Haywards Heath so close to beating Bridges – but weather wins day

Three Bridges won the toss and put Heath in and Jonny Phelps and Jethro Menzies made a good start before Menzies fell for 17.

Coming together on 33. Phelps and Umar Amin took the score to 90 before Amin fell to Ollie Brown for 12.

Rain is a pain for Cuckfield.

Heath’s middle order had a mini collapse and at 111-5 Phelps had to take a different role to the one he is used to and he and Guy Moore steadied things.

Having consolidated in the 50 and 60s Phelps opened up and went past his century and eventually fell for 143 (21 fours and two sixes) with the score on 224.

Guy Moore hit 54 and Heath were all out for 284. Ollie and Aaron Brown took three wickets apiece for Bridges.

In reply Menzies and Phelps opened up and applied instant pressure and Bridges were never up with the rate.

Menzies (2-11) took the wickets of George Thomas (5) and Joe Walker (24) leaving Bridges on 39-2. There was then a 20-minute delay for rain and Heath tried to rattle through their overs knowing they needed to hit 20 overs to make a game of it.

Skipper Callum Smith (1-2) accounted for Russell and Beaufort before the final interruption for rain bought the game to an end.

Heath will be delighted with their start to the season – they sit fourth in the table – and now the next nine games bring the longer 110-over format, which Heath start at home to Ifield this Saturday.