KAYE SAD AT STIRLANDS

Worthing skipper John Kaye, lighting the barbecue, admitted the taste was sour after the scores finished level on the board but in the book Stirlands had won off the last ball.

He forgave the scorers their confusion '” they were, as normal, having also to do the telegraph operator's job. They had discovered near the end that they were a run in arrears and had tried, in vain, to gain the umpires' attention to suspend proceedings while they checked matters. But he was disappointed that David Briance, the Stirlands captain, was happy to take the win and walk, on the grounds that the two books had always agreed.

Kaye said: "Reading the scoreboard, we believed Stirlands needed three to win off the last delivery and they got two. It would have been more in the spirit of the game if we'd agreed to lose a leg-bye or something in the book and declare it a scores-level draw.

"I'd kept the game open for them all the way but had I known they needed two to win, I'd have organised our last delivery differently. We'd not have let them win. If I'd closed up the game earlier it would have taken away our best chance of a result. But it was a bit disingenuous of Stirlands to think they had won."

A mutual scores-level draw would have given both sides 15 points, and left Stirlands still in final fourth place with Worthing in fifth but 10 fewer points (33) adrift.

Kaye had kept on his spinners Ben Shelford and Aussie Matt Paul for 20 overs in tandem through until the end. They put on the brake earlier and the delay in Stirlands acceleration cost four wickets '” including two stumpings and a run-out '” in their move from 164 for three to a winning double-Nelson 222.

Worthing gave a 1st-XI debut to 16-year-old Ollie Rogers and got from him straightway a maiden 50 '” opening the batting to boot. He departed after being joined by Paul, whose 84-ball 55 took Worthing on to 146 for five. Then 48 in 59 was added to the rest of the innings by Steve Pearse.

Worthing were without director of cricket, all-rounder Andy Lutwyche, who was needed at centre-half for Worthing Football Club, notwithstanding a back strain that prevents him bowling. Also out were paceman Danny Barton, unavailable along with spinner Russell Brown.

Worthing recalled veterans Tim Dunn (taking a season out) and Anthony Aduhene (a Nottingham resident with two games this season in the considerably inferior Derbyshire League) for their first games of the season.

Dunn gradually shed his rustiness in the field, dropping a catch but making one goalkeeping overthrow save that kept the closing stages tight.

Aduhene rarely provides a dull moment. One minute sunny as July, the next dark as thunder. The former club Cup Final legend now has a follow-through longer than his run-up, shows even more reluctance than normal to return to his mark after being hit for four, has problems bowling to a 7-2 field and needs the ball thrown to him at a catchable height.

It did suit him, though, that Kaye stuck with a slip (ie him) through the Stirlands reply.

Ian Bollam, 18, made 102 of Stirlands' first 164 and it was only after his departure that anxiety crept into their batting.

Ben Cameron's 2001 Sussex League run record for Worthing of 1,080 fell on Saturday to Eastbourne's Sean Heather who reached 1,082.