Success for Sidley cricketers – promotion clinched in play-off win

Sidley chased down a target of 145 with 17 balls to spare in a promotion shootout between the runners-up in Sussex Cricket League Division 11 East (North) and (South).

Johnathan Haffenden's controlled unbeaten 51 from 53 balls took Sidley over the line, despite Phil Dunn returning superb figures of 5-17 from nine overs for Chiddingly.

Sidley earlier chose to field after winning the toss, but Chiddingly got off to a fast start, with 35 runs coming off the opening six overs.

Louis Haffenden made the breakthrough by having Alasdair Skan well caught by Sabbir Ahmed at mid-off for 19, but Sidley really applied the brakes on the scoring during a nine-over spell between overs 17 and 25 that yielded three wickets and only 10 runs.

Ahmed accounted for opener Jonathan Lofthouse for 24 before Johnathan Haffenden claimed his first two victims in a tidy spell of 3-20 from nine overs, including Robin Sewell for 28.

Dunn looked useful in his 27 until being cleaned up by Louis Haffenden (2-26) before Craig Ramsden (2-28) picked a pair of late wickets as Chiddingly ended their 40 overs on 144-8.

Regular Sidley opening batter Asanka Pathiranage hobbled off injured while fielding, so Chris Hunnisett was promoted up the order to begin the reply alongside Ian Vye.

They duly got Sidley off to a steady start with an opening stand of 60 until Hunnisett (32) was bowled by Dunn and Hussain Ahmed was pinned leg before off the very next ball.

And when Vye (23) lofted a drive off Geoff Saunders to mid-on in the following over, Sidley were all of a sudden wobbling slightly at 66-3.

Haffenden and Sabbir Ahmed (18) settled things down by adding 29 for the fourth wicket, but three more wickets for Dunn, the last of which saw skipper Steve Ramsden hole out to deep midwicket, left Sidley with work to do at 111-6.

The good news was that Johnathan Haffenden was still going strong, astutely pushing the ball into gaps in the field for singles and twos, and dispatching the bad ball to the boundary.

Craig Ramsden (8 not out) came in at number eight and provided Haffenden with the required support. Together they put on 37 to see Sidley home, with Haffenden fittingly striking the winning four to bring up a match and promotion-winning half-century.