Priory's fine run ends with heavy defeat

Having won three of their previous four games, Priory were beaten by 10 wickets at home to Sussex Premier League high-flyers Cuckfield.

But their cause certainly wasn't helped by the weather. Priory were 60-4 after winning the toss and choosing to bat at Horntye Park when rain brought about a two-hour delay.

The 110-over match was reduced to 77 overs and Priory's innings was cut from 58 overs to 41. There was no reduction in the amount of runs required for bonus points, however, so Priory needed to score a near impossible 165 off 16 overs for maximum batting points.

They ended up being bowled out for 130 in 40.4 overs and Cuckfield duly reached their target in 26.1 overs without losing a wicket.

Before the rain, Priory had slumped to 12-3, with the victims including Josh Hahnel and Leo Cammish, who put on 133 together in the previous weekend's win away to Brighton & Hove.

Elliot Hooper and captain Tom Gillespie sought to rebuild during a fourth wicket stand of 46 until Hooper (28) was finally dismissed for the first time in four matches, during which time he's scored exactly 200 runs.

Gillespie went on to make 22 before being fifth man out with the score 83. And when Jake Woolley and Finn Hulbert (27) fell within three runs of each other, Priory were in deep trouble at 96-7.

Joe Lamb was run out for eight to make it 113-8 and Jed O'Brien departed second ball three runs later. Last pair Harry Scowen (16) and John Morgan (11 not out) at least secured a couple of batting points by taking the score past 125, and Priory's end total was just 10 more than they managed in losing the reverse fixture by seven wickets.

With so few runs to play with, the last thing Priory's bowlers would have wanted was Big Bash League star Jordan Silk coming out to open the batting for Cuckfield.

The Sussex League's leading runscorer continued his scintillating form with an unbeaten 79 off only 71 balls, taking his run tally in his last five games to 493. Dominic Sear was 45 not out at the other end.

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