Worthing pay price at Cuckfield … Haywards Heath charge halted … Southwick and Shoreham admire brilliance

Cuckfield v Worthing

Sussex Premier League

Worthing paid the price again for not getting enough runs on the board when they were defeated by nine wickets away to SPL champions Cuckfield, who went back to the top with this win.

Darryl Rebbetts’ side were all out for 147, Nick Ballamy top-scoring with 36 as William Goss took 6-56.

When Cuckfield replied, Rhys Atkins took Worthing’s only wicket as Cuckfield got home by nine wickets.

Rebbetts said: “It was another tough one unfortunately.

"Cuckfield are a top side and when we are scoring 150, it's easy for teams to hit their way to the score and take risks knowing that if they get to 50 quickly it's game over.

"So we face a big second half of the season where we want to right some wrongs of the first half.

"We have a good chance this week against Middleton at home – they are struggling a little too, so it's time to change a few things and see if we can get some of the confidence and fight back among the group.”

Horsham win at Roffey in Premier derby.

Haywards Heath CC’s winning run in Division 2 of the Sussex Cricket League ended at Ifield, where the hosts lost six wickets in overhauling Heath’s total of 182 all out.

Heath skipper Callum Smith elected to bat and his 49, backing up 72 from Guy Moore, helped the visitors along on what looked a tricky day for batting.

In reply, 72 from Mike Norris led Ifield home despite Chris Abbey taking 3-57.

Heath remain top, 13 points clear of Buxted Park.

Skipper Callum Smith said: "We were disappointed to lose, Ifield is always a tricky place to go but after being 30-4 the boys did well to post 182, with 72 from Guy and 49 from me.

"We thought it was a competitive total but we didn’t bowl with the same discipline that they did and full credit to Ifield, who are good team specially on their own pitch.

"We’re looking forward to bouncing back this week in a local derby home to Burgess Hill.”

Roffey 132-6 (20 overs) Preston Nomads 138-3 (13 overs)

Sussex T20 Cup Quarter Final

by Martin Read

Last Sunday in Fulking, high flying Preston Nomads unceremoniously knocked Roffey out of the Sussex T20 Cup, and, as if that wasn’t bad enough, it was a brutal re-run of last year’s encounter at the same stage of the competition.

And, making it even worse the main damage was again inflicted by Sussex’s Zach Lion-Cachet, who, in 2023 scored 116 from just 55 balls before taking the first three Roffey wickets. This time his stats were not quite so blatant, but they proved to be more than enough.

Roffey won the toss and elected to bat, but never really got going. From 22-2 they partially recovered thanks to 33 from Sam Henderson and an unbeaten 42 from skipper Matt Davies. But, despite an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 60, with Shams Suddahazai finishing on 24 not out, previously wickets had fallen too regularly, Daniel Phillips grabbing 3-28. Four batsmen had contributed just seven runs between them, and the 133 target looked thin unless Roffey could make serious early inroads.

Although Toby Munt took a wicket with his first delivery, dot balls and further scalps were hard to come by, Lion- Cachet and Danial Ibrahim notching up 50 from the first 4 overs.Theo Rivers did snare Lion-Cachet (who’d earlier taken 2-13 from four overs) for 35, after Will Fenwick had dismissed Ibrahim for 40 - only for Jonty Jenner with 42, and Phillips to romp Nomads home without further loss, with seven overs unused and the bowling figures best not dwelt upon.

In the other quarter finals, after Hastings had conceded against Cuckfield, Three Bridges beat Buxted Park, but the shock of the day was Bolney from Division 3 East knocking out Middleton from the Sussex Premiership, a great all round team performance earning them a home semi final against Preston Nomads. At a date to be confirmed, in the other semi final Cuckfield will host Three Bridges.

In Division 3 West, Littlehampton headed to Goring full of confidence after three wins on the bounce.

Captain Mike Askew won the toss and batted first. The away lost an early wicket but Askew (50) and Harry Standing (27) steadied the ship.

Connar Robson smashed 41 and it looked like Littlehampton were on for 300-plus.

However, Goring fought back and started to take regular wickets with Aaron Wyatt and Sam Botham each taking three wickets.

Dan White’s 25 helped the away side up to 249 all out.

Once again Littlehampton came out firing with the ball. Openers Mac Cox and Akshay Goyal both picked up two wickets and Goring were four down early.

Sam Thorns (44) and Goring captain Rob Haggart (56) started to rebuild the Goring innings.

However, the introduction of Nathan Perry (4-51) proved crucial as he ripped through Gorings middle order. White (2-4) came onto finish the job and Goring were all out for 173.

Littlehampton skipper Askew said: “It was another all-round good performance from everyone.

"Once again we’ve scored big and then our bowling attack have defended it with ease.

"We’ve now reached the win target I set before the season started and we’ve still got 10 to play.

"We’ve snuck up to second but theres a long way to go and I’m just happy we are 98 points above relegation.”

Also in that division. Findon won by 23 runs at home to Roffey twos.

After electing to bat, knocks of 49 each from Alex Stephens and Fin Roberts helped them to 223-8.

Roffey’s top scorer was Ayyash Ziyam – also with 49 – but they were all out for 200 as Jabe Rogers took 4-34.

The win lifted Findon to fifth in the table.

Coleman’s Hatch v Southwick & Shoreham

Division 8 Central

In every sport there comes a time, when whatever your own team’s fortunes, you just have stand and admire the performance of an opponent.

And at the scenic Ashdown Forest, home of Coleman's Hatch, Steve Medhurst played an innings of power and quality to put the Wickers bowlers to the sword, scoring 138.

On a ground with small boundaries, Medhurst smashed the ball to all parts of the sward, having come in after Harry Sutton had taken two wickets in his first over.

It wasn't as if the bowling was poor – the S&S attack were just helpless in the face of the onslaught.

Even the stoppage of play as a trio of horses and riders trotted behind the bowler’s arm did nothing to affect Medhurst's charge.

Abhishek Choudary provided able support, hitting 69 in a partnership of 140 odd.

When at last both batters had gone another wicket quickly followed but Raja Iqbal's quickfire 41 saw the home outfit to a huge score of 298-6.

Apart from Sutton's early wickets the best bowling came from Matt Rowson on his return to active service following his A-levels, returning figures of 8-0-39-1.

In response S&S started well, Peter Fieldwick hitting 17 and Farhad Barakzai power hitting a brilliant 72 before being caught Iqbal off islam Ul-Haq.

But the Hatch bowlers were in good nick allowing none of the away team to form a partnership with Barakzai, the Wickers subsiding to 170 all out in 30 overs.

That man Medhurst added two wickets to add to his batting heriocs and Ul-Haq bowled eight overs for 55 runs and took five wickets.

Speaking post-match a disconsolate Tom Bell said: "Today was tough, but the size of the defeat wasnt a reflection of how we played, it was a game where we were on the recieving end of an exceptional innings."

Southwick & Shoreham sit eighth in the table as the season reaches halfway.

The Southwick and Shoreham 2nd XI fared no better at Buckingham Park, Aldwick seconds bowling them out for 85 in 30 overs and scoring 89-1 off 25 to win.