Middleton are three wins from Lord's final - Priory Park win another last-ball thriller

On Sunday, they hosted Sunbury CC in the regional final of the ECB National Club Championship.

Sunbury won the toss and elected to bowl. Middleton’s openers started well, putting on 42 for the first wicket. They lost a couple of wickets but the dangerous Harry Hovey joined Sean Heather at the crease and they took the score to 122 -2 from 22 overs.

Middleton looked to have a great platform but unfortunate they couldn’t quite capitalise on it, but they eventually were bowled out for 227 in the 37th over. There were useful contributions from Heather (59), Hovey (38), Wesley Bedja (35) and Josh Wood (30).

In reply Middleton took a couple of early wickets but opener Hugh Weibgen (81) and Oliver Pascall (88) took Sunbury to 169 before the loss of the third wicket.

The game was drifting away from Middleton and with only 25 runs needed from nine overs by Sunbury and seven wickets in hand Middleton had accepted their fate.

They brought on James Barker and Heather to see if they could put some pressure on the batters and with a 100+ strong crowd cheering the home side on, something special happened.

Two incredible runouts, some great catching and some clever field placing brough it all down the last over with Sunbury needing 13 to win with nine wickets down.

Heather had the last over to bowl and with no pace on the ball the No11 chipped one to silly mid-on and the celebrations started.

The crowd went wild as did every player on the pitch as Middleton won by 11 runs in a game they were never really in. The last seven wickets fell for just 24 runs and Middelton now progress to the last 16 – only 3 wins away from a first Lord’s final.

Middleton host Ealing CC in the next round on Sunday, July 6.

On Saturday, Middleton travelled to Cuckfield in the Sussex Premier League in first game of the win/lose/draw format.

They lost the toss and were asked to bat. Middleton scored 289-5, declaring after 56 overs. Important contributions came from Toby Barton (59) and Harry Hovey (70), but the standout performance with the bat came from James Barker, who scored 113 not out batting for almost three hours.

In reply Middleton knew they needed to take early wickets. Wesley Bedja bowled with great pace and aggression reducing the home side to 42-3.

Cuckfield’s middle order put on 100 for the fourth wicket but when Middleton broke the partnership they would have hoped to have been able to push for victory, but at seven down Cuckfield’s hopes of winning were too far away and they rightly shut up shop.

Middleton could only take eight wickets, Cuckfield finishing on 226-8.

The standout bowling performance was from overseas man Bedja taking his first five-wicket hall for the club, 5-53.

Elsewhere in the Sussex Premier, hosts Roffey put Bognor in and when they raced past 100 with skipper Ryan Maskell in full flight, and catches going down, alarm bells rang for the home side.

But, after hitting six sixes he holed out for 90, fellow opener Absar Muhammad promptly following for 46. Taylor Jaycocks subsequently passed 50 with late belligerence, but the scoring rate crashed as batsmen came and went with no answer to a superb exhibition of spin bowling from Will Fenwick.

In a marathon spell in tandem with Tom Barnes, the pair sent down 43 overs, taking all nine wickets that fell, Fenwick finishing with 7-34 at less than two runs an over.

A target of 229 looked thin, but Roffey were without dependable opener Theo Rivers and, rested on orders from Sussex, Toby Munt. Roffey, started steadily, and when Ben Whelpton departed for 33, former skipper Matt Davies and Aaron Joby put on 179 for the second wicket, Davies making 104 and Joby 83 not out.

Roffey won by eight wickets with time to spare.

After six straight losses Bognor skipper Maskell said: “I gave it away again when well set – that’s the story of my life at the moment.”

Bognor’s challenges continue with a visit from Horsham on Saturday.

by MARTIN READ

Chichester Priory Park CC love a last-ball win – they got their second such victory inside a few weeks when they defeated Billingshurst at Goodwood.

Chi won the toss and elected to field in the Division 3 West clash but with their overseas man Miles O’Grady carrying an injury, he was unable to bowl.

The visitors' batters seemed set but couldn’t get the over rate up. The Billingshurst innings was steady without any fireworks but they had wickets in hand.

Chi felt keeping the opposition to 220-230 was possible but in the last five overs, the batsmen sprang to life – scoring 50 with a blast of boundaries to finish on 252-7. Andrew Crookham took 3-51.

Chichester’s batters showed they could get a start but no-one was kicking on. Lewis Hawes and Miles O’Grady steadoed things and started to put some pressure on to the fielding team. Hawes went for 46 with total on 147, but the arrival of Mike Smith started to turn the game.

A fifth wicket stand between Smith and O’Grady of 50 in 34 balls lifted Priory but O’Grady fell for 52 with the score on 234, and it looked very difficult for the home side – but Smith and Adam Bardouleau started to inch the hosts towards the target.

They needed 11 from the final over with Smith on strile – he scored two, four and two before a dot ball – then a two and a single off the final ball to clinch victory and leave Priory sixth in the table.

Chichester’s 2nd XI travelled to Millennium Meadow for a Division 5 West game but hosts West Wittering won by 51 runs.

Chi won the toss and elected to field. Although Chichester picked up wickets on a fairly regular basis they could not get a hold on the home batters, with two scoring 50s and another 43.

A couple of big calls and a significant dropped catch gave Wittering enough impetus to push on to a score of 253.

Chi were quickly reduced to 34-3 but young opener Aaron Goode played an outstanding innings of 80 while others struggled.

Only when Ollie Greenlees paired with Goode did things start to look promising for the away team, but when Greenlees surprisingly fell for 37 it fell away.

Priory were bowled out for 202.

by GARY RUSTELL

Aldwick CC’s first XI won by two runs – and their seconds won by two wickets.

Aldwick were ask to bat by Horsham Trinty and scored 199-9. Keelan Belcher, 41, top scored with James Arnould taking 4-29.

Horsham were coasting at 134-3 with Ben Moir scoring 92, Aldwick gradually worked their way into the game, Peter Cotterill taking 3-39, Nikki Tabberer 3-25.

Needing two to win, Lewis Fiddaman went for his second six of the over and was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Brennan Matla to give Aldwick a two-run win.

Aldwick twos bowled Eastergate out for 149, Ollie Smith taking 3-17, Liam Hicks 3-18.

As Tanveer Ahmed 22* joined Ollie Smith 35*, Aldwick still needed 37, with two wickets remaining – but they saw them over the line.

Aldwick thirds bowled West Wittering out for 151. but fell 42 runs short.

Ashling CC slipped to a narrow defeat at home to Emsworth.

Winning the toss and batting first on an unpredictable wicket, Emsworth totalled 184. Charlie Colley (3/34), Jamie Edwards (2/25) and Sharon Tauro (2/10) were Ashling’s top bowlers.

For Ashling a 5th wicket partnership of 85 between skipper Stuart Cameron (61) and Sharon Tauro (32) backed up by Paul Colley (23no) got them close but they ended on 171-6.