Hastings beaten by local rivals Eastbourne

Hastings Priory Cricket Club's first team was in the end comfortably beaten away to local rivals Eastbourne on Saturday.
Ryan Hoadley top-scored for Hastings Priory with 60 in the defeat away to Eastbourne on Saturday.Ryan Hoadley top-scored for Hastings Priory with 60 in the defeat away to Eastbourne on Saturday.
Ryan Hoadley top-scored for Hastings Priory with 60 in the defeat away to Eastbourne on Saturday.

Priory got off to a fast start with the ball, but Eastbourne’s lower middle order changed the momentum of the Sussex Premier League derby and Priory ended up losing by 121 runs.

Eastbourne recovered from 44-4 and 81-6 to post 262-7 from their 50 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat at The Saffrons.

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Adam Pye (10-0-53-3) picked up the first three wickets, including that of former Kent professional James Hockley, before Jed O’Brien (9-0-64-1) had ex-Bexhill batsman Malcolm Johnson caught by Jake Woolley for eight.

Jacob Smith (15) and Alastair Orr (22) staged a partial recovery until Jack Coleman (10-1-41-3) dismissed both within three runs of each other to put Priory in a seemingly strong position.

The visitors took just one wicket thereafter, though, as Eastbourne number seven Jordan Turner played a game-changing innings of 118 not out off 110 balls with 15 fours and three sixes.

Turner forged a seventh wicket partnership of 83 with Joe Pocklington, who was bowled for Coleman for 27, and then an unbroken eighth wicket stand of 98 with David Twine (30 not out off 34 balls) as Eastbourne set a tough target for Priory to chase.

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Priory were all out for 141 in 38.2 overs in reply, with only three batsmen reaching double figures.

Although James Pooley was bowled by Twine for six, Priory initially recovered well with a second wicket partnership of 69 between Joe Billings and Ryan Hoadley.

But after Billings was caught off the bowling of Jacob Smith (10-1-36-3) for 29, 76-1 soon became 86-4 with captain Tom Gillespie and Woolley - both of whom hit half-centuries against Brighton & Hove the previous weekend - falling for two apiece.

Hoadley found another ally in the form of John Morgan and they took the score to 122. Once Morgan was run out by Twine for 16, however, the innings fell away quickly as the last six wickets went down for 19 runs.

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Hoadley was ninth man out, run out by Johnson, for a splendid 60 off 90 balls with eight fours - his highest Priory first team score.

Sussex Premier League standings (all played four matches): 1 Roffey 100pts, 2 Brighton & Hove 100, 3 East Grinstead 81, 4 Eastbourne 63, 5 Preston Nomads 61, 6 Ifield 59, 7 Horsham 56, 8 HASTINGS PRIORY 56, 9 Cuckfield 53, 10 Middleton 50.

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