VIDEO and report: Hailsham’s Hove win caps super season

Captain Harry Chatfield lost the toss, and the St Matthias skipper elected to bat. However, the Brighton-based side struggled to gain momentum early on.

Captain Joel Sayers (10) was first to fall, caught by Will Royall off Jack Coughlan with the score 12-1. The middle order found some stability through Adam Baines-Jump, whose 47 from 36 balls, including six boundaries, was the standout performance for St Matthias.

However, they struggled to build partnerships, and Baines-Jump was dismissed when caught behind by Rob Wilkinson, part of a devastating spell from Shibin Abraham, who claimed 4-15 – sending stumps flying out the ground for his other three wickets.

Abraham was well-supported by the superb Shankar Bala, who took 1-11 from four overs, and Giles Hook (1-24), who both changed the tempo of the innings with controlled spin.

Will Royall also bowled excellently and bagged two crucial wickets towards the end. St Matthias finished on 115-9 after 20 overs.

Hailsham’s reply started with intent, as openers Billy Hobden and Sully Hallett took the attack to the bowlers. They raced to 50 within six overs, with Hallett blasting 32 from 25 balls, including five boundaries, before being bowled by Alamgir Khan.

Hobden, however, continued to anchor the innings with a composed 40 not out, showing great maturity as he accumulated runs patiently. Ethan Dawber added 30 from 37 balls and the pair took Hailsham within sight of victory.

The second-wicket partnership of 50 between Hobden and Dawber solidified Hailsham’s control, with the team passing100 in the 14th over.

Although Dawber was dismissed late on, caught by Archie Durrant off Findley Durrant, Hailsham required just four more to seal the win. Royall wasted no time, hitting a boundary off his first ball to secure the victory in 16.3 overs.

Hailsham will take great confidence from this win on such a prestigious stage.

Shibin Abraham took the MoM award for his devastating display of bowling.

The Hailsham players had the honour of lifting the Paul Baker Trophy on the outfield of the County Ground in front of a great turnout of their own supporters - memories the players will cherish for a long time to come.

But it was just part of a memorable season for the club. Here’s how other teams have fared...

1st XI

Hailsham 1st XI finished the season in 2nd place in Division 4 East to be promoted to the highest division the club has ever been.

There were 15 wins out of 17, 4,258 runs scored, six centuries from four different players, 17 fifties from eight different players, 162 wickets – and 19 players used with four debutants.

The club is heading in the right direction on and off the field, it’s been a thrilling season from start to finish. They look forward to Division 3 next season.

The team has been superbly led by Jason Tibble, who has brought a calmness and professionalism to the group and channelled their talent.

Roses

In 2024, just four years after being founded, the women’s team continued to compete in the Slam league and introduced talented new players throughout the season.

They again took the title and won the Slam finals day at St Andrews CC, making them three-time Sussex Slam champions.

It was their debut season in the Sussex Premier League, where they were eager yet nervous to face stronger competition.

In a season of 18 matches, they emerged victorious in 12. With everything on the line in the final match, they clinched the win, crowning them Premier League champions for the very first time at the first attempt!

The Roses welcome new ladies and girls – whether you’re an experienced cricketer or completely new to the game. If you're interested in giving it a try, they’d love for you to join them.

Juniors

The 2024 season will go down in the history books as the most successful in recent years for Hailsham’s juniors.

They judge success not just on trophies but also personal and team growth and vprogression. To see the boys and girls takes big strides forward with their skill set, tactical awareness and contribution towards a positive team environment is a massive buzz for the coaches.

They had 160 boys and girls aged 4-17 regularly training on Wednesday afternoons, a sight that brings great pride to the club.

To offer something to the community they serve and for it to be supported so well is what its all about.

Hailsham’s U12s won the hardball pairs league, the U13s won the league and the U13 girls won the six-a-side BACA tournament.

The U16s won the Sussex Junior Cricket Festival after years of entering and being on the wrong end of a few results. It shows everyone involved at the club that if you keep on working and believing that change can happen.

Hailsham CC is open to new members all year and are looking for players of different levels of experience and skill sets. If you are new to the area or want to start playing, get in touch. They also need volunteers for umpiring, scoring and ground work at the club. Get in touch with the club at [email protected] or on 07980 146841.