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Cuckfield 1st XI v Middleton 1st XI

Last Saturday Cuckfield travelled to Middleton-on-Sea to kick off the final batch of limited overs games that conclude the 2024 Sussex Premier League season.

Having won the toss Cuckfield skipper, Wesley Marshall, decided to have a bat on what looked to be a tired pitch that would break up as the game progressed.

Opening batters Wes Marshall (10) and Henry Rogers (26) looked to assert early authority but when both fell to James Hartshorn (3-30) and Dom Sear being unlucky (out LBW) Cuckfield found themselves 3 wkts down for 38 runs.

Chris Mole (40) and ex-England player Matt Prior (42) came together and steadied the ship with a partnership of 78 before Prior was caught in the deep. Mole followed soon after (LBW) and at 135 for 5 Cuckfield were on the pace but losing wickets too frequently.

Fifteen-years-old Johnny Prior (34) showed bags of talent and scrapped hard with the lower order, but ultimately Cuckfield were bundled out for a below par 188 with big hitting Sam Candfield left stranded on 1 not out.

James Barker (2-36) and spinner Josh Wood (3-34) were Middleton's main contributors. 4 batters succumbing to LBW decisions gave Cuckfield a flavour of the conditions that could potentially be used to their advantage in the second innings.

Cuckfield were under no illusions that 10 wickets would have to be taken to win the game, given the paucity of runs, and the early wicket of Oliver Haines (10) being caught by Marshall off Candfield got things under way with the visitors 20-1.

Middleton set about the target with some robust stroke play, but when Barton (35) fell to Will Goss (3-25) the home side started to scramble. A combination of outstanding spin bowling from Goss and Marshall (2-26) exploited the deteriorating pitch conditions and the home side found themselves reeling at 125-7 with Sean Heather (32) and big hitter Harry Hovey (9) back in the hutch.

Surely Cuckfield had broken the back of the Middleton batting line up? No! A combination of grit and determination, coupled with Cuckfield being a spinner light, enabled Middleton to scrap their way to 168-8 with James Barker (21) and Charlie Maginnis (28) refusing to give up.

Despite their "never say die" attitude, the final chapter culminated in No.10 Brandon Hanley (12 no) thumping the ball for 4 to give Middleton the win with 7 balls to spare.

Cuckfield will doubtless be focusing on 250+ runs as a crucial platform for future victories in the remaining 3 games if they are to have any chance at retaining the Premier League title. But the need to use 8 bowlers won't have helped their cause.

Cuckfield 2nd XI v Brighton and Hove 1st XI

Brighton and Hove started steadily, with Christopher Atherton contributing 14 off 28 balls before being bowled by Theo Barker. Ryan Jakeman supported well with 20 off 31 balls but was caught by Gregory Wisdom off the bowling of Will Broyd.

The game changed dramatically when Liam O'Brien walked to the crease. O'Brien delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 111 off 86 balls, including 11 boundaries and 6 sixes. His aggressive and composed batting put the visiting side in a strong position, despite the loss of wickets around him.

Bryce Hounsome provided valuable support with a solid 43 off 50 balls before being bowled by Sam Hardwicke. Adam Mates remained composed under pressure, scoring an unbeaten 40 off just 25 balls, with a strike rate of 160.00.

The home team fought back, with Broyd and Barker bowling tight at the end of the innings with only 11 runs coming from the last 3 overs to keep the contest alive to make Brighton and Hove’s final total 280 after their 45.

Batting second, Cuckfield were chasing 280, the home side had a rocky start with opener Gregory Wisdom being dismissed for 14 off 24 balls by Simon Hetherton. George Galbraith-Gibbons steadied the ship with a patient 31 off 55 balls but was eventually caught by Adam Mates off the bowling of Jamie Piper. The middle order saw some bright spots, particularly from Chris Taylor, who played a fluent innings of 39 from 41 balls, hitting 7 boundaries along the way.

However, the innings faltered as wickets fell at regular intervals. Oliver Willsdon was trapped LBW for a duck by Matt Wood, and although Jason Oates (17 off 25) and Sam Hardwicke (14 off 33) tried to rebuild, the momentum was lost.

Josh Downey provided a much-needed boost with a quickfire 40 off 33 balls, including 6 fours and a six, but the Cuckfield side could only muster 229 of their 45 overs falling 51 runs short of Brighton and Hove’s total of 280.

Cuckfield 3rd XI v Bolney 2nd XI

The sun was shining down at the home of Bolney CC as Cuckfield 3rd XI turned out for another intense game of league cricket. Cuckfield won the toss, and elected to field, with Flora Devonshire and Max Webb opening up the bowling.

Tidy spells from the both of them saw Max take the wicket of Sameer Hameed cheaply with an assured catch from Matthew Power, whilst Flora put pressure on at the other end with a well worked LBW. With the pressure on, Cuckfield kept pushing for wickets, with both Webb and Devonshire taking one more with them each to finish with figures of 2-32 from 8 and 2-40 off 8 respectively.

Bolney recovered well, Shirantha Jayarathna and Kingsley Morris doing the work through the middle overs, handling tidy spells from both Matt Power and Will Ward. The breakthrough came from Ward however, through a blinder of a catch by Ellis Buckeridge in the covers.

From this point, Bolney struggled to score many, despite a cameo of 28 from Ahmad Ebadi which included 3 sixes. Bolney faltered slightly, but still posted a respectable 209-9 from their 40 overs. After a short break, it was Cuckfield’s turn to reply, with Dave Downey and Max Webb opening the batting. Cuckfield initially struggled, losing Max Webb early on to some well-directed bowling from Keith Greenwood, but was followed by an assured start from Sam Sears.

Alas, Sam fell to a good catch off the first change bowler Liam Richman, and Matthew Wynn came into bat. Looking good, Downey and Wynn started to rebuild, with some lovely shaped shots from the both of them.

Unfortunately Wynn didn’t last long enough, cleaned up by a well bowled delivery from Shirantha Jayarathna. As the game drew on, Cuckfield were scrabbling. With the run rate rising, batsmen came and went without making an impact to the score due to some tight bowling from Jayarathna and Morris, the very two who had rescued the Bolney innings in the first half.

The chase proved to be too much for Cuckfield in the end, with a final total of 161 all out from 37 overs. A good day of cricket with Bolney coming out as worthy winners.

Cuckfield 4th XI v St Peters 5th XI

On a balmy Saturday in Cuckfield, August 17, with the sun blazing down at a positively tropical 23°C (which, by Cuckfield standards, is practically a heatwave), At Peters won the toss – not surprising as Cuckfield Skipper couldn’t win a toss with a double headed coin – and chose to have a bat. Thus began events that managed to turn a day of cricket into a suspenseful drama—one that Shakespeare himself would’ve been proud to pen.

With sunscreen slathered on thick and wide-brimmed hats all around, St Peters took to the field hoping to make the most of the glorious weather. But what ensued was less of a batting masterclass and more of a survival course.

The pitch seemed to have a mind of its own, as if it too was trying to escape the relentless sun, with the odd ball that stayed low or bounced unpredictably, but the outfield was like lighting.

David Sharp, who opened the innings, was the first to fall, managing only 2 runs before being sent packing edging to the keeper Buckeridge who took a smart low catch off of the bowling of Sam Shepherd. To be fair, he was probably just eager to get back to the shade.

Beau Seymour, seemingly more interested in the ice-cold drinks awaiting him than the delivery from Jamie Tuddenham that had a bit more bounce, followed soon after, scoring 23 off 34 before sending a top edge into the stratosphere that Richard Loveridge running behind square from slip took over is left shoulder. A good wicket as Seymour was starting to look dangerous.

Charlie Christian, who clearly thought he was on a T20 bender rather than a leisurely 40-over match, swung his way to 43 from 63 balls. Stumped by James Buckeridge off Charlie Mole, Charlie’s dismissal was a classic “You blink, you miss it” moment—though it must be said, his attempt to nonchalantly stroll back to the pavilion was admirable.

By the time St Peters found themselves at 98/5, the only person more exhausted than the players was the umpire, who was just glad no one had keeled over from heat exhaustion yet. Ben Cruttenden, determined not to waste his afternoon, played a plucky knock of 47 not out, which was largely fueled by the promise of post-match drinks.

However, it was Adam Jull who stole the show with the ball, taking 4 wickets for 33 runs. Rumour has it that he was just trying to get the game over with so he could catch the last bit of sunbathing on the boundary. With a few bamboozling deliveries and a couple of unlucky batsmen, Adam ensured that the St Peters inning was wrapped up for 174 in 39.3 overs.

The last man out, Martin Coe, was run out in what can only be described as a moment of pure panic and confusion, with Bet Cruttenden attempting a second run to stay on strike and attempt to reach his 50.

As Cuckfield prepared to chase down 175, the crowd in Cuckfield settled back into their deck chairs, ice creams and drinks in hand, ready for what was sure to be an entertaining (and hopefully quick) chase. St Peters, on the other hand, would need to bowl as though their lives—and the last few cans of cold drinks—depended on it.

With the sun slowly beginning its descent, all eyes were on Cuckfield to see if they could withstand the pressure or if the game would take yet another twist. Either way, it was a beautiful day in Cuckfield, filled with cricket, camaraderie, and just the right amount of chaos.

Cuckfield's openers, James Buckeridge and Richard Loveridge, strode out with a plan: play it cool and build a solid foundation. But it didn't take long for Richard to abandon that plan, deciding instead to take the express route to runs. Smacking 9 fours and a six, Richard raced to 51 off just 49 balls, leaving the fielders and the scoreboard operator gasping for breath.

James Buckeridge, meanwhile, took the more traditional route—steady and cautious, playing as if he was testing the temperature of the water before diving in. His 37 off 68 balls may not have set the world on fire, but it was exactly what Cuckfield needed to keep things ticking over.

The partnership between the two put Cuckfield in a commanding position at 82/1, before James was caught by Ben Cruttenden off Marko Venkataraman, who had a knack for picking up crucial wickets on the day.

Caleb Hawkins came in and played a handy knock of 24, but just as he was settling in, he too fell to Venkataraman, who was now looking more like a magician than a bowler. Caleb’s dismissal left Cuckfield at 128/3, and suddenly, the match had a bit of spice.

Mat Sears, however, was in no mood for drama. He calmly stroked his way to 28* off 28 balls, anchoring the rest of the chase with the kind of composure usually reserved for a Sunday crossword. At the other end, SamShepherd chipped in with 8 before falling to—you guessed it—Venkataraman, who finished with impressive figures of 3/22 from his 6 overs.

But Mat found a reliable partner in Joseph Thorpe, who came in with the sole purpose of finishing the job. Joseph’s 17* off 18 balls was all Cuckfield needed to cross the finish line.

As Mat and Joseph steered Cuckfield home, the final score read 175/4 in 34.2 overs—an almost comfortable win, but with just enough hiccups to keep the crowd entertained. The chase may not have been without its moments of tension, but Cuckfield’s middle-order held its nerve, much to the delight of the home supporters.

In the end, it was a well-deserved victory for Cuckfield 4th XI, who showed that cricket is as much about timing your run chases as it is about enjoying the sunshine. With the game wrapped up and the players shaking hands, the spectators began to pack up their picnic baskets, already looking forward to the next match and hoping the weather would be just as fine.