Findon v Middleton updates from Long Furlong

Plenty of spectators already around the boundary half an hour before the 2pm start.

The Findon team, captained by John Rogers, comprises other experienced Village Cup campaigners Mark Stewart and John Cox, plus debutmaker last season and Lord's starter, Mickey Demetriou, 12th man Felix Jordan and fringeer to selection Alex Nielsen. Then come the talented Village Cup novices but talented young players Jack Metters, Bradley Bridson, Graham Manser and wicketkeeper Jamie Proctor. There is one change to the line-up.

The 2nd XI captain Andy Boxall comes in for Grant Christie, who was unavailable. Christie was in the Lord's team and is a senior all-rounder in the team. His presence may be missed but this is balanced up by Middleton being without leading batsman Jack Lerwill, for the same reason at Christie.

Updates here, most recent at the top.

Findon

Andy Boxall c Hansford b Madgwick 17

Jack Metters b Ball 0

Bradley Bridson c Hansford b Hanley 2

Alex Nielsen b Hanley 8

John Cox c Warren b Ball 0

*John Rogers lbw b Rawstrone 20

Felix Jordan st Warren b Rawstrone 16

Mark Stewart lbw b Houchen 18

Mickey Demetriou lbw b Hansford 12

+Jamie Proctor st Warren b Hansford 2

Graham Manser not out 0

Extras (b3 lb123 nb1) 29

Total (39.1 overs) 125

Fall: 0 11 25 26 53 69 87 121 125 125

Hanley (7-0-27-2) 9-1-34-2

Ball 9-1-19-2

Madgwick 9-0-40-1

Rawstrone 6-1-12-2

Houchen 4-0-13-1

Hansford 1.1-0-2-2

* The end is quick. No 11 Graham Manser plays out two deliveries from Glenn Houchen, then on the first ball of Hansford's next over, Jamie Proctor is stumped.

Middleton go to Iden next Sunday for the Sussex Final and a place in the first national round at home to the Kent section winners.

* It's now tougher still now for Findon. New bowler Ben Hansford dashes in with his first ball, Mickey Demetriou commnits the cardinal Long Furlong sin, goes back and is bang in front: lbw for 12 after a stand of 34 for the eighth wicket with Mark Stewart. New batsman Jamie Proctor gets two runs but now Stewart faces Glenn Houchen with 22 needed off three overs. Off the fourth ball, his feet are nowhere, he not offering much of shot and he, although the ball is pitching outside leg stump, is hitting, and he, too, is lbw: 125 for nine, one wicket left, 23 still wanted, 14 balls left.

* The 37th over: Mark Stewart cannot get Glenn Houchen away, but two wides at Mickey Demetriou are a bonus. The pair add only four and Stewart respectfully defends the last ball so Demetriou faces the new bowler, Ben Hansford, with 24 wanted off four overs.

* Houchen's slow left-arm is not easy material for Findon with 42 wanted off the last seven overs. But Mark Stewart and Mickey Demetriou take seven off his next over so 35 are required off the last six overs. Hanley bowls to Demetriou, who declines two of deliveries, then gives the strike to Stewart, who keeps it for the next over off a short-pitched ball he pulls to square leg: 31 wanted off five.

* From 90-7 after 30 overs, Mark Stewart fires his first shot over the bows of the Middleton bowling. He leans back for a pull and lifts medium-pacer Aaron Madgwick over the cars into the bottom field at square leg for the first six of the match. There are 10 off the over and it bruises Madgwick's figures as he completes with 9-0-40-1.

At the other end, the 17-year-old Rawstrone has to come off after bowling his young-player's regulation six overs. With figures of 6-1-12-2, Findon are relieved. But on comes left-armer Glenn Houchen and Mickey Demetriou almost pays with an lbw when he goes onto the back foot and there is just one off the over: 103-7 after 32.

At the Church Hill end, opening bowler Bradley Hanlon returns.

* Mark Stewart loses partner Felix Jordan. His back foot shifts forward oout of his ground as he gropes for a Adam Rawstrone delivery and keeper-captain Matt Warren is extremely quick with the gloves. It's 87-7 in the 28th over and Middleton are through all the proven Findon batting. New man Mickey Demetriou put bat to ball in the Village Cup last season but the situation requires more than that for the moment. We'll see if he has the necessary responsibility.

There are still 61 wanted with 12 overs left and three wickets in hand.

Rawstrone has made up for his miss in the field with the two biggest Findon wickets in this match.

* The poise drops Middleton's way. John Rogers, shaping to play a fixed-feet guide down to third man is surprised to be given lbw off Rawstone. He probably thought the ball hit him rather high but it's 69 for six in the 23rd over and the last experienced and senior Findon batsman comes to the crease.

It's Mark Stewart, whose hitting could end the game in a few overs, were Findon a lot nearer their target. But they require a different innings from him for the next 10 overs because 72 are still needed to win, 16 overs to get them, but margin for error.

* Left-arm opening bowler Stan Ball completes his stint with an excellent two for 19 off his nine overs and is replaced by Adam Rawstrone with springy right-arm pace. Findon, from 25 for three after 10 overs, have reached 59 for five after 20. Drinks.

Rogers is getting well onto the front foot to eliminate chance and there is a lot of futile Middleton lbw-shouting. Rogers has a long front-foot reach. Jordan, having earlier survived a chip that just fell behind point's despairing reach backwards, seems to be settling into his task, of supporting Rogers at first, and maybe increasing his own batting tempo in due course.

It's 64 after 21 overs. The game is well-poised.

* Nielsen's departure brings in the first of Findon's experienced Village Cup batsmen, John Cox. But he survives only four balls before edging a low catch off Ball to the wicketkeeper.

At 26-4, the man coming in is John Rogers, the captain charged with giving rebirth to the shattered Findon cup team after seven players quit in the winter.

He and Andy Boxall seem to have decided to take the attack back to Middleton with some calculated risk-taking. Boxall hits the first boundary of the innings, lofted to long-off past Hanlon, then Rogers stabs an on drive back past Ball to the long-on rope.

Hanlon's over went for 10 runs so he comes off and reserves two of his allocation of overs.

Gradually, Findon are looking like making a fight of it until Boxall drives Aaron Madgwick too uppishly to cover and it's 53-5 in the 17th over. Boxall has done a crucial job in keeping one end more or less secure during this troubled Findon start and has got out at the wrong time.

In now comes Felix Jordan, the Brighton College boy who already has a Village Cup hundred this first full season for Findon.

*The ball is swinging. There is a lot of playing and missing by Findon and Nielson, when he connects, leading-edges Hanlon to deep mid-wicket where Adam Rawstrone, struggling with the sun in his eyes, makes a hash of reaching the catch. His return hits the stumps but the chance has gone.

However Nielsen, who has started to get the scoreboard moving, swings across the line to Hanley soon afterwards and it's three Findon wickets down as the 11th over begins. The scoreboard shows just 25 runs.

* Before the digestion is over, a second loss for Findon. Bradley Bridson spoons up a catch at cover and they are 11-2 in the seventh over.

* There is no telling quite how this young Findon team will react, but Middleton's 147 ought not to be enough to win this match - even on an outfield thick with grass after the recent rains, but not long.

And Middleton get the start Findon did not have: they remove Jack Metters, out second ball, in the second over, bowled by Stan Ball, coming in left-arm, over the wicket.

Findon digest the damage and are nine for no further loss after five overs.

.........................................

MiddletonBen Hansford st Proctor b Jordan 22

Joseph Seaman c Bridson b Stewart 17

Stuart Nelmes c Proctor b Stewart 18

Mark Hoare lbw b Manser 9

Chris Spedding lbw b Stewart 0

Brandon Hanley b Nielsen 25

Stan Ball c Proctor b Metters 5

*+Matt Warren c Jordan b Metters 10

Adam Rawstrone c Proctor b Nielsen 8

Adam Madgwick not out 9

Glenn Houchen not out 1

Extras (b1 nb2 w20) 23

Total (40 overs) 147-9

Fall: 42 49 80 80 80 89 121 137 145

Demetriou 5-0-25-0, Jordan 9-0-32-1, Stewart 9-1-20-3, Manser 7-0-22-1, Metters 6-0-27-2, Nielsen 4-1-20-2.

* Aaron Madgwick has joined Adam Rawstrone, bat blades are flashing in the sunlight but the Findon fielding is maintaining a grip, and soon Rawstrone has edged Nielsen to keeper Jamie Proctor and it is 145-9 in the last over. In comes Glenn Houchen the No 11, an agricultural swipe gets him away from the strike but Middleton close on 147 for nine off their 40 overs.

It's an excellent containment job by Findon to drive home the advantage they gained through Mark Stewart's nine-over spell, which he began after the first 10 overs and during which he conceded only 20 runs while picking up three wickets.

* Four overs left and Brandon Hanley breaks the calm by whacking Alex Nielson and gaining the first boundary for 11 overs, despite Graham Manser's scrambling effort, sprawling over the long-on rope. However, Hanley swings across Nielsen's next delivery and the stumps rattle: 137-8.

* This could be the matchwinning phase for Findon. Middleton are 119-6 after 36 overs, with four left, and they have not managed to hit a boundary since Stan Ball's four the last ball of Mark Stewart's spell - the 27th over. Metters continues at The Road end, skipper Matt Warren, on 10, throws his bat and hoists an edge to backward point where Felix Jordan has an easy task: 121-7.

* Seven overs remain, Middleton are 107 for six, and replacing Graham Manser at the Church Hill end is the considerably lively paceman Alex Nielsen. Matt Warren calls for his helmet. Nielsen has a single fly-slip, Mark Stewart, but only mid-wicket is out on the boundary. Metters has cover, long-off, long-on, mid-wicket and square-leg all on the rope.

He completes the 35th over and Middleton are still only 116 for six.

* After losing four wickets for nine runs in five overs, Middleton have edged to 95-6 after 30 overs. Middleton badly need a partnership: 10 overs are left in which to set a competitive target and it's Matt Warren with the lofty Badley Hanlon against the lanky Graham Manser and the muscularly diminutive Jack Metters.

* Leg-spinner Mark Stewart has completed his spell for a superb 9-1-20-3. He has put Middleton behind their target on runs-conceded alone. Until the last ball of his stint, he had conceded only 16. The third of Findon's four spinners replaces him at the Road End. It's orthodox left-armer Jack Metters, and, lo and behold, he has Ball caught behind off his sixth delivery and it's 89 for six.

Middleton's upper order are not firing lately, as skipper Matt Warren admitted to me before then game. Yesterday, they were 60 for six against Goring before recovering to 192. Warren is the new man now in. What can the captain do?

* It's a dramatic 25th over for Findon and they get the wickets they had begun to look like needing. Mark Stewart is the bowler: Jamie Proctor atones for his miss by holding a catch to dismiss Stuart Nelmes for 18 and Stewart moves onto a hat-trick ball by trapping new batsman Chris Spedding lbw first ball. Brandon Hanley has no trouble in surviving his first two deliveries but it's a double-wicket maiden for Stewart and Middleton have gone from 75-2 to 80-4.

More drama: off the first ball of the next over, Mark Hoare is lbw to Graham Manser and it's 80-5. Stan Ball is the new batsman, it's a maiden for Manser and there are 14 overs to go.

* Missed chance: off leg-spinner Mark Stewart's bowling, keeper Jamie Proctor drops Mark Hoare, who is on six, at the end of the 23rd over (75-2).

* Off-spinner Felix Jordan completes his allocation with figures of 9-0-32-1. Tall medium-pacer Graham Manser replaces him at the Church Hill end, there are two singles off his first over, and at the halfway stage in the Middleton innings, they are 70-2.

* Stuart Nelmes escapes a run-out chance when being sent back by Mark Hoare. The return, however, takes Jamie Proctor wide, he aims at the stumps and misses just as Nelmes regains his ground. A close thing.

* In the 15th over, Jordan tempts Ben Hansford forward and keeper Jamie Proctor has the bails off like lightning. A moment's consideration and Middleton umpire Pete Stephens raises his finger at square leg. Hansford has gone, stumped for 22, and Middleton are 45-2.

* After 10 overs, 41-0: Middleton have maintained their run rate of four an over but Findon replace Demetriou (5-0-25-0) at the Road End with leg-spinner Mark Stewart and he breaks through in his first over. Joseph Seaman, on 17, gives Bradley Bridson an easy catch at mid-on and Middleton are 42 for one in the 11th over.

* After 5 overs: Middleton are 21-0 and beginning to settle in.

* Ben Hansford opens the innings with Joseph Seaman and drives Micky Demetrious for the first runs with a straight-driven four off the last ball of the first over. The Horses open at the Church Hill end with the spin of Felix Jordan.