Cuckfield capitulate to hand Hastings first win of the season

Cuckfield skipper Marc Gardner won the toss and elected to bowl on a very wet pitch. Browning and Patterson opened up for Cuckfield and both used the unpredictable surface to good effect.

However, the Hastings openers, Harry Finch and George Campbell put on a gritty 57 for the first wicket as Campbell (47) holed out to Tom Cummins off the change bowling of Nick Beard in the 21st over. Sussex Academy’s Elliot Hooper joined Finch and another partnership was quickly formed.

While Patterson continued to toil at the sea end, Cuckfield turned to the home grown spin of Josh Hayward, emboldened by his straight-A performance earlier in the week.

Another catch from Cummins sent Hooper on his way for 28, quickly followed by Finch (41) in the same over but Hastings had set a firm foundation of 121-3 from 35 overs. Hayward then claimed a third wicket in his next over as another Sussex Academy player Leo Cammish was well stumped by Marcus Campopiano for a duck. Patterson having bowled 24 overs for just 50 runs then finally claimed a wicket with a steeping catch by Oates.

A sharp catch behind accounted for Tom Gillespie (36) taking Hayward’s tally to four, but not before playing his part in fifth and sixth wicket partnerships of 30 taking Hastings to 183 for 6. Two more wickets for Patterson and a direct hit by Greg Wisdom meant Hastings completed their 58 overs with 200 for 9. Hayward recorded 4/57 for Cuckfield, and Patterson bowled through to return figures of 29-8-71-3.

On an improving pitch, and needing less than 4 runs an over Cuckfield felt the target of 201 was well within their grasp. Tom Cummins and Richard Stafford opened up for Cuckfield, but Hastings stalwart seamer John Morgan removed Stafford caught behind in the 3rdover leaving Cuckfield 7 for 1. Cummins was joined by Chris Mole and both batsmen found it difficult to score as Morgan bowled maiden after maiden.

Having opened briefly with the spin of Hooper at the other end, Hastings turned to the Finn Hulbert and after Morgan bowled Cummins, Hulbert accounted for Beard and Campopiano leaving Cuckfield in trouble at 31 for 4.

The returning Hooper then took a regulation catch to dismiss Mole caught and bowled. Wisdom joined Oates and began to build a middle order resistance but it was not to be as Oates (21) skied one to Jake Woolley off the spin bowling of Dan Doram. Gardner joined Wisdom, but at 61 for 6 it was always going to be an up-hill struggle. Wisdom fell for 18, bowled by Hooper ending a 30 run partnership and Gardner followed immediately after for 16. Patterson was joined by Hayward and a late order flourish ensued as Hayward played freely taking the score to 122, surviving being caught off the helmet of the short leg fielder, before being caught behind off Doram. Cuckfield were bowled out for 130 in the 45thover. Doram finished with 3/41 as Morgan, Hulbert and Hooper took two wickets a-piece.

Cuckfield sit just outside the relegation zone with three games to play and entertain Eastbourne next week.

2nd XI v Goring

Cuckfield 2s won at home to Goring by 5 wickets to stay in the race for promotion. Cuckfield won the toss and elected to bowl on a pitch that they thought would improve as the day went on, a decision which looked a good one as Goring crashed to 10 for 3 as 14 year old George Galbraith Gibbons dismissed two of the top 3. The flow of wickets was arrested however, as Goring skipper Jonathan Coutts (90) and Ben Timms (40) put the brakes on the Cuckfield attack. It was the leg spin of Ben Candfield that accounted for both batsmen and the tail failed to wag as Goring made 179 for 8 from their 53 overs. Ben Candfield was the pick of the Cuckfield bowlers with 4/58.

The Cuckfield reply started strongly with Cheg Abraham and Dominic Sear putting on 69 for the first wicket, Abraham (31) caught off the bowling of Chris Greere. Ben Candfield and Jack quickly departed for ducks off the bowling of Greere and Timms to briefly give Goring the initiative. Matt Hough joined Sear and steadied the ship as they put on 52 before Sear (56) was bowled by Greere. At 122 for 4 there was still some work to do as James Robinson joined Hough in a quick fire partnership of 30 before Hough was trapped lbw for 34. Richard Amer joined Robinson (38*) to seal the win by 5 wickets with an over to spare.

3rd XI v Chailey

Cuckfield 3s narrowly won by 10 runs at home to Top of Division 2 Chailey to close the gap on the leaders. Chailey won the toss and elected to bowl first hoping to make early inroads. Andy Middleton and Will Rossiter gritted it out both scoring 21, but wickets then fell regularly. A middle order cameo of 24 from Iain Pringle was the top score for Cuckfield with a late flourish from skipper Matt Slinger (14) and Tom Bonanate (12) helping Cuckfield to 138 all out in the 34th over. Morgan Jones-Hockley returned 5/40 for Chailey.

With 56 overs to chase a low score, Chailey were knocked back as they lost two quick wickets to 14 year old Matt Denyer, and then a third off the bowling of Will Rossiter. Opener Willie Boone who had shown resistance for Chailey was then run out by Tom Bonanate for 28. The captain Danny Andrews looked to consolidate the innings in the middle order but was caught by Pringle for 33, again off the bowling of Denyer. Raj Kumar (19) and Morgan Jones-Hockley (12) flirted with seeing Chailey home, but another run out by Bonanate and two more wickets for Rossiter meant they were bowled out for 128 in the 39th over. Matt Denyer bowled brilliantly to claim 4/20 from his 12 overs.

4th XI v Balcombe

Cuckfield 4s pulled off a three wicket win at Balcombe on the Academy ground to put them clear of the relegation zone. Cuckfield skipper Nigel Reid won the toss and asked Blacombe to bat on a wet pitch. Balcombe openers Ron Clarke and Henry Le Flemming opened up, but Pippa Dagger and Devlin Nossiter were soon both in the wickets as Le Flemming fell for 5 and Nick Ward and Tony Rawbin departed for ducks. Clarke (23) and Peter Dutton (16) then began to stabilise the innings, but young Dan Turner had other ideas as he claimed both to catches by Sam Candfield and Caleb Hawkins. Nossiter then accounted for Anthony Rawbin (26) and Bryce Van Straaten cleaned up the tail hitting the sticks twice and trapping the number 11 lbw. Balcombe ground out 114 all out in 43 overs as Van Straaten took 3/37 and Turner, Nossiter and Dagger picked up two wickets each.

The Cuckfield reply got off to a terrible start as Hawkins departed for a duck, caught by Kevin Bottomley off Dave Pratt. Charlie Best joined Sam Candfield and they began to build a partnership until Candfield was run out for 9. Best continued to accumulate runs with Glenn Smith before being caught and bowled by Pratt for a patient 26. Smith fell for 33 and Cuckfield looked wobbly, but Nossiter came in at 8 and smashed 28 not out from just eight balls to take Cuckfield to a three wicket win in 27 overs. Dave Pratt was the pick of the Balcombe bowlers taking 4/36.