Review of the year part 2

With the sun about to set on 2014, Observer Sport continues its look back on the year that was.
Battle shooter Steve Scott won a gold medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in GlasgowBattle shooter Steve Scott won a gold medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
Battle shooter Steve Scott won a gold medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

Having focused on the first six months of the year earlier today, we now take a look at the sporting highlights from the past six months.

JULY

* Crowhurst Park Cricket Club bows out of the Davidstow Village Cup in the last 16 after losing to Buckinghamshire side Dinton

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* Mark Davis reaches the semi-finals of snooker’s Australian Goldfields Open courtesy of fine wins against Dominic Dale, Shaun Murphy and Stuart Bingham

* Mark Mitchell, of Bexhill Rowing Club, becomes the first coastal rower in 175 years to represent his club in the Diamond Sculls at the Henley Royal Regatta

AUGUST

* Hastings Priory’s superb run in the ECB Royal London Club Championship is ended by a quarter-final loss away to Brentwood. Priory are then beaten off the final ball of their NatWest Club T20 south area semi-final against Ashtead

* The Bexhill Men’s Open Bowls Tournament and Hastings Open Bowls Tournament take centre stage

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* Bexhill Cricket Club secures its Sussex Premier League status, but Hastings Priory are relegated for the first time ever

* Steve Scott wins gold in the men’s double trap at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, while Lee Emanuel also represents England in the men’s 1,500m

SEPTEMBER

* Sidley United Football Club returns to action after a year’s break caused by the loss of its ground

* Plans are announced to hold a one-off Bexhill-Hastings Link Road 10K run next year once construction of the road is complete

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* Cathy Bargh wins silver medals in the over-50 women’s singles and doubles at the European Senior Badminton Championships in Portugal

* Bexhill become the first club since 1987 to win the men’s and ladies’ senior fours at the South Coast Rowing Championships in Swanage having previously clinched the CARA League title for the 14th consecutive year

* Terry White resigns as Hastings United manager after eight months at the helm. Nigel Kane and Mark Stapley take over in a caretaker capacity during the search for a permanent successor

* Rye United are effectively dissolved after Rother District Council takes a surrender of the lease at The Salts, where the football club played its home matches

OCTOBER

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* Former East Preston boss Dom Di Paola takes over the managerial reins at Hastings United, and starts with back-to-back wins over Guernsey and East Grinstead Town

* Frances Candy is a key part of the Great Britain tennis squad which wins the Alice Marble Cup for over-60 women at the 2014 Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Turkey

* Bexhill United play their first ever home game in the FA Vase and are beaten 6-2 by Rochester United

* Bexhill all-rounder Shawn Johnson is named the Sussex Cricket League Young Player of the Year following a tremendous season with bat and ball

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* Snooker professional Jimmy Robertson, from Bexhill, wins five matches to reach the semi-finals of Asian Tour event two, the Haining Open, in China

NOVEMBER

* Frances Candy is named Aegon Seniors Player of the Year at the 2014 British Tennis Awards

* Staplecross golfer Ben Evans finishes the season a career-best 17th on the European Challenge Tour rankings after four top 15 finishes in his last seven tournaments

* A sell-out field battles through strong winds at the Poppy Half Marathon in Bexhill

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* The world’s tallest professional basketball player, 7ft 8in Bob Wegner, plays in Bexhill for Lake Michigan Admirals

* Steve Scott is named Freedom Leisure Sports Personality of the Year and Lydia Powell scoops the University of Chichester Young Sports Personality of the Year accolade at the Sussex Sports Awards

DECEMBER

* Mark Davis reaches the quarter-finals of snooker’s Coral UK Championship and semi-finals of the Lisbon Open in successive weeks

* Well-liked footballer Dan Hill becomes the second Little Common player to suffer a broken leg since Easter (the other being Adam Smith) and says afterwards he won’t play competitively again

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* Bexhill United move up to second in Sussex County Football League Division Two on the back of an 11-match unbeaten run in the league

* Pett-based running talent Grace Baker is victorious on England duty at the Lotto Cup cross-country event in Belgium and is selected to represent Great Britain at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross-Country early in the new year

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