-off to go up to Division 10 East.

Although out in the middle for the first time in four weeks, Sidley showed few signs of rustiness as they bowled their hosts out for 63 in 34.4 overs after Seaford chose to bat.

It was the seventh time Sidley had dismissed an opposing team for a two-digit score in 14 completed matches this season.

Louis Haffenden struck before a run had been scored, and further wickets for Steve Ramsden, Craig Ramsden and Sabbir Ahmed left the hosts in big trouble at 23-6.

Henry Mason and Joseph Lacy staged a partial recovery by adding 30 for the seventh wicket before four wickets fell for 10 runs, the last of which was Mason for 23, to close the innings.

Haffenden finished with 4-16 from 8.4 overs - his best figures of the season - and Steve Ramsden claimed 3-4 from five. Johnathan Haffenden was the other wicket-taker.

Sidley proceeded to knock off the runs in 13.5 overs, although they were 38-3 (Steve Hearsey 2-22) until Hussain Ahmed (24 not out off 20 balls) and Johnathan Haffenden (12 not out from six deliveries) blasted them over the winning line.

Sidley's matchball sponsor was Carrolls.

by Simon Newstead