Preston Nomads are Sussex Cricket League champions - Horsham finish second and relegate Hastings Priory

Their six-wicket at last season’s champions Cuckfield clinched the silverware and meant they finished 18 points clear of Horsham and 21 clear of Three Bridges, who’d been level on points with them at the start of the day but lost to Roffey.

Middleton finished fourth, Cuckfield fifth, East Grinstead sixth and Roffey seventh.

Bognor finished three points above the relegation after both they and Hastings lost – so it’s Hastings who make a quick return to Division 2 with Worthing, who were promoted with them last year but have finished bottom.

Division 2 champions Ifield – crowned a week early – are joined in promotion to the premier by Haywards Heath, who beat Burgess Hill to relegate them along with Rottingdean.

Division 3 E and W were won by Brighton and Roffey twos, while the Division 4 E and W silverware is on its way to Little Common Ramblers and Chippingdale. The Division 5 titles were won by Ram (West), Three Bridges twos (Central) and Heathfield Park (East) while in Division 6, top dogs were Aldwick (W), Balcombe (C) and Hailsham twos (E).

The Premier League title clincher for Nomads was fairly straightforward on a day when many games started late as rain cleared.

Cuckfield were put in and could only muster 111-9 in their 30 overs – Chris Mole top-scoring with 48 as Nav Patel took 3-12 and Zach Lion-Cachet 3-22.

Nomads didn’t hang about in reply and 55 not out from Kobe Herft led them home in a shade under 18 overs to allow the celebrations to begin.

Three Bridges needed to better Nomads’ points tally on the day to have any hope of taking the title but lost at Roffey, who scored 262-5 after being put in, underpinned by 65 from Theo Rivers and 71 by Jonny Phelps. Bridges’ Matt Boyle took 2-40.

After rain Bridges were given a revised target 208 from 27 overs but despite 56 from Michael Cowdrey abd 43 not out by Arran Brown they ended on 191-6.

Their loss let Horsham in to finish second after they won at Horntye to relegate hosts Hastings – but it was close.

Tom Gillespie’s 39 was the top score in Priory’s 165-7 from 40 overs, with five Horsham bowlers taking wickets after they inserted the hosts.

Horsham’s reply was a nervous one and Nick Oxley (43) was the only batsman to pass 20 but a last-wicket stand of 12 between George Briance and Oliver Avinou got Will Beer’s team home – with Hastings finishing the season one wicket short of staying up. Adam Barton took 3-32 as Priory kept the pressure on throughtout but to no avail.