Silk stars as Cuckfield hammer Brighton and Hove

Cuckfield welcomed Brighton a ground basked in warm sunshine.

Having won yet another toss, Cuckfield captain Josh Hayward elected to bat on what looked a flat, hard pitch. Openers Jordan Silk and Dominic Sear began accumulating runs against a bowling attack that offered little variety in the opening overs.

It became apparent from the start that it would be Jordan Silk’s day... his timing came with ease, as he pulled anything short, and drove anything too full.

He scored easily at a run a ball in the early stages, racing to 50 while Sear was on 17 at the other end.

Upon reaching this first milestone, he set about dismantling the Brighton attack. Having raced to a 100, he soon saw Sear reach his own 50 - a maiden premier league half century - but despite Sear’s impeccable technique and timing he was to be upstaged by perhaps the knock of the season.

From 100 until he was removed, Silk went into overdrive, striking the ball long and clean, being particularly brutal on Chris Atherton, who saw his 18 overs disappear for 126, including one four that nearly cleared the tree, striking a branch on the way down.

Gabriel Martin, perhaps unlucky to only bowl 8 overs, finished with respectable figures of 2-48, including both Silk and Sear.

However, the damage had been done by a huge 262 run partnership in little time, and this allowed Cuckfield to declare on 290 after just 47 overs.

The Brighton openers set about pouncing on anything loose, and after 4 overs were scoring at above 6 an over. However, following Hutchings picking up Hounsome caught behind, and the introduction of captain Hayward into the attack, Cuckfield seized control of the game. Hayward continued unchanged from one end, bowling an extremely economical spell on a pitch that favoured the batting side, taking 5-47. Hutchings, Wisdom and Weston continued to operate from the other end, with two wickets for Hutchings and Wisdom, and one for Weston.

Silk now leads the Premier League run scoring table with 568, while Hayward sits second in the bowling equivalent with 32 wickets.

Cuckfield 2nd XI v Brighton & Hove 2nd XI

Cuckfield won the toss and elected to bat first at the Nevill Ground. Early wickets for Sam Wray put Cuckfield on the back foot at 14 for 2, but this brought Richard Stafford and Jack Waghorn together who proceeded to put on 82 runs before Waghorn (31) was caught by Tim Marks off the bowling of Dave Mates.

Stafford continued to anchor the innings as wickets fell around him until he became Wray’s third victim for a well made 87. The lower order offered little resistance as Cuckfield were bowled out for 171 in the 52nd over. Wray took 4/45 and Harrison 3/34.

The increasingly dependable Matt Denyer picked up a wicket with the first ball of the game and followed it up in his second over to remove the Brighton number 3 also for a duck leaving the home side 0 for 2. Cuckfield skipper James Robinson opened at the other end and his leg spin picked up the wicket of the other opener, Leo Towers, for 9. Wickets then fell regularly, and Brighton were soon 60 for 9, but Cuckfield were made to wait for the win as the 11th wicket stand of 24 between Mates (32*) and Wray (5) was the largest of the game.

Brighton were bowled out for 84 in the 43rd over. Denyer took 3/18 and Robinson 3/28 while there were two wickets for Chris Osborne and one each for Joe White and Jack Best.

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