Rain ruins Roffey clash - and Cuckfield lose on DLS

Roffey won the toss and elected to bowl. Henry Rogers (24) and Oli Carter (45) opened the batting for Cuckfield, on a very flat looking pitch. The pair started the innings well taking Cuckfield to 57 runs for no loss until the 13th over, when Rogers unfortunately got out.

Joe Cambridge (59) came to the crease looking to further his form from the last couple of weeks and eventually did with a fine half century to put Cuckfield back in the driving seat.

In the 21st over Oli Carter fell short of a half century, bringing George Galbraith-Gibbons (25) to the crease. Cambridge and Galbraith-Gibbons put on a classy partnership until Cambridge was caught in the 31st over.

Overseas Jack Gibson (31) came into bat, hitting a good knock to help Cuckfield's cause. A couple of wickets fell, which bought Will Nolan (28*) and Sam Candfield (26*) into bat. The two played some extravagant shots to take Cuckfield to 257 of their 50 overs.

After the break Jake Gibson (0-9) took the new ball from the Pavilion end, whilst Will Galbraith-Gibbons opened from the Wellingtonia end. Gibson had a great spell at the start bowling 6 overs for 9 runs including 2 maidens.

Roffey looked to get going quickly to get ahead of the rate of DLS. Sam Candfield (1-24) came on from the Wellingtonia end taking the crucial wicket of Matt Davies. This would push the DLS total up, but eventually came to no avail when the rain started to pour down.

The game was rained off and Roffey won on DLS. The team will be looking to improve on this result with the change of format to red ball against Middleton and home on Saturday.

Cuckfield 2nd XI Vs Glynde 1st XI

With cloudy skies, a green pitch and storms in the forecast, Cuckfield 2nd XI elected to field having won the toss at Glynde and Beddingham. The decision immediately proved to be a good one, with captain Dominic Sear supporting leader of the attack Theo Barker (4-29) with the new ball, to reduce Glynde to 36-6, and then 64-7.

However when no.9 Leo Fountain joined no.7 Teddy Birkbeck at the crease, momentum slowly began to shift. The two put on 65 for the eight wicket, before Fountain was cannily bowled by Matt Slinger for 23.

The batting side managed to pick up the pace further with Will Burton-Durham hitting 46, helping Birkbeck to a better than a run a ball 90 which brought the total to 234 - representing a great fightback for Glynde, and a massive missed opportunity for Cuckfield.

With heavy rain on the horizon, Cuckfield began their chase well - Josh Downey putting immediate pressure on Glynde's openers, and then hitting the first change for a monumental six straight over the road. It began to drizzle as Downey fell for 44, and when Cuckfield lost their third wicket, it got much heavier - forcing the players off with Cuckfield 9 runs ahead of the DLS par score after 23 overs.

The rain eventually lightened, bringing the batters back to the crease under intense pressure not to lose further wickets which would see the DLS par leap. However, 3 balls after the restart, Glynde managed to find a crucial breakthrough which flipped who was leading on DLS. Greg Wisdom then hit 6 runs in 2 balls to swing the result back in Cuckfield's favour, with the players once again coming off for rain.

Play managed to restart one final time, with Cuckfield adding an extra run by the end of the over. When torrential rain then finally brought an end to proceedings, Cuckfield were level with the DLS par on 127-4. This meant that after much drama, the points were shared with a tie - leaving Cuckfield to rue the 15 points that slipped away.

Cuckfield 3rd XI Vs Smallfield Manor 1st XI

On a rather bleak and cloudy day at Smallfield, Hawkins, the Cuckfield skipper lost the toss and were put into bat onto a slightly damp pitch. This became apparent early, with the ball occasionally keeping low and at other times, popping up off the pitch.

That being said, the opening pair of Buckeridge and Amer (60) battled hard, finding the boundary at regular intervals. This included some glorious sixes over the covers, and for Amer, in the second ball of his innings, a straight drive which cleared the road. The partnership ended in particularly unfortunate fashion as Amer got one that shot along the floor, leaving Cuckfield in a commanding position after the stand of 170 for the first wicket.

Buckeridge (124) carried on accelerating, reaching his hundred soon after. Wynn was the next man to fall after a brief spell at the crease, quickly followed by Buckeridge, who’s innings consisted of 10 4s and 7 6s. But, the Smallfield skipper, Moinuddin (5-36) arguably put the game back in the balance. In true Cuckfield fashion, a small collapse ensued, falling from 207-2 to 209-6. This brought Sears, S to the crease, who played superbly, ending up on 52 not out to put Cuckfield back in the drivers seat and at a commanding total of 273-7 after the 40 overs.

In search of quick wickets due to the ever present rain, Plant was handed the new ball, alongside Sears, M (1-28). The rain was a constant during the innings, meaning the ball was incredibly hard to grip. This saw Ward onto bowl, who bowled well, with his figures arguably not reflecting how he actually bowled.

The game however, was abruptly ended as the rain started pouring down, with no chance of it looking to settle. This resulted in Smallfield being stranded in the chase at 107-1, with the game being abandoned and the rain getting the better of both teams, who ended up sharing 10 points each.

Cuckfield face a tough test at home to Bolney next week.

Cuckfield 4th XI Vs Henfield 3rd XI

In classic English village cricket fashion, overcast skies and a green-tinged wicket set the scene for a low-scoring but engaging contest between two well-matched sides. Batting first in a short spell of drizzle/rain Henfield eventually posted 162 for 9 off their allotted 40 overs—an effort built around a well built innings from opener William Clark with a knock of 52. However, despite Clark’s effort the innings lacked stability, and wickets tumbled regularly against some disciplined bowling and sharp fielding.

Rodney Candfield was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 25 off 9 miserly overs, supported ably by Paul Meader (3 for 49) and Elliott Worrow (2 for 27). Adam Jull deserves special mention for his economical spell of 9 overs, 6 of which were maidens, conceding just 8 runs—keeping the pressure on from one end in the opening spell.

Chasing 163 under thickening clouds and a slow outfield, Cuckfield never quite got out of second gear. A steady but cautious 36 not out from opener James Buckeridge anchored the innings, but the rest of the top order struggled to find fluency. Quick wickets from James Taylor (2 for 14) turned the momentum, and a sharp spell from Seb Thorns (1 for 21) further tightened the screws. With pressure mounting and the run rate climbing, the batting side limped to 83 for 4 in 24 overs before the heavens opened and the game was brought to an abrupt end.

Sisira Naleen Sumanasekara’s tight spell (6-1-17-1) played a quiet but pivotal role, ensuring the middle overs yielded little momentum for the chase.

In the end, with 24 overs bowled in the second innings a match was constituted and it was down to the dreaded DLS to decide the winner.

With Cuckfield on 83 for the DLS decided that this was 9 runs short of par and so the win was awarded to Henfield. The unpredictable weather may have had the final say but overall it was a good match played in good spirits.